Does Twentieth Century Need a Hyphen?

The hyphenated form lends itself better to compound modifiers, as in “mid-twentieth-century furniture.” So when the less common noun phrase is used, we prefer to retain the hyphen: “mid-twentieth century.” A similar logic has discouraged us from advising “midtwentieth century”—though we do recommend “midcentury.”

Does nineteenth century need a hyphen?

fourteenth- century monastery twenty- first- century history a mid- eighteenth- century poet late nineteenth- century politicians her style was nineteenth century Noun forms always open; ad- jectival compounds hyphenated before but not after a noun.

How do you write twentieth century?

Nineteenth century, twentieth century; do not use 19th century, 20th century. Spell out numbers one through ten (one, two, etc.). Above ten, use number (65, 106, etc.) except when number is used at the beginning of a sentence.

James H. Sterling

James H. Sterling

Environmental Science & Climate Journalist

James Sterling reports on renewable energy developments, climate policy, ecological conservation, and green tech innovations around the globe.