hyphen

[ hahy-fuhn ]

See synonyms for hyphen on Thesaurus.com

noun

a short line (-) used to connect the parts of a compound word or the parts of a word divided for any purpose.

verb (used with object)

hyphenate.

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hyphen vs. em dash hyphen vs. en dash hyphen vs. semicolon

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Origin of hyphen

1595–1605; <Late Latin <Greek hyphén (adv.) together, derivative of hyph' hén (prepositional phrase), equivalent to hyp(ó) under (see hypo-) + hén, neuter of heîs one

Other words from hyphen

hy·phen·ic [hahy-fen-ik], /haɪˈfɛn ɪk/, adjective
de·hy·phen, verb (used with object)
un·hy·phened, adjective

Words Nearby hyphen

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hyphen in a sentence

In the case of ecommerce, since you’ll probably have a series of photos for each product, give the image files titles that reflect the product, with words separated by hyphens.
Four Google SERP features for ecommerce SEO | Kris Jones | November 18, 2021 | Search Engine Watch
When you talk about Debbie Allen, you need to realize that hyphens will not get you anywhere close to wrapping your head around what she has accomplished.
Getting to the Dance With Debbie Allen | Eugene Robinson | October 5, 2020 | Ozy
It’s become common enough since it was first recorded in the 1910s that we write it out as a single—one word, not two, without a hyphen.
How To Know If A Term Is One Word Or Two Words | Brigid Walsh | July 24, 2020 | Everything After Z
A hyphen is part of the common spelling: daylight-saving time.
Is it Daylight Saving or Daylight Savings? | Dictionary.com | November 8, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
He belonged to the branch of the family that owns the hyphen and most of the money.
From Place to Place | Irvin S. Cobb

If the capital-letter be retained where a prefix is put to a proper name, the hyphen is obviously necessary.
"Stops" | Paul Allardyce
The hyphen distinguishes the etymological meaning of these words as distinguished from their derived and ordinary meaning.
"Stops" | Paul Allardyce
When the combination is likely to be misunderstood, modern editors generally put a hyphen between the two words.
Ephemera Critica | John Churton Collins
Taken out hyphen for 'woman-kind', majority are 'womankind'.
Dryden's Works Vol. 3 (of 18) | John Dryden

British Dictionary definitions for hyphen

hyphen

/ (ˈhaɪfən) /

noun

the punctuation mark (-), used to separate the parts of some compound words, to link the words of a phrase, and between syllables of a word split between two consecutive lines of writing or printing

verb

(tr) another word for hyphenate

Origin of hyphen

C17: from Late Latin (meaning: the combining of two words), from Greek huphen (adv) together, from hypo- + heis one

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Cultural definitions for hyphen

hyphen

A punctuation mark (-) used in some compound words, such as self-motivation, seventy-five, and mother-in-law. A hyphen is also used to divide a word at the end of a line of type. Hyphens may appear only between syllables. Thus com-pound is properly hyphenated, but compo-und is not.

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