Changes for page Hyphens and dashes

Last modified by Lizzie Bruce on 2020/01/12 00:08
From version Icon 2.4 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2019/12/05 19:04
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To version Icon 3.1 Icon
edited by Lizzie Bruce
on 2020/01/12 00:06
Change comment: on page redirect

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1 -(% class="box" %)
2 -(((
3 -Following this guidance helps:
4 -
5 -* **people in a hurry** – words need to make immediate sense
6 -* **people who are multi-tasking** – if your attention's divided unclear words will puzzle you
7 -* **cognitive impairments** – clear words take less mental effort to understand
8 -* **visual impairments** – text to speech applications may not read dashes as intended
9 -)))
10 -
11 -
12 -== Guidelines ==
13 -
14 -Use hyphens and dashes sparingly. They can cause readability issues.
15 -
16 -
17 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H1.A0Onlyuseahyphenifthewordisconfusingwithoutit." %)
18 -[[1. Only use a hyphen if the word is confusing without it.>>doc:||anchor="#1"]]
19 -
20 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H2.A0Donotusehyphensfortimeanddateranges2Cinsteaduse22to22." %)
21 -[[2. Do not use hyphens for time and date ranges, instead use "to".>>doc:||anchor="#2"]]
22 -
23 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H3.Makesureyourhyphenusageisuptodate." %)
24 -[[3. Make sure your hyphen usage is up to date.>>doc:||anchor="#3"]]
25 -
26 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
27 -[[4. Be consistent with your hyphen choices.>>doc:||anchor="#4"]]
28 -
29 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H1.Avoidusingdasheswheneverpossible." %)
30 -[[5. Avoid using dashes whenever possible.>>doc:||anchor="#5"]]
31 -
32 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" id="H2.Ifyoudouseadash2Cuseanen-dash2CA0notahyphenoranem-dash." %)
33 -[[6. If you do use a dash, use an en-dash, not a hyphen or an em-dash.>>doc:||anchor="#6"]]
34 -
35 -(% class="wikigeneratedid" %)
36 -[[Usability evidence>>doc:||anchor="#UEHD"]]
37 -
38 -
39 -----
40 -
41 -== {{id name="#1"/}}1. Only use a hyphen if the word is confusing without it. ==
42 -
43 -Hyphens slow online comprehension as words with hyphens take longer to scan. They can make the reader need to stop to unpick meaning.
44 -
45 -The argument for hyphens is that they avoid ambiguity. But with a little thinking, you can usually rewrite something clearly and simply without needing a hyphen. 
46 -
47 -
48 -Example:
49 -
50 -(% class="mark" %)"This cereal is sugar-free." – with hyphen
51 -
52 -(% class="mark" %)"This cereal has no sugar." – without hyphen
53 -
54 -
55 -Example:
56 -
57 -(% class="mark" %)"250-year-old trees" – with hyphens
58 -
59 -(% class="mark" %)"250 year old trees" – no hyphens, meaning ambiguous
60 -
61 -(% class="mark" %)"Trees that are 250 years old" – no hyphens, meaning clear
62 -
63 -
64 -Sometimes you do need a hyphen for clarity, where a word has a different meaning without the hyphen, like re-cover and recover or co-op and coop.
65 -
66 -
67 -Example:
68 -
69 -(% class="mark" %)"They recovered the sofa." – no hyphen, meaning ambiguous
70 -
71 -(% class="mark" %)"They re-covered the sofa." – hyphen, meaning clear
72 -
73 -With the first sentence, did they get it back from a debt collector or did they put a new cover on it?
74 -
75 -Of course, you could just write "They put a new cover on the sofa."
76 -
77 -
78 -=== {{id name="#2"/}}2. Do not use hyphens for time and date ranges, instead use "to". ===
79 -
80 -"To" is easier to scan on a page, and text to speech software will read it out as "to". Rather than reading out "en dash", "dash", "hyphen" (if you used a hyphen) or even "minus".
81 -
82 -
83 -=== {{id name="#3"/}}3. Make sure your hyphen usage is up to date. ===
84 -
85 -Hyphens often disappear if a compound word becomes widely used. Check what's most commonly used today. 
86 -
87 -
88 -Examples:
89 -
90 -(% class="mark" %)Inter-networking became inter-net became internet
91 -
92 -(% class="mark" %)Coffee-maker became coffeemaker
93 -
94 -(% class="mark" %)Brides-maid became bridesmaid(%%)
95 -
96 -
97 -Hyphen use in prefixes can also declines.
98 -
99 -
100 -Examples:
101 -
102 -(% class="mark" %)De-regulate became deregulate
103 -
104 -===
105 -{{id name="#4"/}}4. Be consistent with your hyphen choices. ===
106 -
107 -Do not alternate using and not using a hyphen for a particular word.
108 -
109 -Follow the same rules about hyphens across your online channels and offline content. Consistency in a document and organisation is more important than being 'correct' just in the bit you're editing.
110 -
111 -
112 -Example:
113 -
114 -(% class="mark" %)If you choose to write "full-time" then use that throughout your content.
115 -
116 -You may confuse your user if you then write "fulltime". Or they'll lose confidence in you because it looks like you cannot decide. If it's a job ad and they need to mention the working pattern in their application, it could be a real problem. They may well want to use what you've used.
117 -
118 -
119 -=== {{id name="#5"/}}5. Avoid using dashes whenever possible. ===
120 -
121 -Replace dashes with commas if you can.
122 -Commas are treated naturally by text to speech software by default. That is, they are not read out. Many screen reading applications will read out "en dash" for every "–". Yes users can calibrate tools they use, but why should they and what if they do not know how to?
123 -
124 -
125 -=== {{id name="#6"/}}6. If you do use a dash, use an en-dash, not a hyphen or an em-dash. ===
126 -
127 -The en-dash is:
128 -
129 -* –
130 -* wider than a hyphen, narrower than an em-dash, same length as letter ‘n’
131 -* sometimes used the way brackets or commas are
132 -* used with a space before and after it
133 -
134 -The em-dash is:
135 -
136 -* —
137 -* wider than the hyphen and en-dash, same length as letter ‘m’
138 -* used in US English in place of en-dash, without spaces around it
139 -* very unusual in UK English
140 -
141 -----
142 -
143 -== {{id name="#UEHD"/}}Usability evidence ==
144 -
145 -[['Does hyphenation increase readability?'>>url:https://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/12993/does-hyphenation-increase-readability]], 2012
146 -
147 -[['Why Don’t Screen Readers Always Read What’s on the Screen? Part 1: Punctuation and Typographic Symbols'>>url:https://www.deque.com/blog/dont-screen-readers-read-whats-screen-part-1-punctuation-typographic-symbols/]], Paul Bohman, Deque, 2014
148 -
149 -[['Hyphen'>>url:https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/punctuation/hyphen]], Oxford Living Dictionaries, 2010
150 -
151 -'[[The hyphen'>>url:http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/hyphenanddash/hyphen]] University of Sussex, 2013
152 -
153 -[['The Trouble With EM ’n EN (and Other Shady Characters)'>>url:https://alistapart.com/article/emen]], 2001
154 -
155 -[['The dash'>>url:http://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/hyphenanddash/dash]], University of Sussex, 2013
156 -
157 -[['Hyphens or en dashes—which are more readable when used in number ranges?'>>url:https://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/62575/hyphens-or-en-dashes-which-are-more-readable-when-used-in-number-ranges-for-nor]], 2014
158 -
159 -[['Perilous Punctuation: Use the Dash With Panache'>>url:https://www.fosterwebmarketing.com/blog/the-proper-use-of-the-dash-in-content-writing.cfm]], 2015
160 -
161 -[['Em dash'>>url:https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/grammar/dash-and-em-dash]], Oxford Living Dictionaries, 2018
162 -
163 -[['Typography and language in everyday life: prescriptions and practices'>>https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Typography_and_language_in_everyday_life.html?id=SjRUAAAAMAAJ]], Walker, S., Harlow: Pearson Education, 2001. Book.
164 -
165 -[['The new Oxford style manual'>>https://global.oup.com/academic/product/new-oxford-style-manual-9780198767251?cc=gb&lang=en&]], Oxford University Press, 2016. Book.
166 -
167 -[['Communicating in style'>>http://bookstore.teri.res.in/books/9788179930168]], Joshi, Y., TERI, The Energy and Resources Institute. 2003. Book.
168 -
169 -
170 -(% class="box" %)
171 -(((
172 -See also:
173 -\\[[Capitals>>doc:Punctuation and abbreviating.Capitals.WebHome]]
174 -[[Ampersands>>doc:Punctuation and abbreviating.Capital letters.WebHome]]
175 -)))
1 +Please go to [[readabilityguidelines.co.uk/grammar-points/hyphens-and-dashes>>url:https://readabilityguidelines.co.uk/grammar-points/hyphens-and-dashes/]].
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1 -2019-12-05 20:04:18.548
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