2024年11月22日 · Learn when to use a hyphen with these punctuation rules and examples. Discover how to use a hyphen correctly with words and numbers.

Hyphens' main purpose is to glue words together. They notify the reader that two or more elements in a sentence are linked. Although there are rules and customs governing hyphens, there are also situations when writers must decide whether to add them for clarity. Rule 1a.

Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-; with the suffix -elect; between a prefix and a capitalized word; and with figures or letters:

Knowing when to use a hyphen in a sentence improves your grammar. It allows you to tell between hyphenated adjectives and open compound words. This skill also helps you differentiate between a hyphen and a dash. If you’re not sure whether you should hyphenate a word or not, this guide will show you the rules, usage, and examples you need to learn.

Hyphens are often used when a compound modifies a noun (“sun-bleached curtains,” “fire-roasted tomatoes”) but not when -ly adverbs are used (“lightly salted peanuts”). Among the correspondence we receive at Merriam-Webster, a significant amount of it comes from people asking how to style a particular compound word. Should it be two words? One word?

The hyphen ( ‐ ) is a punctuation mark used to join words. It is often confused with dashes ( –, —, ― ), which are longer and have different uses, and with the minus sign ( − ) which is also longer.

Hyphens are joiners. They are used in compound adjectives (e.g., four-page document), compound nouns (e.g, ice-axe), and prefixes (e.g., anti-vaccination groups). This grammar lesson explains the correct use of hyphens and gives examples of hyphens used in sentences.

2016年1月19日 · A hyphen (-) is a punctuation mark used to connect two or more words (or parts of words) to show that they form one unit of sense—e.g., “fast-paced,” “shake-up,” “four-year-old,” “post-punk.” Mistakes with hyphens are very common: leaving them out when they’re needed, adding them when they’re unnecessary, or putting them in the wrong place.

2024年10月29日 · Hyphens are small but powerful punctuation marks that link words and clarify meaning. Use hyphens for compound modifiers before nouns (e.g., well-known author), with certain prefixes (e.g., self-esteem), in numbers like twenty-one, and to avoid ambiguity.

2023年11月13日 · In this article, we will cover the basic rules for using hyphens in English, including when to use them in compound words, prefixes, and suffixes, as well as some common exceptions to these rules.