A hyphen ( – ) is a punctuation mark we use to connect words and make compounds words or phrases. Some words will always use a hyphen, no matter where they show up in writing. Other times, it depends on the particular sentence and the grammatical function of the word to dictate whether we should use a hyphen or not. Keep reading to learn the difference for when to use a hyphen, and when not to hyphenate words.
When to use hyphens
If phrasal adjectives or compound modifiers come before the noun they modify, then we use a hyphen between the words in the compound to avoid ambiguity. A compound modifier, also known as a phrasal adjective, is simply a group of words that come together to modify a noun.
When compound modifiers appear after the noun they modify, we almost always leave the words within the compound open (unhyphenated).
- These chocolate-covered peanuts are delicious.
- You shouldn’t turn here because it’s a one-way street.
- I believe it’s a family-owned cafe.
Dashes vs. hyphens
There are two main kinds of dashes: the en dash ( – ), and the em dash ( — ). The en dash separate ranges, dates or numbers, whereas hyphens connect phrasal adjectives or compound modifiers. We use the em dash much like we would a semicolon or colon. They can emphasize parenthetical information much like parentheses.
