hyphenation

American  

[hahy-fuhn-ay-shuhn] / ˌhaɪ fənˈeɪ ʃən /

noun

1. the act, process, or result of joining words with a hyphen.

2. the act of identifying a person or thing as a hybrid by means of an expression or name that contains a hyphen.

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Explanation

Hyphenation is what you do when you use a dash-like punctuation mark to join two words into one or separate the syllables of a word. See the word dash-like in that previous sentence? It's formed using hyphenation. The process of using a hyphen, that short dash in compound words like dog-friendly, fast-acting, and well-known, is what hyphenation is all about. We also use hyphenation when we're writing and need to split a long word between lines, breaking it in half and adding a hyphen between complete syllables. The Greek root is hyphen, "mark joining two syllables or words."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hyphenation

But she isn't the sort of person whose career is easily defined, at least without a lot of hyphenation.

From Golf Digest ● Dec. 10, 2018

“This is what we strive for: To be accepted for our talent without categorization, without hyphenation, and until we get there, we do things like this,” said Phillips.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2017

That’s a 74-word lead with a parenthetical clause and a double hyphenation.

From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2015

Highsmith explains the use of hyphenation and justification settings in achieving justified text.

From Salon ● Jun. 15, 2012

With the exception of obvious errors, inconsistencies in the author's spelling and use of punctuation and hyphenation are left unchanged, as in the original text.

From Old-Time Gardens Newly Set Forth by Earle, Alice Morse