What is a hyphen? A hyphen is a punctuation mark that looks like a dash (-) and is used to link two or more words together. It can also be used to indicate a pause, to spell out fractions and numbers, and to divide long words into two parts. Hyphens are also referred to as "h...
Using a single hyphen instead of an em dash can confuse readers and make your writing look unprofessional. If you’re writing text in a program or on a website where the em dash character is completely unavailable, use two hyphens together (–) to signify an em dash. En dashes are also...
this convention replaces the space between words with a hyphen character. for example, my-variable. pascal case: this convention capitalizes the first letter of each word in the identifier but does not separate them with underscores or hyphens. for example, myvariable. screaming snake case: ...
An adverb ending in "ly" does not need a hyphen to indicate that the adverb is modifying the adjective or participle next to the adverb. When adverbs that do not end in "ly" are used as compound words in front of a noun, they should be hyphenated, but if they follow the noun, do...
See how the doubled dash and the spaces between the dashes and the words that surround them render it impossible to mistake the intended dash for a hyphen? Sometimes, aspiring writers mistakenly use this format for a hyphen, but that would be incorrect in any context. Why? Well, a hyphen...
Acompoundadjectiveis an adjective that is made up of multiple individual words. Usually, the words are connected by a hyphen or hyphens when used as an adjective. Words likeabsent-mindedandhappy-go-luckyare examples of compound adjectives. ...
On the other hand, writing a fraction like a third or a quarter does not require a hyphen. What Is a Dash and When Should It Be Used? There are two types of dashes: the em dash and the en dash. En and em, short and long, dashes are named after the space they take in typesetti...
Unlike other affixes, prefixes sometimes use ahyphen. Specifically, the prefixesall-,self-, andex– (when used to mean “former”) always use hyphens. self-aware ex-boyfriend You can see a list of common prefixes, as well as a complete list of rules for hyphenating prefixes, in our separ...
First we had maiden name.This is a woman’s family name before she is married.My mother refused to give up her maiden name to my father when she got married. Then we had double-barrelled. A double-barrelled name is two names that are joine...
Finally, when you have words that spell out individual letters, like “X-ray” or “C-section,” you usually use a hyphen. 100 Words With Hyphens: Hyphen Examples Now, what are some examples of hyphenated words, so you can see them in action. Let's look at our all-time, desert-isla...