When should you use a hyphen?
I’ll be truthful—English isn’t my forte. I’m a freshman in high school, and in my ninth-grade English class, I received a B/C (around a B-). One of the factors that contributed to that grade was my inconsistent grammar. So, I could really use some help understanding how to properly use a hyphen.
Don’t worry! Hyphens can be tricky, but once you get the hang of them, it’ll be much easier. Here are some common situations in which you should use a hyphen:
a high-quality product
Numbers: Use hyphens for numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine when they are spelled out:
eighty-seven
Prefixes and suffixes: Sometimes, you need a hyphen to avoid confusion or clarify meaning, especially with prefixes like “co-“, “re-“, “ex-“, and “self-“:
self-esteem
Avoiding ambiguity: If not using a hyphen could create confusion, use one to clarify. For example:
“small-business owner” (one owner of a small business) vs. “small business owner” (could imply multiple small businesses owned by one or more people).
Line breaks: If a word needs to be divided at the end of a line, you can use a hyphen to split it:
Remember, hyphens are different from dashes (which are used to create a pause in a sentence) and underscores (which are often used in digital formatting).
If you’re ever unsure, consulting a dictionary or style guide can be really helpful too! Keep practicing, and you’ll improve over time.