Hyphenation
Compound words can be used in many forms:
- Two separated words
- One hyphenated word
- One solid word
When to use hyphenation?
There is not a clear standardization, but refer to the following examples:
- When the compound word appears as an adjective before the noun and can be misread or express a singular thought
Same-sex children
When no to use hyphenation?
- When the compound words appear after the word it modifies
Children of the same sex
Exceptions:
- When two or more compound words have the same base, the base is omitted but the hyphen is retained
Long- and short-term courses
4-, 9-, 11-minute walk
- Compound words that require hyphens
| When the base word is capitalized | pro-Nietzsche
Freudian-like |
| A number | pre-1867 |
| An abbreviation | post-COVID depression |
| More than one word | middle-class-family representatives |
| When using “self”, whether adjectives or nouns | Self-discovery
Self-esteem |
| Words that could be misunderstood | re-pair (pair again0
re-form (forma again) |
| Words in which the prefix ends and the base word begins with “a,” “i,” or “o”
*(except for pre and re) |
Meta-orientation
Anti-abortion *reanalysis |
Adapted from APA, 2020, pp.162-164
Source
The American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition
