Hyphens and dashes

How to use hyphens and dashes.

Hyphens

Use hyphens only when they are part of the standard spelling of a word.  

Misplaced hyphens can cause issues with assistive technology, such as screen readers. A screen reader may read a hyphen aloud as ‘hyphen’ or interpret it as a minus symbol.

Check the Spellings page in this guide or the Oxford English Dictionary.

Spellings

Oxford English Dictionary

Hyphens in compound adjectives 

In most cases, hyphenate a compound adjective when it comes before the noun being described.

Examples

World-leading research

The out-of-date equipment

Do not hyphenate a compound adjective when it comes after the noun being described.

Examples

Our research is world leading

The equipment is out of date

This rule is the same for compound adverbs.

Examples

A well-known problem

This problem is well known

Leave out the hyphen between words if the adverb ends in –ly.

Example

A badly prepared speech

Do not use a hyphen or dash in time, date and number ranges

Use ‘to’ instead.

See Dates and numbers 

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