Word Division
This content is copied from The Chicago Manual of Style, Section 7.36 - 7.47, 17th Edition.
7.36 Dictionary word division.
The advice in this section applies only to published works and mainly to print or PDF (and not to reflowable electronic formats); word breaks should not be applied at the manuscript stage. For end-of-line word breaks, as for spelling and plural forms, Chicago turns to Webster's as its primary guide. The dots between syllables in Webster's indicate where breaks may be made; in words of three or more syllables, there is usually a choice of breaks. The paragraphs in this section are intended merely to supplement, not to replace, the dictionary’s system of word division—for example, by suggesting preferred breaks where more than one might be possible. These recommendations are also intended to serve as a guide for determining appropriate hyphenation settings in page-layout applications. Most such programs automate hyphenation relative to a standard dictionary but allow users to define certain rules (e.g., to specify the minimum number of characters to carry to a new line or the maximum number of consecutive lines that can end in a hyphen) and to make exceptions (e.g., for specific words). For division of non-English words (other than those that are included in an English-language dictionary), see chapter 11. For end-of-line breaks relative to en and em dashes, see 6.82, 6.90; for slashes, see 6.113.
7.37 Word divisions that should be avoided.
Single-syllable words, including verb forms such as aimed and helped, are never divided. Since at least two letters must appear before a break, such words as again, enough, and unite also cannot be divided. And at least three letters must appear after a break, so divisions that carry only two letters over to the next line, even where indicated by Webster's, are usually also avoided.
- women (rather than wom-en)
- losses (rather than loss-es)
- sur-prises (rather than surpris-es)
In languages other than English, however, it may be not only permissible but customary to carry two-letter word endings to the next line.
7.38 Dividing according to pronunciation.
In the usage preferred by Chicago and reflected in Webster’s, most words are divided according to how the break will affect pronunciation rather than according to derivation.
- knowl-edge (not know-ledge)
- democ-racy or de-mocracy (not demo-cracy)
Special attention should be paid to breaks in certain words with multiple meanings and pronunciations, such asproj-ect (noun) andpro-ject (verb), which automatic hyphenation may not properly account for.
7.39 Dividing after a vowel.
Unless a resulting break affects pronunciation, words are best divided after a vowel. When a vowel forms a syllable in the middle of a word, it should remain on the first line if possible. Diphthongs are treated as single vowels (e.g., the eu in aneurysm).
- criti-cism (rather than crit-icism)
- liga-ture (rather than lig-ature)
- an-tipodes or antipo-des (rather than antip-odes)
- aneu-rysm (rather than an-eurysm)
7.40 Dividing compounds, prefixes, and suffixes.
Hyphenated or closed compounds and words with prefixes or suffixes are best divided at the natural breaks.
- poverty- / stricken (rather than pov- / erty-stricken)
- thanks-giving (rather than thanksgiv-ing)
- dis-pleasure (rather than displea-sure)
- re-inforce (rather than rein-force)
7.41 Dividing words ending in "ing."
Most gerunds and present participles may be divided before the ing. When the final consonant before the ingis doubled, however, the break occurs between the consonants. For words ending in ling, check the dictionary.
- certify-ing
- giv-ing
- dab-bing
- run-ning
- fiz-zling
- bris-tling
7.42 Dividing proper nouns and personal names.
Proper nouns of more than one element, especially personal names, should be broken, if possible, between the elements rather than within any of the elements. If a break within a name is needed, consult the dictionary. Many proper nouns appear, with suggested divisions, in the listings of biographical and geographical names in Webster s Collegiate. For fuller treatment, consult the online revision of Webster’s Third New International (bibliog. 3.1). Those that cannot be found in a dictionary should be broken (or left unbroken) according to the guidelines elsewhere in this section. If pronunciation is not known or easily guessed, the break should usually follow a vowel.
- Alek-sis
- Heitor Villa- / Lobos (or, better, Heitor / Villa-Lobos)
- Ana-stasia
A personal name that includes initials should be broken after the initials. A break before a number or Jr. or Sr. should be avoided. A nonbreaking space can prevent such breaks (see 6.121).
- Frederick L. / Anderson
- M. F. K. / Fisher
- Elizabeth II (or, if necessary, Eliza- / beth II)
7.43 Dividing numerals.
Large numbers expressed as numerals are best left intact. To avoid a break, reword the sentence. If a break must be made, however, it should come only after a comma and never after a single digit.
- 1,365,- / 000,000 or 1,365,000,- / 000
7.44 Dividing numerals with abbreviated units of measure.
A numeral used with an abbreviated unit of measure is best left intact; either the numeral should be carried over to the next line or the abbreviation should be moved up. A nonbreaking space can prevent such breaks (see 6.121). (Numerals used with spelled-out units of measure, which tend to form longer expressions, may be broken across a line as needed.)
- 345 m
- 24 kg
- 55 BCE
- 6:35 p.m.
7.45 Division in run-in lists.
A number or letter, such as (3) or (c), used in a run-in list (see 6.129) should not be separated from the beginning of what follows it. If it occurs at the end of a line, it should be carried over to the next line. A nonbreaking space can prevent such breaks (see 6.121).
7.46 Dividing URLs and email addresses.
In printed works, it is often necessary to break an email address or a uniform resource identifier such as a URL at the end of a line. Such a break should be made between elements if at all possible: after a colon or a double slash; before or after an equals sign or an ampersand; or before a single slash, a period, or anyother punctuation or symbol. To avoid confusion, an address that contains a hyphen should be broken before the hyphen rather than after (so that the hyphen begins a new line); by a similar logic, a hyphen should never be added to break an email address or URL. If a particularly long element must be broken to avoid a seriously loose or tight line, it can be broken between words or syllables according to the guidelines offered elsewhere in this section. Editors, proofreaders, and compositors should use their discretion in applying these recommendations, aiming for a balance between readability and aesthetics.
Authors should not break URLs in their manuscripts.
7.47 Hyphenation and appearance.
For aesthetic reasons, no more than three succeeding lines should be allowed to end in hyphens. (Such hyphens are sometimes referred to as a hyphen stack or ladder.) And though hyphens are necessary far more often in justified text, word breaks may be needed in material with a ragged right-hand margin to avoid exceedingly uneven lines. (In manuscript preparation, however, hyphenation should never be applied; see 2.13.) In reflowable electronic publication formats, end-of-line hyphenation may be applied automatically by a particular application or device; such hyphenation can sometimes be suppressed for aesthetic reasons (as for chapter titles and other headings).