What Words Need Hyphens?
Generally, You Need the Hyphen Only If the Two Words Are Functioning Together as an Adjective Before the Noun They're Describing. If the Noun Comes First...
Generally, you need the hyphen only if the two words are functioning together as an adjective before the noun they're describing. If the noun comes first, leave the hyphen out. This wall is load bearing. It's impossible to eat this cake because it is rock hard.
What words have hyphens in them?
Examples of hyphenated compound words include:
- two-fold.
- check-in.
- merry-go-round.
- father-in-law.
- seventy-two.
- long-term.
- up-to-date.
- mother-in-law.
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When should you use a hyphen?
Hyphen Use
- Use a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun: ...
- Use a hyphen with compound numbers: ...
- Use a hyphen to avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters:
Elena Rostova holds a Master's degree in Public Health Journalism. She covers groundbreaking medical research, holistic wellness trends, mental health awareness, and nutritional science.
