When Is Well Known Hyphenated?

(Hyphenate: Well is an adverb followed by another descriptive word. They combine to form one idea in front of the noun.) The actress who accepted her award was well known. (Do not hyphenate: Well known follows the noun it describes, so no hyphen is used.)

Is well known hyphenated Chicago style?

"Well known" is two words. Not every two-word combination is going to show up in the dictionary. "Well-known" as an adjective does appear in MW, and when it appears before a noun, you do want the adjective form. M-W lists it only as a noun (no hyphens!), not an adjective.

How do you tell if a word should be hyphenated?

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.