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Hyphens
and Compound Words
DEFINITIONS
AND GENERAL RULES
A compound, which is a combination of words regarded as a unit,
may take one of three forms: it may be spelled as separate words (open
compound), it may be joined by a hyphen(s) (hyphenated compound), or
it may be spelled as one word (solid compound).
Compounds are also classified as permanent or temporary in terms of their function.
A permanent compound is one that is generally accepted in ordinary usage and
can be found in the dictionary. A temporary compound is one created for a specific
purpose in a particular context.
The trend in modern usage is to spell compounds as solid words as soon as they
have become permanent compounds, and otherwise to spell them as open compounds.
In other words, the trend is away from the use of hyphens.
- Do not hyphenate when the words that make up a compound appear in regular
order and the hyphen is not needed to clarify sense or pronunciation.
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soft goods |
ill fame |
bed rest |
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hard up |
trundle bed |
health food |
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course work |
day school |
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- In an expression derived from a compound, retain the solid or hyphenated
form of the original compound.
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ill-humoredly (ill-humor) |
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trustworthiness (trustworthy) |
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footnoting (footnote) |
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V-shaped
(V-shape) |
- Except in words beginning with the short
prefixes co-, de-, pre-, non-, pro-, post-, and re-, which
are generally spelled solid (one word), use a hyphen to avoid doubling a
vowel or tripling a consonant. (There are many exceptions to this rule; consult
your dictionary when in doubt.)
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cooperation |
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de-emphasis |
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hall-like |
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anti-inflationary |
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UNIVERSITY
OF MINNESOTA RULES
- Do not use a hyphen within a course number.
CSci 5122 (not CSci 5-122)
- Do not use a hyphen in vice president.
SOLID COMPOUNDS
- Do not use a hyphen when a compound has become accepted as a permanent
and solid word. Permanent compounds usually can be found in the dictionary.
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workshop |
outstate |
statewide |
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payroll |
lakeshore |
fieldwork |
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percent
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policyholder |
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- Do not use a hyphen with a noun consisting of a short verb and an adverb
as its second element, except when the use of the solid form might cause
confusion.
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blowup |
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takedown |
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fallout |
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run-in |
- Do not use a hyphen with the words any, every, no, and some when
they are combined with body, thing, and where. When one is
the second element, use the expression as two words if it means a single
or particular person or thing. To avoid mispronunciation, always use no one
as two words.
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anybody |
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everything |
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nowhere |
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every one of them |
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UNIT MODIFIERS
- In most cases, use a hyphen between words or between abbreviations and
words combined to form a unit modifier that precedes the word modified. This
applies particularly to combinations in which one element is a present or
past participle.
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Minneapolis-St. Paul airport |
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thought-provoking argument |
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second-quarter sophomore |
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U.S.-flag ship |
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up-to-date information
(but information that is up to date) |
- Hyphenate compounds
that include well- and ill- when they precede the noun. Do
not hyphenate if the expression carries a modifier.
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a well-known woman |
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(but a very well known woman) |
- Use a hyphen when confusion could exist between a modifier and the word
it modifies.
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a light (weight) green jacket/a light-green (color) jacket |
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a new book sale/a new-book sale |
- Use hyphens where two or more hyphenated compounds have a common basic
element that is omitted in one or more of the terms.
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three- or four-member committee |
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seaweed- and barnacle-covered ships (not seaweed and barnacle-covered
ships) |
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a student-owned and -operated radio station |
- Do not use a hyphen in a two-word modifier if the first clement is a comparative
or superlative.
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upper division courses |
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better paid worker |
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best liked films |
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higher income bracket |
- Do not use a hyphen to form a temporary compound if the meaning is clear
and readability is not aided by adding one. Refrain from forming hyphenated
compounds when the words are used in normal sequence.
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chemical dependency program |
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interior design certificate |
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health care institution |
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world affairs center
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- Do not hyphenate -ly phrases.
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severely injured patients |
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unusually accurate predictions |
- Do not use a hyphen in a unit modifier containing
a foreign phrase.
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a priori knowledge |
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bona fide original |
- Do not use a hyphen
in a unit modifier containing a letter or a numeral as its second clement.
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grade A cultured buttermilk |
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section 2 beds of the prison |
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NUMERICAL EXPRESSIONS
- Use a hyphen between the elements of compound numbers from 21 to 99 (when
they are spelled out).
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Fifty-three percent of the students polled agreed. |
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March the first, nineteen hundred and seventy-nine |
- Use a hyphen in adjectival compounds with a numerical first element. Do
not use a hyphen with numerical compounds used as nouns.
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10-hour day |
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20th-century novel |
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The 31st precinct was the most liberal. |
- Use a hyphen with
the symbols for chemical elements used in combination with figures. Do not
use a hyphen with superior figures or when the element name is spelled out.
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U-235 |
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uranium 235 |
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U 235 |
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235U |
- Do not use a hyphen with spelled out fractions used as nouns. Hyphenate
spelled out fractions used as adjectives.
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three fourths of an inch |
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two-thirds majority |
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PREFIXES
AND SUFFIXES
- Except as indicated below, use words formed with prefixes and suffixes
as solid words.
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noncredit |
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postsecondary |
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odorless |
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outermost |
- Use a hyphen after the prefix when the second element of a compound consists
of more than one word.
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non-music major |
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pro-civil rights |
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post-high-school education |
- Use a hyphen when a prefix appears with a capitalized
word or when the term like appears with a proper name.
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non-University |
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pro-German |
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French-like |
- Use a hyphen to separate a prefix from the root word if the nonhyphenated
word would have a different meaning.
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re-collect |
recollect |
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co-op |
coop |
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- Use a hyphen to join duplicated prefixes.
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re-reissue |
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sub-subcommittee on educational policy |
- Use a hyphen with
the prefixes ex- (meaning former) and self-.
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ex-cheerleader |
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self-educated |
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(exceptions: selfless, selfsame) |
- Use a hyphen with the prefix quasi- when
used in an adjectival compound. Spell noun compounds with quasi open.
Check your dictionary for exceptions.
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quasi-judicial |
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quasi corporation |
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MISCELLANEOUS
- Do not use an en dash (or hyphen) to replace
the prepositions to or through unless space is limited, and
do not use from before dates or times unless to or through is
used.
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June 28 through July 14 |
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from 9 to 10 a.m. (never from 9–10 a.m.) |
- Use a hyphen with
the adjectives elect or designate as the last element of a
title.
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president-elect |
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dean-designate |
- Use a hyphen to join a single capital letter to a noun or a participle.
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H-bomb |
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T-shaped |
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U-boat |
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V-neck |
- Do not use a hyphen with the adjective then before
a noun.
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then husband |
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then president |
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