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Use a hyphen (-) when needed for clarity. A hyphen can separate parts of words to avoid
misreadings, and it can combine terms when they should be read as a unit.
General guidelines
Guidance for hyphenation isn't always straightforward because it depends on
the following circumstances:
Location. For example, does a term precede a noun, or does it follow a
verb?
Interpretation and readability. Is a sentence ambiguous or unclear if a term is
not hyphenated?
Convention. For some terms, our guidance tells us to always hyphenate or
never hyphenate, even if the convention seems to contradict other guidance.
In addition, there are many exceptions to general hyphenation guidance. If you're not
sure whether to hyphenate a term, in addition to reviewing the guidelines on this page, check the
following sources (in this order):
The documentation that you're working with. If there's an established
convention for hyphenating a term in a particular documentation set, follow that
convention.
Add a hyphen after a prefix in the following circumstances:
If the prefix is self or cross: self-managing,
cross-region
If the noun is capitalized or is a number: non-Google,
post-2000
To avoid confusion or difficulty in reading: de-energize, intra-index,
re-mark, re-sign
If the prefix is for a term that already has hyphens or spaces:
un-Google-like, non-twentieth-century
To be consistent within a document: pre-processing,
post-processing
The non prefix
The non prefix follows the same guidelines, but because it
can easily form words that are hard to parse, it's often hyphenated. Use your
best judgment, taking into account consistency within your documentation. The following
recommendations show contrasting usages that you can use as examples.
When using non as a prefix, add a hyphen before hyphenated compound words.
Recommended: non-KSA-based,
non-self-sustaining
Compounds
A compound is a term that combines more than one word. Compounds can
be closed as one word with no spaces, open with spaces between
words, or hyphenated.
Compound nouns
In general, write compound nouns in their closed (one-word, unhyphenated)
form. If you see that
Merriam-Webster.com uses the
two-word or hyphenated form, but you see that the closed form is the
predominant convention in your context or trending in that direction (as
compounds often do), then use the closed form.
Recommended: webpage
Recommended: hostname
Recommended: tradeoff
Recommended: workaround
Exceptions
Our word list includes exceptions for
well-established terms that commonly use a hyphen or a space, such as
multi-region and style sheet. In some cases, we note that noun,
verb, and adjective versions of a word are treated differently.
When the components of a unit of measurement are multiplied by each other,
hyphenate them.
Recommended: 5 vCPU-hours
Recommended: 40 person-hours
Compound modifiers before a noun
If needed for clarity, hyphenate compound modifiers that come before a noun.
This guideline can be subjective. However, except as noted in
this section, it's almost never wrong to hyphenate a compound before a
noun to ensure clarity.
Recommended: A well-designed app
Recommended: Android-specific
techniques
Use a hyphen after more or most if you need to clarify what
those words modify.
Recommended: The most common scenario
Recommended: Edge locations with
more-reliable internet links
In general, avoid writing compound modifiers that have more than two words.
Instead, move some words after the noun. If you must use this type of
compound, then use a hyphen between each word as needed for clarity.
Recommended: test cases
that are specific to the 2023 edition
Recommended:
cross-data-center replication
Not recommended:
edition-2023-specific test cases
Exceptions
Don't hyphenate adverbs that end in -ly except when needed for clarity.
Recommended: Publicly available
implementations
Not recommended: Publicly-available
implementations
Don't use hyphens in compounds that are conventionally not hyphenated. Follow the
guidance in the word list
or check the convention in the documentation that you're working with.
Recommended: A managed
instance group (MIG)
Recommended: A machine
learning model
When a number and unit of measurement combine to modify a noun, don't hyphenate unless
the hyphen is needed for clarity.
Recommended:
200 GB disk (200 GB disk)
Compound terms after a verb
In general, you don't need to add a hyphen to a compound that follows a verb.
Recommended: The app is well
designed.
Recommended: The logs are written
in real time.
Recommended: The product supports
high availability.
Recommended: The app uses techniques
that are Android specific.
Recommended: Customers can use
the utility as is.
Recommended: Get profile information
for the currently authorized user.
Exceptions
Some compound terms are always hyphenated, even if they follow a verb. To
check, look the term up in the word list. If it isn't in the
list, check the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
As always, follow the convention in the documentation that you're working with.
Recommended: You can deploy the app
on-premises.
Recommended: The docs describe how
to create an add-on.
Recommended: The utility works
with apps that are cloud-based and cloud-adjacent.
Recommended: This page is
customer-facing.
Recommended: The app is designed
to be user-friendly.
Recommended: The goal is to produce
an experience that's game-like.
Range of numbers
Use a hyphen, not an en dash (–),
to indicate a range of numbers. If a hyphen introduces ambiguity, use words such as
from, to, and through for clarity. Don't mix hyphens with words.
For information about how to represent a range of numbers that includes units, see
Ranges of numbers with units.
Recommended: 8-20 files
Recommended: 5-10 minutes
Recommended: from 8 to 20 files
Not recommended: from 8-20 files
Spaces around hyphens
Never place a space on either side of a hyphen except when using a
suspended hyphen, in which case you can leave a space after
(but not before) the hyphen.
Suspended hyphens
When two or more compound modifiers have a common base, you can keep the
hyphens but leave out the base for all except the last modifier. In the
following examples, the base is hour.
Recommended: You can set up the system to
scan for new files at one- or two-hour intervals.
Recommended: You can set up the system to
scan for new files at one-, two-, or three-hour intervals.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2024-10-15 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eHyphens are used to avoid misreading, combine terms, and separate parts of words for clarity.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eHyphenate prefixes like \u003cem\u003eself-\u003c/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ecross-\u003c/em\u003e, before capitalized nouns or numbers, and in cases of ambiguity.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eGenerally, write compound nouns in closed form, but consult the word list for exceptions or established conventions.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eHyphenate compound modifiers before a noun for clarity but avoid those with more than two words.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDon't use spaces around hyphens except in suspended hyphens where a space can follow but not precede the hyphen.\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["Hyphens clarify writing by separating or combining words. Hyphen use depends on location, interpretation, and convention, with exceptions. Prefixes generally don't require hyphens, except with *self*, *cross*, capitalized words, numbers, or for clarity. Compound nouns are typically closed (one word). Compound modifiers before nouns are hyphenated if clarity is needed; after verbs, they are not, except in specific cases. Use hyphens for number ranges but not with words (e.g., \"from 8 to 20\"). Never space around hyphens, except for suspended hyphens.\n"],null,["# Hyphens\n\nUse a hyphen (-) when needed for clarity. A hyphen can separate parts of words to avoid\nmisreadings, and it can combine terms when they should be read as a unit.\n\nGeneral guidelines\n------------------\n\nGuidance for hyphenation isn't always straightforward because it depends on\nthe following circumstances:\n\n- **Location**. For example, does a term precede a noun, or does it follow a verb?\n- **Interpretation and readability**. Is a sentence ambiguous or unclear if a term is not hyphenated?\n- **Convention**. For some terms, our guidance tells us to always hyphenate or never hyphenate, even if the convention seems to contradict other guidance.\n\nIn addition, there are many exceptions to general hyphenation guidance. If you're not\nsure whether to hyphenate a term, in addition to reviewing the guidelines on this page, check the\nfollowing sources (in this order):\n\n1. The documentation that you're working with. If there's an established convention for hyphenating a term in a particular documentation set, follow that convention.\n2. The [word list](/style/word-list) in this style guide.\n3. The [Merriam-Webster\n dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/).\n\nAs always, deviate from our guidance when it serves your readers. For\nmore information, see [Break the rules](/style#rules).\n| **Note** : Don't use a hyphen (-) or a double hyphen (--) in place of a dash (---). The dash is a distinct punctuation mark that has different uses. For more information, see [Dashes](/style/dashes).\n|\n| \u003cbr /\u003e\n|\nPrefixes\n--------\n\nIn general, don't use a hyphen between a prefix and the main noun.\n\nRecommended: *infrastructure* ,\n*megabyte* , *metadata* , *preprocessing* , *pseudocode* ,\n*semiconductor*\n\n### Exceptions\n\nAdd a hyphen after a prefix in the following circumstances:\n\n- If the prefix is *self* or *cross* : *self-managing* , *cross-region*\n- If the noun is capitalized or is a number: *non-Google* , *post-2000*\n- To avoid confusion or difficulty in reading: *de-energize* , *intra-index* , *re-mark* , *re-sign*\n- If the prefix is for a term that already has hyphens or spaces: *un-Google-like* , *non-twentieth-century*\n- To be consistent within a document: *pre-processing* , *post-processing*\n\n### The *non* prefix\n\nThe *non* prefix follows the same guidelines, but because it\ncan easily form words that are hard to parse, it's often hyphenated. Use your\nbest judgment, taking into account consistency within your documentation. The following\nrecommendations show contrasting usages that you can use as examples.\n\nRecommended: *noncurrent* ,\n*nonempty* , *noninteractive* , *nonpublic*\n\nRecommended: *non-existence* ,\n*non-integer* , *non-key* , *non-managed* , *non-negative*\n\nWhen using *non* as a prefix, add a hyphen before hyphenated compound words.\n\nRecommended: *non-KSA-based* ,\n*non-self-sustaining*\n\n\nCompounds\n---------\n\nA *compound* is a term that combines more than one word. Compounds can\nbe *closed* as one word with no spaces, *open* with spaces between\nwords, or hyphenated.\n\n### Compound nouns\n\nIn general, write compound nouns in their closed (one-word, unhyphenated)\nform. If you see that\n[Merriam-Webster.com](https://www.merriam-webster.com/) uses the\ntwo-word or hyphenated form, but you see that the closed form is the\npredominant convention in your context or trending in that direction (as\ncompounds often do), then use the closed form.\n\nRecommended: webpage\n\nRecommended: hostname\n\nRecommended: tradeoff\n\nRecommended: workaround\n\n#### Exceptions\n\nOur [word list](/style/word-list) includes exceptions for\nwell-established terms that commonly use a hyphen or a space, such as\n*multi-region* and *style sheet*. In some cases, we note that noun,\nverb, and adjective versions of a word are treated differently.\nWhen the components of a unit of measurement are multiplied by each other,\nhyphenate them.\n\nRecommended: 5 vCPU-hours\n\nRecommended: 40 person-hours\n\n### Compound modifiers before a noun\n\nIf needed for clarity, hyphenate compound modifiers that come before a noun.\nThis guideline can be subjective. However, except as noted in\nthis section, it's almost never wrong to hyphenate a compound before a\nnoun to ensure clarity.\n\nRecommended: A well-designed app\n\nRecommended: Android-specific\ntechniques\n\nUse a hyphen after *more* or *most* if you need to clarify what\nthose words modify.\n\nRecommended: The most common scenario\n\nRecommended: Edge locations with\nmore-reliable internet links\n\nIn general, avoid writing compound modifiers that have more than two words.\nInstead, move some words after the noun. If you must use this type of\ncompound, then use a hyphen between each word as needed for clarity.\n\nRecommended: test cases\nthat are specific to the 2023 edition\n\nRecommended:\ncross-data-center replication\n\nNot recommended:\nedition-2023-specific test cases\n\n#### Exceptions\n\nDon't hyphenate adverbs that end in *-ly* except when needed for clarity.\n\nRecommended: Publicly available\nimplementations\n\nNot recommended: Publicly-available\nimplementations\n\nDon't use hyphens in compounds that are conventionally not hyphenated. Follow the\nguidance in the [word list](/style/word-list)\nor check the convention in the documentation that you're working with.\n\nRecommended: A managed\ninstance group (MIG)\n\nRecommended: A machine\nlearning model\n\nWhen a number and unit of measurement combine to modify a noun, don't hyphenate unless\nthe hyphen is needed for clarity.\n\nRecommended:\n`200 GB disk` (200 GB disk)\n\n### Compound terms after a verb\n\nIn general, you don't need to add a hyphen to a compound that follows a verb.\n\nRecommended: The app is well\ndesigned.\n\nRecommended: The logs are written\nin real time.\n\nRecommended: The product supports\nhigh availability.\n\nRecommended: The app uses techniques\nthat are Android specific.\n\nRecommended: Customers can use\nthe utility as is.\n\nRecommended: Get profile information\nfor the currently authorized user.\n\n#### Exceptions\n\nSome compound terms are always hyphenated, even if they follow a verb. To\ncheck, look the term up in the [word list](/style/word-list). If it isn't in the\nlist, check the [Merriam-Webster dictionary](https://www.merriam-webster.com/).\nAs always, follow the convention in the documentation that you're working with.\n\nRecommended: You can deploy the app\non-premises.\n\nRecommended: The docs describe how\nto create an add-on.\n\nRecommended: The utility works\nwith apps that are cloud-based and cloud-adjacent.\n\nRecommended: This page is\ncustomer-facing.\n\nRecommended: The app is designed\nto be user-friendly.\n\nRecommended: The goal is to produce\nan experience that's game-like.\n\nRange of numbers\n----------------\n\nUse a hyphen, not an en dash (`–`),\nto indicate a range of numbers. If a hyphen introduces ambiguity, use words such as\n*from* , *to* , and *through* for clarity. Don't mix hyphens with words.\nFor information about how to represent a range of numbers that includes units, see\n[Ranges of numbers with units](/style/units-of-measure#ranges).\n\nRecommended: 8-20 files\n\nRecommended: 5-10 minutes\n\nRecommended: from 8 to 20 files\n\nNot recommended: from 8-20 files\n\nSpaces around hyphens\n---------------------\n\nNever place a space on either side of a hyphen except when using a\n[suspended hyphen](#suspended-hyphens), in which case you can leave a space after\n(but not before) the hyphen.\n\nSuspended hyphens\n-----------------\n\nWhen two or more compound modifiers have a common base, you can keep the\nhyphens but leave out the base for all except the last modifier. In the\nfollowing examples, the base is *hour*.\n\nRecommended: You can set up the system to\nscan for new files at one- or two-hour intervals.\n\nRecommended: You can set up the system to\nscan for new files at one-, two-, or three-hour intervals."]]
