A hyphen is a symbol used to join two words or two syllables of a single word together. It is not to be confused with dashes or the minus symbol, as these are all longer than the hyphen and serve different purposes in language.
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Hyphenation “kinetic”
What is the correct hyphenation of "kinetic" (if it matters in British English). I found two possibilities:
ki-net-ic (/kə-ˈne-tik/) in the Merriam Webster (which might be US English) and ...
1
vote
2answers
714 views
What's the double hyphen after greetings in emails?
I usually see just format in the emails I receive daily:
Hello Dorian--
I'm calling you in regard with the something...
Thanks,
I see comma after the greetings too but I am not sure ...
2
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0answers
36 views
husband-and-wife team or husband and wife team? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
Referring to a sentence from an online magazine:
"Lonely Planet was started in 1975, when the British ...
8
votes
3answers
513 views
Using “non-” to prefix a two-word phrase
Does "non-" prefixed to a two word phrase permit another hyphen before the second word?
If I want to refer to an entity which is defined as the negation of another entity by attaching "non-" it seems ...
2
votes
1answer
268 views
Is “They all had 15 minutes waits” grammatically correct? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Pluralization rule for “five-year-old children”, “20 pound note”, “10 mile run”
I was reading an article that used the phrase "15 ...
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votes
2answers
104 views
Is it an “Ngram” or an “n-gram”? [closed]
I made an edit to a question and the portion mentioning the n-gram chart was reverted. I was reading the Wikipedia article about n-grams and added the hyphen based on that usage. This article says ...
5
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1answer
349 views
How to say “the project that we are working on” in a short phrase?
I want a short phrase for "the project that we are working on".
Could it be "our working-on project"?
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2answers
240 views
“Open source” as a verb
I encountered a problem when I started to write a report including some notes on open source software.
The problem I have is if I can use open source as a verb like:
We open sourced some ...
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2answers
733 views
“Reset” or “re-set”?
As far as I know there are two different meanings of the word "reset":
to restore an object/value to a previous/initial state - that's the most widely use of the word;
to set the value/state a ...
5
votes
2answers
1k views
Why does “one half” have no hyphen, but “two-thirds” does?
I often see the fraction 2/3 written with a hyphen, but I never see 1/2 written with one. Is it correct to have the hyphen in "two-thirds", and if so why don't we write "one-half"?
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1answer
139 views
In “type of guy” constructions, do you use hyphens or not? For example [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
To hyphenate or not?
"Did you see this silly poll? It says that if I were a superhero, I would be Captain America."
"Really? I don't know; I see you as more of a ...
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0answers
43 views
What's the proper capitalization for this sentence? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Do you capitalize both parts of a hyphenated word in a title?
I have a line of text. I want to show the first word capitalized. When I type end-to-end as the first word ...
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2answers
517 views
Ways to write “2000 year old”
Which of the following are correct and which are wrong?
The 2000-year-old computer
The 2000 year-old computer
The 2000 year old computer
The 2000-years-old computer
The 2000 years-old computer
The ...
2
votes
1answer
121 views
Property of “doesn't-pass-the-laugh-test”
What kind of property does doesn’t-pass-the-laugh-test have in the expression
which escalates unreliability to the doesn’t-pass-the-laugh-test
level
taken from this article? Is it an adjective ...
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5answers
568 views
Use of hyphens when writing repeated compound words that have common parts
In my native language, Norwegian, one uses hyphens when stating two or more copulated compound words that has common parts (words). In a thesis I'm working on, should I write
test specimens, test ...
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4answers
881 views
“Runtime”, “run time”, and “run-time”
The CLR under .NET is referred to as the "Common Language Runtime." It seems that the convention is "runtime" for a noun and "run-time" for the adjective. Is this correct or should it be "runtime" ...
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2answers
452 views
Hiscore vs Highscore [closed]
Which of these are correct?
Hiscore
Hi-score
Highscore
High-score
I have seen all except the last being used.
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5answers
1k views
What is the standard rule for using or not using hyphen and diaeresis on the words like reelect , reexamine, and cooperate?
I found that diaeresis is used on the word, reelection in the following sentence of the article titled “Rational Irrationality” in the New Yorker magazine (April 27).
“This morning’s news that ...
3
votes
3answers
774 views
“Stand up comedy”, “standup comedy”, or “stand-up comedy”?
I've seen all three versions for describing a person on stage performing comedy: "stand up", "standup", and "stand-up".
My guess is that the term started as two words, but as the performance form ...
2
votes
2answers
5k views
'well-organised' or 'well organised' - hyphenated?
Should I hyphenate the term 'well organised'? The context, if it matters, is the following sentence:
For this role you should be well organised and analytical with some research ability.
(I see ...
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2answers
369 views
“adjective noun noun”: which noun does the adjective refer to (“electrical system operators”) [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How does the hyphen change the meaning in expressions like “high performance” and “high-performance”?
Is there a grammar rule behind the hyphen in the phrase 'one-act play'?
...
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3answers
347 views
Adverb with or without hyphen?
Remarkably low condensation temperature
or
Remarkably-low condensation temperature?
The focus of remarkable is that it is such a low temperature. We are having an office disagreement and any help ...
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0answers
28 views
Hyphenating adjectives [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
To hyphenate or not?
When is it appropriate to use a hyphen?
In the phrase
It is simply a large door sized wall of fire.
Should "door sized" be hyphenated to ...
3
votes
1answer
337 views
Hyphenation of parameter(s)
How is parameter(s) hyphenated in UK English?
pa-ram-e-ter (Merriam-Webster)
or pa-rame-ter (Word XP)
or para-met-er (TCItex)
or para-meter (OAL Dictionary)
or pa-ra-me-ter (seems to bee the ...
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2answers
34k views
Co-Founder, Co-founder, or cofounder?
I've seen all three used and there doesn't seem to be a definitive one that I can find. I'm hedging towards Co-Founder as it's a title, but any clarity would be appreciated.
Edit
If it makes it any ...
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0answers
70 views
In a formal document, may the hyphen be omitted from “e-mail”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Email” or “e-mail”?
For a formal document such as a CV, would it be acceptable to use the term "email", or is only "e-mail" acceptable?
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3answers
2k views
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4answers
2k views
How do hyphens modify the meaning of “n-month-old”?
I see three different ways of hyphenating the phrase "six month old".
Six-month old:
A six-month old poses with a machine gun owned by supporters of the Free Syrian Army.
Six-month-old:
...
3
votes
2answers
227 views
How to pronounce or hyphenate the word 'value'? [closed]
val-ue or va-lue ?
Is the a rule for this kind of thing?
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0answers
49 views
Correct hyphenation of “ever-more-connected” [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
What would be the correct way to hyphenate the phrase "ever-more-connected"? Does it even need hyphens?
...
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1answer
200 views
Parentheses vs. commas vs. hyphen or dash in a list of people
In a list of people published in a bulletin, which is correct?
We continue in prayer for: Amy B.(cancer), T. Jones(nephew of Tim), Lillie (on the death of her brother), Sally(Nursing Home),
...
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5answers
2k views
Correctness and spelling of “misscheduled”
I'm sure I've heard the word misscheduled used multiple times in my life. But just now, my spell checker threw a fit. Since I wasn't sure if it should be misscheduled, mis-scheduled, or mischeduled ...
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3answers
1k views
Use of comma separating two adjectives
If I had the phrase
two blond haired, blue eyed people
would the comma be out of place?
should I hyphenate "blond haired" and "blue eyed"?
8
votes
5answers
313 views
Can word-hyphenation ever be semantically significant?
I was prompted by this question (difference between ecosystem and eco-system) to wonder whether word-hyphenation can ever be semantically significant.
My gut instinct is to say that since hyphenation ...
3
votes
2answers
183 views
Repetition of hyphen in shared prefixes [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Can a hyphen be used without anything on the right side?
I'm trying to discuss types of semiconductor, there is P-type and N-type. Assuming my hyphenation is correct, ...
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1answer
371 views
More dastardly dashes: what are the 'horizontal bar' and 'figure dash' characters for? [closed]
Having read another excellent answer regarding the use of horizontal line-like characters, I'm interested to know the meanings of the horizontal bar and figure dash.
In the other answer linked above, ...
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votes
1answer
121 views
What is the origin of the rule for omitting the suffix of a hyphenated word?
I can't remember where or how, but I was taught that one can/should omit the post-hyphen (suffix?) part of a word if it is being grouped with another hyphenated word with the same post-hypen portion. ...
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1answer
474 views
“How-to” or “how to” in reference to tutorial [closed]
Should I refer to a tutorial as a how-to or a how to? Is there a grammatical rule for this?
9
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3answers
1k views
How do I hyphenate an open-form compound word with another that should be hyphenated?
I'm confused about how to combine an open-form compound word with a word that would normally be hyphenated. There's excellent guidance for making the open vs. closed vs. hyphenated decision, but I ...
2
votes
1answer
238 views
When to spell out non-alphanumeric characters?
If a term contains non-alphanumeric characters, when (if ever) should these characters be spelled out? For example:
C++ written as C Plus Plus
...
6
votes
4answers
379 views
Can you outfish, out-fish, or out fish someone?
I don't even know what to Google in order to find the answer to this question.
I'm trying to determine the proper grammar for outdoing someone in a particular area. For instance, in the previous ...
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0answers
71 views
Is it appropriate to use a hyphen in compound adjectives? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When is it necessary to use a hyphen in writing a compound word?
I've searched the web and "English Language & Usage", but am having problems finding the answer to ...
3
votes
3answers
289 views
“Raspyness” vs “raspy-ness”
If I'm talking about someone's voice is raspyness or raspy-ness correct?
The raspyness of Cobain’s voice adds another layer of complexity to the song.
The raspy-ness of Cobain’s voice adds ...
9
votes
2answers
379 views
Multiple hyphens in a word
Is it allowed to have multiple hyphens in one word? I want to use the word semi-self-sustaining in the sentence
However, the ability to produce semi-self-sustaining stations is
possessed by up ...
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3answers
1k views
How does the hyphen change the meaning in expressions like “high performance” and “high-performance”?
I'm wondering about the distinction between expressions like "high performance" and "high-performance", or "high level" and "high-level" and other similar pairs of words which are sometimes used with ...
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9answers
3k views
“Username”, “user name” or “user-name”
In computer science, you should have a username or a user name or a user-name and a password to be able to log into the system.
Which one is the correct spelling?
6
votes
5answers
240 views
Meaning of “more original computer science”
If I write
Knuth has written more original computer science than anybody else
does it mean computer science that is more original or more computer science that is original? It seems like it ...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
“n-degenerate” or “n degenerate”?
In physics, we say that something is "degenerate" when it exists in more than one "equivalent" versions. What is the proper form of saying that there are n versions of X -- that X is "n-degenerate" or ...
3
votes
2answers
107 views
HTTP-port or HTTP port?
Should I use dash in a port name, e.g. http-port, ftp-port, or it's more correct to omit the dash, like "http port", "ftp port"?
2
votes
1answer
199 views
Hyphenation of “balaclava”
Balaclava is hyphenated as:
bal-a-cla-va, according to the online edition of Merriam-Webster
ba-la-clava, according to the 1989 printed fourth edition of Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, ...
