Hyphens are difficult to use correctly in English due to evolving rules. Compound words can be written as one word, two words, or with a hyphen. Use context and a dictionary to determine correct usage. Common words are rarely hyphenated. Don’t panic about spelling compound words correctly, as the rules are tentative and mistakes are often overlooked.
Hyphens are a notoriously tricky punctuation mark. English is a fairly inconsistent language and the student is not helped by the constant pace of evolving rules. To ensure absolute correctness when using hyphens, keep a good dictionary nearby, as knowing when to hyphenate compound words is not a definite science.
Compound words are two or more single words that have a different or accentuated meaning when combined. For example, “bumblebee” can mean to drop or fumble something, “bee” can be an insect or a gathering, but a “bumblebee” is a distinct word used for a specific flying insect. Compound words are written as one word, two words, or two words connected by a hyphen. Herein lies the complications, as no one seems to be able to correctly define when to spell compound words.
A common rule of thumb for determining whether a compound word should be one or two words is how the word is used in context. Sentences that have a verb/noun or verb/adjective combination should be two words if the combined term is a verb and one word if the compound word is a noun or description. For example, “my car will never break down” uses “break” as a verb, while “Michael broke down” uses “break” as part of a noun. This is useful for determining the difference between one- and two-word compound sentences, but it doesn’t help us much in deciding whether or not to hyphenate compound words.
One form of compound words usually consistently hyphenated is one with a central linking word. Terms like carousel or mother-in-law are almost always written with a hyphen. An exception is the Commander-in-Chief, who is often seen without the hyphen, especially when referring to the President of the United States as an alternative title.
Knowing the linguistic origin of can help determine when to hyphenate compound words. Many compound words with a Germanic root are written as one word, such as fisherman. However, as with all hyphenated words, this is not entirely consistent, and having knowledge of the primitive origin of most words at hand is a skill not many possess.
The best guideline to remember when it comes to common words is that extremely common terms, like someday, always, and highway, are rarely hyphenated. If you’re using a new or unusual compound, check in a dictionary to see if the term exists, and if so, how it’s punctuated. If you can’t find the word, it’s best to spell it out, as it’s clearly not in common use.
Don’t panic when you’re struggling to spell compound words. The rules are so tentative that grammar points on essays or tests for incorrect spelling are rarely pegged. If you are accused of overusing or neglecting the hyphen, go to your professor or the person who graded your work and politely ask them to show you some evidence that your usage is incorrect. Chances are they will guess too!
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