Index
Ambiguity
Use a hyphen to avoid ambiguity that would result if it were omitted:
Example
The president will speak to small-business men.
Businessmen normally is one word. But in the sentence, "The president will speak to small businessmen" it is unclear whether the businessmen themselves are small or if their businesses are small.
I got some shingles to re-cover my leaky roof.
Recover means to return to a normal state or to regain. In this sentence the meaning is to cover again. Therefore a dash is needed to ensure a reader would not confuse re-cover with recover.
Prefixes
Generally, do not hyphenate when using a prefix with a word starting with a consonant ( e.g. substandard, minibox, semiprofessional)
Generally, these three rules can be applied:
1. Except for cooperate and coordinate, use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel:
re-estimate
de-energize
coefficient
2. Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized:
re-Swiffer
3. Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes:
sub-subparagraph
Compound Modifiers
Compound modifiers are sets of two or more words that are used as an adjective in a sentence.
When a compound modifier (two or more words that express a single concept) precedes a noun, use hyphens to link all the words in the compound. Compound modifiers are never made with adverbs, especially the adverb "very" and all adverbs that end in -ly:
A full-time job.
A know-it-all attitude.
Incorrect: The very-quick brown fox jumped over the exceedingly-lazy dog.
Correct: The very quick brown fox jumped over the exceedingly lazy dog.
Note: There are many adjectives that end in -ly, not to be confused with adverbs. For example, "family-friendly entertainment" would require a hyphen for the compound modifier "family-friendly" before the noun "entertainment."
Compound modifiers extend to number constructions as well.
Use hyphens for ages and measurements expressed as adjectives BEFORE A NOUN or when USED AS NOUNS:
Examples:
- He's a 5-year-old boy.
- I can't stand 2-year-olds.
- I need a good 9-inch log.
- That log is only 5 inches long.
The principle of using a hyphen to avoid confusion explains why no hyphen is required with “very” and “-ly” words. Readers can expect them to modify the word that follows. But if a combination such as little-known man were not hyphenated, the reader could logically be expecting little to be followed by a noun, as in little man. Instead, the reader encountering little known would have to back up mentally and make the compound connection.
Use a hyphen for compound nouns as well:
Chef-owner Dominica Rice of the Oakland restaurant Cosecha.
However, proper nouns used as a modifier should retain their intended formatting with no additional hyphens.
Incorrect: This is truly a Bobby-Flay-inspired recipe.
Correct: This is truly a Bobby Flay-inspired recipe.
Incorrect: It felt like more of a "Return-of-the-Jedi" moment.
Correct: It felt like more of a "Return of the Jedi" moment.
As a rule of thumb, a hyphen should be used for combination constructions in which it would be appropriate to insert "and" instead of the hyphen.
For constructions where it would be appropriate to insert an "or," use a slash (/).
Complex Modifiers
When an entire phrase is used as a rhetorical adjective to modify a noun, use quotation marks:
It was one of those "now you see me, now you don't" moments.
VS.
It was a wait-and-see moment.
Use a hyphen for any construction with "mid."
That cat cast a spell on me mid-sentence that caused me to faint.
From the early '80s to the mid-1990s, there were a number of questionable music videos made.
DO NOT use a dash to stand for "to" in a numerical range.
Example
Incorrect: There's a 6-7 percent chance that you won't become a zombie if you're bitten by one.
Correct: There's a 6 to 7 percent chance that you won't become a zombie if you're bitten by one.