A hyphen is used to join two or more words that together form an adjective, where this adjective is used before the noun it describes.
Example: the last-minute rush
Example: great-grandmother
Always use a hyphen with the prefixes all-, ex-, and self-, and with the suffix -elect.
Example: ex-wife
Example: self-control
Use a hyphen to prevent misreading of certain words.
Re-collect means to collect again; without a hyphen the word recollect has a different meaning.
Re-creation means to create again; without a hyphen, the word recreation has a different meaning.
Co-respondent without the hyphen could be confused with correspondent.
Here’s a little quiz to test your “hyphen” knowledge:
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