interword

Interword is a term used in typography and text layout to refer to the space between words. It denotes the gap that separates consecutive word tokens in written text and is distinct from interletter spacing, punctuation spacing, or kerning.

In typesetting and digital rendering, the interword space is typically implemented as a glue or adjustable space. It has a base width and may include stretch and shrink components to accommodate line justification and text flow. Font design and language conventions influence the default interword width, and layout engines may modify it to achieve even justification or improve readability. In high-quality typesetting systems, interword spacing is one of the key factors writers and designers adjust when fine-tuning a paragraph’s appearance.

In web typography, word-spacing is the corresponding concept in CSS. The word-spacing property adds space between words and can interact with line breaks and justification. While it affects readability and visual density, it does not alter the treatment of punctuation or non-word tokens.

Beyond typography, the term interword intersects with linguistics and natural language processing in discussions of word segmentation and tokenization. In languages that use explicit spacing between words, interword boundaries are straightforward; in languages or scripts that omit spaces, such as certain East Asian writing systems, ideas about interword spacing can differ and relate to word boundary detection rather than a fixed visual gap.

See also: word spacing, justification, typography, typesetting, kerning.