hyphon

A hyphen is a punctuation mark used to join words and to split a word at the end of a line. It is shorter than a dash and distinct from other dash-like marks used for ranges or pauses. In digital text, the standard hyphen is the hyphen-minus character, encoded as U+002D in Unicode, and is commonly accessible on keyboards as the minus key. Related symbols include the soft hyphen (U+00AD), which marks a preferred break point that may disappear if the word does not break, and the non-breaking hyphen (U+2011), which prevents a break at that point. The en dash (U+2013) and em dash (U+2014) are longer marks with different uses, such as indicating ranges or punctuation.

Usage: The hyphen joins words to form compound terms (well-known, mother-in-law) and links prefixes to bases (anti-inflammatory, ex-president). It also marks word breaks when a line ends, allowing a word to continue on the next line. Hyphenation rules are language-specific and guided by style manuals, dictionaries, and hyphenation algorithms in word processors and typesetting systems.

Typography and spacing: In most languages, the hyphen appears without spaces on either side. Some typographic traditions or language-specific rules may differ, but the standard practice in modern typography is to place the hyphen directly between adjacent characters.

Variants and spelling: The term hyphen is standard; hyphon or hypon is a common misspelling. Some older texts and software may reference related marks by different names or use related symbols in analogous roles.

Note: The word “hyphon” appears in some informal contexts as a mistaken variant; the conventional term is hyphen.