Think of a hyphen as a handcuff linking two words.

Let’s now discuss one of the most problematic issues in English grammar: When is the right time to hyphenate a word?

This is problematic because most of the rules surrounding the use of hyphens aren’t absolute. Many grammarians use the words, usually and typically when describing situations which call for the use of hyphens. A lot of the time you just need to use common sense when using hyphens, and this can be frustrating for those who are learning English as a second language. Only in English could a grammatical rule be loosely interpreted!

A hyphen is a line space used to join words together. Think of it as a handcuff between two words. Take the sentence, “The remedy was a temporary stop-gap approach.” The hyphen joins two otherwise unrelated words to form another. This is not to be confused with a dash, which indicates a change in thought or direction mid-sentence. For instance, an ideal use of a dash would be: “I was writing about this yesterday – which was a beautiful day – when I was interrupted.” Also, note that there are spaces before and after dashes, but never in hyphens.

You will always use a hyphen when writing compound numerals in English, such as twenty-one (21), fifty-five (55), ninety-two (92), and so on up to ninety-nine (99). Beyond ninety-nine, it is proper to simply use the numerical form (101). And that is the only absolute, immutable rule when it comes to hyphens.

One of the most common uses of a hyphen is in creating a compound modifier. “I was given comfort by a kind-hearted soul.” The hyphen indicates a specific connection between kind and hearted and, combined together before a noun, they modify that noun.

A compound adjective combines either

1. A noun with an adjective: fat-free
2. A participle with an adjective: well-endowed
3. A participle with a noun: time-tested

In each of these cases, when the combination modifies another noun, these compounds would be hyphenated.

It used to be common that hyphens were always used with a prefix, such as pre-ordained, or post-apocalyptic. While it is still acceptable, it is now common to see many prefixed words without the hyphen. Prenuptial, for example, is a word which was once hyphenated, but is now commonly accepted without the hyphen.

The word email is an abbreviated compound of the words electronic mail, and at one time was commonly spelled e-mail. Now, if you spell email with the hyphen, you will likely be corrected by your younger friends. Many previously hyphenated words, especially those which already contain an abbreviation, are losing the hyphen.

As we have seen, you can also create compound words, in which the separate components of a word, when conjoined, form a new word. “I handed my sister-in-law a hot-water bottle.” However, hyphens can also change the meanings of words, so you have to be careful how you use them. Consider, for example, the previous phrase. Remove the hyphen in hot-water bottle, and I have handed my sister-in-law a water bottle which is hot. The hyphen eliminated any ambiguity in what the phrase meant.

This, then, is one of the problems with using hyphens. If there is no possibility of ambiguity when using a compound word, then a hyphen is probably unnecessary. For example, “I walked along a tree-lined street.” The hyphenated word is perfectly fine, but is there any doubt about the meaning if I wrote; I walked along a tree lined street?

The most important function of hyphens is to remove any confusion in the meaning of a phrase or sentence. Its use is often a matter of style and preference, and many editors would ask a writer to find another way to state something rather than use a hyphenated word. A compound modifier such as kind-hearted could, in most cases, be replaced with an adverb, such as kindly.

If in doubt, consult a style guide, such as The Associated Press Stylebook, The Chicago Manual of Style, or The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. And, once you have settled on a rule to follow, always adhere to it. After all, you don’t want someone to think that you’re wishy-washy.

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