Before the computer era, the hyphen was used extensively at syllable breaks, and all schoolchildren learnt their ‘syllables’ in order to avoid splitting a word at the wrong place and confusing the reader. Word-processing has largely eliminated the need for splitting words, and the hyphen’s function is now directed more to joining them into compounds, for example: Bride-to-be, Attorney-General, ten-cent coin, anti-Communist, non-Catholic, sub-editor, two-timer.

Do not put a space before or after a hyphen. Do not hyphenate the new compounds that have entered language in recent times, for example: upgrading, downloading, website, ongoing, throughput.

Omission of a hyphen can cause ambiguity. When words in a given context can be construed to yield different meanings, a hyphen will clear away confusion, for example: He is a big, game hunter suggests a hunter who is both big and game. Add hyphen: He is a big-game hunter states clearly he hunts big-game.

He is a dangerous knife collector. Is he a dangerous person who collects knives, or is he a collector of dangerous knives? He is a dangerous knife-collector. He is a dangerous-knife collector.

Attributive adjectival construction of two or more words is hyphenated: a well-known writer, an out-of-this-world book, etc., but not so for predicate adjectival construction, e.g. the writer is well known. Adverbs ending with ‘ly’ are never followed by a hyphen.

There is generally no need to use a hyphen after a standard prefix, with the following exceptions:

• when the second element of the word commences with the same letter as the prefix ends (e.g. re-edit, re-entry, anti-intellectual), but cooperate/coordinate are exceptions
• to distinguish words which could have two meanings (e.g. re-collect/recollect; re-cover/recover; pre-date/predate, re-sign/resign)
• where the second element requires an initial capital/is a proper name (e.g. pre-Enlightenment, anti-Nazi)
• when it is followed by a date (e.g. pre-1976)
• when attached to an italicised word or one in quote marks (anti-glasnost; semi-‘pickled’)
• when the prefix ‘ex-’ means former (e.g. ex-website designer)
• with a short, monosyllabic word (e.g. re-use, re-ink)—to prevent it being read as one syllable
• when the prefix ‘pro-’ means to take a stand for, as in pro-choice
• when the prefix ‘non-’ is used to negate a word which could stand in its own right (e.g. non-perishable, non-violent, whereas words such as nondescript and nonchalant cannot be separated and are thus written as one word).

Correct	Incorrect
life-blood	life blood, lifeblood

When to hyphenate words that begin with ‘E’

Often referred to as ‘e-words’ or ‘e-terms’, these words use the prefix ‘e-’ to denote that they are related to electronic or digital versions of something, such as email (electronic mail) and ebook (electronic book). Some words that begin with ‘E’ have become so commonplace that we seem them with neither a capital nor a hyphen, as in ebook and email. There are many such words, including ecommerce, ebanking, ecard, ehouse, ereader, efile, ehealth and elearning. When should these or other similar words be presented with a hyphen? In this editor’s opinion, it is time to drop unnecessary hyphens and rely upon the reader’s brain to adapt to the new word. We can all learn, at any age, so there’s no need to become stuck on ugly and inconvenient punctuation such as hyphens. E-terms are easy enough to read and understand without the additional complication of capitals and hyphens. As you might have gathered, the word ‘e-term’ itself should have a hyphen because we are highlighting the letter. It needs either quote marks either side (single, if you’re following British/Australian English, double if you’re in the USA). Where quote marks are inappropriate, the hyphen stands in for it.

Also see capitalisation: When to capitalise words that begin with ‘E’.

Examples

• The best ehouses in the world are made by TGOOD
• Ebooks are so common that we don’t need to capitalise or hyphenate the word ebooks

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