Hyphens
Rules for Using Hyphens
Use hyphens without spaces around them to form compound modifiers, which are two words that essentially function as a unit, or for compound adjectives preceding nouns. But don’t use a hyphen for compounds that include the words "more," "less," "most," or "least," unless failing to do so could cause confusion.
- I love her blue-green eyes.
- She's quite well-adjusted despite her upbringing.
- She's the most beautiful girl I know.
When the second element of a compound modifier is omitted, use a hyphen followed by a space.
He was both over- and underwhelmed by various aspects of the report.
Do not use a hyphen after the word "very," or after adverbs ending in "ly."
He showed us an amazingly simple way to perform that task.
Use hyphens for prefixes under the following circumstances:
- Before numerals (pre-19th century)
- Before root words that are capitalized (pan-Asian cuisine)
- When prefixes are doubled (pre-reconstruction)
- When double vowels need to be avoided (semi-invasive surgery)
- To indicate a shared status (co-organizers of the event)
- To indicate the word "electronic" other than in the context of the word "email" (e-commerce)
Use hyphens for suffixes under the following circumstances:
- To avoid a doubled consonant (real-live audio)
- After a capitalized noun (Boston-wide blackout)
Use hyphens to avoid ambiguity as necessary.
I re-sent that email ("resent that email” indicates feelings of resentment).
Do not use hyphens when writing common and well-known terms such as "website."