The hyphen (-) has a number of uses, chief of which is the linking of two or more existing words to create new word compounds (all-encompassing, non-English-speaking, off-air). Note that in many cases involving the adjoining of standard prefixes with words, the hyphen in the resulting compound is omitted (intermix, prearrange, unmanned). When a hyphen links words of which at least one is an open compound it is replaced by a dash (a New York–based company).In some circumstances the insertion of a hyphen helps to avoid ambiguity and confusion as regards meaning or pronunciation (re-form/reform). In many others, however, the presence or omission of a hyphen is a matter of choice. Where the addition of a prefix results in two vowels being joined, for instance, many writers choose to insert a hyphen (pre-empt, re-establish), but just as many leave out the hyphen. Note that prefixes added to proper nouns should generally have a hyphen (pro-American, anti-Semitic). Other than this particular instance, however, the tendency in modern times is increasingly to omit the hyphen in favor of a single word.The one case in which a hyphen is always inserted, even today, is where the prefix ends in a letter i and the next word begins with the same letter (anti-imperialist, semi-illiterate). Hyphens are also usually employed in the case of the prefixes ex-, where it means "former," and self- (ex-employee, self-denial).Hyphens are generally inserted in the case of compounds of two or more words that are being used adjectivally before a noun (a half-finished model, a boarded-up window). The presence of a hyphen in such cases may have an influence on how the meaning of the phrase is interpreted: a bright-red face describes a face that is bright red in color, whereas a bright red face could be referring to a face that is both bright in aspect and red in color. A red-wine bottle, meanwhile, refers specifically to a bottle for holding red wine, whereas a red wine bottle could refer to a red bottle used to contain wine of any color.Hyphens are usually employed in two-word compound adjectives ending in -ed (half-hearted, wished-for). They are also generally kept in place in the case of compounds comprising three or more words (father-in-law, down-at-the-heels, run-of-the-mill). Some compounds based on phrasal verbs keep their hyphen (falling-outs, psyched-up, walk-up), while others are always rendered as a single word (breakthrough, runaway). Again, in many cases both the hyphenated and unhyphenated forms are commonly encountered (die-hard/diehard, babysit/baby-sit). Most compounds of this type continue to be used in their original unhyphenated phrasal verb form as well as in their hyphenated noun form (drive through [verb]/drive-through [noun]; sit in [verb]/sit-in [noun]).Compounds containing adverbs are usually hyphenated when employed adjectivally before a noun (a half-forgotten episode; an ill-used child), often to clarify meaning: His best-known work describes a work that is better known than all his others, whereas his best known work refers to a work that is the best of his known to exist, although there may be (or have been) other better ones now unknown. Note that there is an exception in the case of compounds in which the adverb ends in -ly, which do not require a hyphen (a closely observed experiment, a newly minted coin).Sometimes it is unnecessary to repeat a word that is common to two or more hyphenated compounds, but the hyphen must still be included:We can offer both long- and short-term contracts. The same applies to single-word compounds that share common elements:Let us celebrate the achievements of our sportsmen and -women. Note, though, that this convention is disapproved of by some readers, who would prefer to see both compounds written in full.Often the use of hyphens is governed by a range of factors besides personal preference, among them the frequency of the word compound concerned (the more often it is used, the more likely it is that the hyphen will be dropped) and the house style of the publication a writer might be writing for. In many cases compound nouns are likely to be encountered with a hyphen just as often as they appear without one (living room/living-room; decision-making/decision making).Hyphens are used frequently when numerals between 21 and 99 are written out in full (twenty-two, seventy-seven, ninety-nine). They are also employed when writing out fractions in full (one-fifth, four-tenths, two-twelfths) and to indicate numbers that do not represent a range (have a 50-50 chance), including scorelines (our team won 4-3) or votes (a 5-4 decision in the Supreme Court).Hyphens are also commonly used in printed material to indicate where a word has been split at the end of one line and continued on to the next due to lack of space. Where the hyphen should be placed in such circumstances is not always obvious. Traditionally, the break should come at a place dictated by a word's etymology (that is, dividing the constituent elements of a word from a historical point of view), but increasingly the hyphen today tends to be placed where it feels phonetically comfortable (that is, where it sounds most natural). One should consult the dictionary for proper division of a word.Broadly speaking, a hyphen should be placed between syllables, after any prefix, before any suffix, or where there is an existing hyphen. Note that words of one syllable should never be split and also that a word should never be split so as to leave the first or last letter of the word alone on a separate line. Caution should also be exercised to avoid splitting words where the resulting elements spell misleadingly different words in their own right (thus, man-slaughter, not mans-laughter, and le-gend, not leg-end). Care should also be taken not to split a word where the result might be confused with another word with a fixed hyphen (thus, rec-reation, not re-creation).
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