Russ in New Jersey had a question about hyphens: In “northwestern California landmark” should “northwestern California” be hyphenated? “I’m not sure if it’s simply a matter of preference or if the ...

Hyphens are only used to combine certain words together. They are not strong enough to set off phrases or words from a sentence. Use hyphens in the following situations: Use in compound numbers and ...

Meghan Walbert is Lifehacker's Managing Editor. She has a degree in journalism and has worked at Lifehacker as a writer and editor since 2018, covering parenting, foster care, online child safety, and ...

There are two types of names you can create out of spare parts: compound and blended words. Compound words are still recognizable as names made of two words. Blended words go a step further — they’re ...

Compound words are made up of two parts of speech. For example, the compound noun handkerchief is made up of two nouns: hand + kerchief. Semantically, compound words are very interesting, since their ...

Yes, there is a real difference between a hyphen vs. dash. And here's how these tiny marks can make a big difference in your writing. When you’re writing by hand, a hyphen and a dash can look pretty ...