Mellemrum

Mellemrum is a Danish term that refers to space or a gap between elements. In everyday use it denotes the blank area that separates words, phrases, or other units in writing, as well as broader intervals in time or space. The word is formed from mellem meaning between and rum meaning space or room, underscoring its basic sense of an intervening area.

Etymology and usage context: The term is commonly applied across several domains. In typography and publishing, mellemrum designates the space characters that separate words and other textual elements. It also covers the concept of spacing within a layout, such as the vertical spacing (leading) between lines or sections. In a broader sense, mellemrum can refer to any gap or interval, including figurative gaps in argument, opportunities, or timelines.

Typography and formatting: In modern Danish typography, the interword space is typically a single blank, and conventional sentence spacing generally uses one space after sentence-ending punctuation. Different widths of spaces, such as en spaces or em spaces, may be employed for specific typographic effects or alignment, and these variations can be described in Danish as different mellemrum types in a layout.

Computing and data handling: In computing, mellemrum corresponds to whitespace—the characters that create blank areas in text, including spaces, tabs, and newlines. Programs often trim, normalize, or collapse consecutive mellemrum, and text-processing rules frequently revolve around recognizing and manipulating this space.

See also: whitespace, typography, spacing, Danish orthography.