bindestrekk

Bindestrekk is the hyphen character used in Norwegian orthography and typography to join words or parts of words, and to indicate line breaks. In Norwegian, bindestrekk serves to create or clarify compounds, to prevent ambiguity, and to aid readability. The hyphen is shorter than an en dash and an em dash and is used within words or between short word elements.

Common uses include forming compounds that would be unclear if written as separate words or with a space, such as e-post or COVID-19. It is also used to indicate a word that is split at the end of a line; the word is divided with a hyphen and continued on the next line. Bindestrekk helps prevent misreading when prefixes or affixes attach to another word.

It is distinct from the en dash (–), which is used for ranges (years, quantities) and for connections between terms, and from the em dash (—), which marks breaks or interruptions in thought. In Norwegian typography, many new compounds are written without a hyphen, while hyphenation is preferred for readability in long compounds or after prefix elements, according to style guidance from language authorities. Some publishers and dictionaries record bindestrekk as an alternative spelling; both forms can appear in Norwegian texts.

In modern usage, the hyphen is treated as a standard punctuation mark with established conventions in Norwegian style guides. The Språkrådet (Norwegian Language Council) provides guidelines on when to hyphenate and when to avoid it, with potential variations between Bokmål and Nynorsk.