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The hyphen ‐ is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables of a single word. The use of hyphens is called hyphenation. [1]The hyphen is sometimes confused with dashes (en dash –, em dash — and others), which are wider, or with the minus sign −, which is also wider and usually drawn a little higher to match the crossbar in the plus sign +.
Hyphen: Dash, Hyphen-minus-Hyphen-minus: Dash, Hyphen, Minus sign ☞ Index: Manicule, Obelus (medieval usage) · Interpunct: Full-stop, Period, Decimal separator, Dot operator ‽ Interrobang (combined 'Question mark' and 'Exclamation mark') Inverted question and exclamation marks ¡ Inverted exclamation mark: Exclamation mark, Interrobang ...
Hyphens are used in this way to prevent confusion; without their use, a reader might interpret the words separately, rather than as a phrase. Hyphens join the relevant words into a single idea, a compound adjective. A compound modifier that is spaced rather than hyphenated is referred to as an open compound. [2]
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If separating words using spaces is also permitted, the total number of known possible meanings rises to 58. [38] Czech has the syllabic consonants [r] and [l], which can stand in for vowels. A well-known example of a sentence that does not contain a vowel is Strč prst skrz krk, meaning "stick your finger through the neck."
A hyphen is not a dash. Hyphens are used within words or to join words, but not in punctuating the parts of a sentence. Use an en dash (–) with before, and a space after – or use an em dash (—) without spaces (see Wikipedia:How to make dashes). Avoid using two hyphens (--) to make a dash, and avoid using a hyphen as a minus sign.
The dash ( ‒ , – , — ) and hyphen or hyphen-minus - is used: as a line continuation when a word is broken across two lines; to apply a prefix to a word for which there is no canonical compound word; as a replacement for a comma, when the subsequent clause significantly shifts the primary focus of the preceding text.
There was a tendency in the 18th century to use hyphens excessively, that is, to hyphenate all previously established solid compound verbs. American English, however, has diminished the use of hyphens, while British English is more conservative.