Hyphens

In most cases, it’s best to consult Webster’s. Another good source on hyphenation is the U.S. Government Printing Office’s A Manual of Style.

Generally, hyphenate compound phrases used as adjectives, but not as nouns or adverbs:

  “Jeannie works part time.”
“Jeannie is a part-time worker.”
“We study 14th-century literature.”
“It happened in the 14th century.”
“Problem-solving techniques are discussed.”
“Engage in problem solving.”

Do not hyphenate adverbs ending in “-ly.”

Do not hyphenate “vice” words (vice chairman).

Do not hyphenate words ending in “-like” unless the “l” is tripled (bell-like) or the first word is a proper noun (Nixon-like).

Generally do not hyphenate words ending in “-wide” (e.g., worldwide, campuswide). However, if the suffix follows a proper noun (e.g., University-wide) or if the compound is too cumbersome without it (e.g., archdiocese-wide), hyphenate the word.

Hyphenate words ending in “-winning” only when they are proper nouns (e.g., Pulitzer Prize-winning, prizewinning).