#5 — Misusing hyphens
Besides the gray with an a vs grey with an e battle, there’s one common spelling error that I’ve noticed while editing: hyphens.
Sometimes writers believe the word needs a hyphen when it doesn’t. Or they forget the hyphen when they actually need one. It could depend on how the writer uses the word as well.
Usually when describing something (adjective), the word needs a hyphen. But by itself (noun), it doesn’t need a hyphen. For example: “I enjoyed the fairy tale” and “She lives a fairy-tale life” are both correct. I’ve run across plenty of examples like that, which can get confusing.
Luckily, there’s one easy solution for this.
If you double guess a word for even one second, pull up Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. If you already have a hyphen in the word, pull up Merriam-Webster’s dictionary. You’d be surprised.
Even I, as a writer and editor, have the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary open all the time. It might not be the dictionary you use, but it is the dictionary recommended by many editors in the industry.
Here’s a few common ones that I’ve seen:
- Brand-new not brandnew
- Goodbye not good-bye
- Good night not good-night or goodnight
- Homemade not home-made
- Makeup not make-up
- Nonstop not non-stop
- Well-being not well being
To also help, here’s a small list of hyphenated words that may be a surprise:
- Big-city (as an adjective)
- E-mail (as a noun)
- High-risk
- In-depth
- Part-time
- Old-fashioned
- On-site
- Short-term
- Small-town (as an adjective)
Since I’ve paid more attention to hyphens, I’ve realized how many times I make mistakes with them. They’re tricky words. Always double check.
(By the way, it’s gray with an a if you’re from America, and grey with an e if you’re from Britain.)
I hope this helps!
Great share – hope you are staying safe and healthy
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Thank you!
And I am! My job is remote now, so I’m just at home with the puppies all the time. I hope you are safe and healthy too, friend!
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Glad to learn. We are fine. In complete lockdown though. Hope this ends soon
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Me too!
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That is the only way. Stay safe
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You too!
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🌸🌸
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