SKIP TO CONTENT

hyphenation

/ˌhaɪfənˈeɪʃən/
IPA guide

Other forms: hyphenations

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."

Definitions of hyphenation
  1. noun
    division of a word especially at the end of a line on a page
    synonyms: word division
    see moresee less
    type of:
    division
    the act or process of dividing
  2. noun
    connecting syllables and words by hyphens
    see moresee less
    type of:
    punctuation
    the use of certain marks to clarify meaning of written material by grouping words grammatically into sentences and clauses and phrases
Cite this entry
Style:
MLA
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago

DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘hyphenation'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of gold-punch.com or its editors. Send us feedback
Word Family