HYPHENS / DASHES
How to ensure consistent hyphenation, even with very long documents
Style guides differ on the correct use of hyphens. But one thing is clear:
hyphenation within a document must be consistent. If words appear differently
in various parts of the text, your document will look sloppy and rushed.
But consistent hyphenation isn't easy to achieve. Even if you have a good
style guide, the only way to be confident is to work your way through an
entire document checking every hyphenated word and phrase. But with hundreds
of different words hyphenated, keeping track is difficult and time-consuming.
What if your computer could simplify the challenge?
PerfectIt is an add-in for Microsoft Word that checks hyphenation in
seconds. It looks for:
- Words used with and without a hyphen
- Phrases used with and without hyphenation
- Consistent hyphenation of compounds, numbers, fractions and directions
Since there are instances in English when it is correct for words to appear
both with and without hyphenation, PerfectIt gives users the chance to review
each location. It highlights inconsistency and lets authors decide on a
case-by-case basis. You can learn more about
PerfectIt's other features, or to try PerfectIt for free, download it now.
