To Hyphenate, or Not to Hyphenate?
By Kathy Graden
Do you know when it’s right and when it’s wrong to hyphenate? The answer often depends on whether a word or term serves as a noun, a verb, or an adjective.
The following table offers punctuation guidelines for some of the most troublesome words and terms found in computer software or hardware documentation. Sources for these guidelines include the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th Edition, and the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (at www.m-w.com).
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Word or Term
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Guideline
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Database vs. Data Base vs. Data-base
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Always use one word with no hyphen.
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Double-click vs. Double click
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The verb form uses a hyphen (“Double-click the left mouse button.”) The noun form uses two words with no hyphen (“A double click opens the file.”) |
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Drop-down vs. Drop Down vs. Dropdown
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The adjectival form uses the hyphen (“Choose option A from the drop-down list.”). The verb form uses two words and no hyphen (“Let it drop down to the floor.”). Note: The same rule applies to “pull-down” vs. “pull down” or “pulldown.” |
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End user vs. End-user
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Use two words with no hyphen when “end user” is a noun (as in “The end user is our primary customer.”). Insert the hyphen for the adjectival form (as in “end-user knowledge,” where the adjective “end-user” modifies “knowledge”). |
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Multi<word> vs. multi-<word>
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Use one word with no hyphen. (Examples: multitask, multicolumn)
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Onscreen vs. On-screen
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Use one word with no hyphen.
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Pop up vs. Popup vs. Pop-up
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See the Drop-down guideline.
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Re<word> vs. Re-<word>
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Use no hyphen for most combinations of “re” and another word (as in “revisit,” “reoccur,” “reengineer,” and so on. However, use a hyphen if the compound word is confusing without it.
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Run-time vs. Run time
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The noun form is two words (“How much run time does it take?”) The adjective form uses the hyphen (“The program provides run-time access.”). |
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Set Up vs. Setup vs. Set-up
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Use “set up” only as a verb to mean “assemble,” “establish,” or “ put into place.” The noun “setup” has several different meanings, most commonly “the manner in which items are arranged, designed, or assembled.” The form “set-up” is never correct. |
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Stand-alone vs. Standalone
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Always use the hyphenated form.
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Start-up vs. Startup
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The noun form is one word (“Read this file at startup.”) The adjective form uses the hyphen (“Open the start-up file.”). |
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Sub<word> vs. Sub-<word>
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See the Re<word> guideline.
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Workaround vs. Work-around vs. Work around
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See the Workflow guideline.
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Workflow vs. Work flow vs. Work-flow
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Use one word with no hyphen.
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April 2006