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Hyphen for Dummies

verb

pronunciation: 'haɪfən

What does Hyphen really mean?

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Hey there! So, I heard you want to know what "hyphen" means. No problemo, I've got you covered! Picture this: when you're reading a sentence and you come across a funny little line - that's a hyphen!

You know how sometimes we need to connect two words together to show that they're related? Well, that's where the hyphen comes in. It's like the bridge that joins two words and makes them buddy-buddy. So, instead of saying "ice cream," we can use a hyphen to say "ice-cream."

But that's not all! The hyphen can also be pretty handy when we want to break a word and continue it on the next line. Imagine you're reading a book and you see a long word that wouldn't fit in one line. Instead of squishing the whole word in, we can use a hyphen to split it. It's like giving the word a little break so it can catch its breath.

Now, let's dive a bit deeper. Did you know that hyphens are also used in numbers? Yep, they're there to help us make numbers clearer. For example, if we want to write the number twenty-one, we can use a hyphen to show it like this: 21. That way, it's easier to read and understand.

Oh, and one last thing! Hyphens can work their magic in compound adjectives too. Say we want to describe a big, red balloon. We could say "a big red balloon," but if we add a hyphen, it becomes "a big-red balloon." Cool, right?

So, to sum it all up, a hyphen is a tiny line that joins words together, helps break long words, clarifies numbers, and creates compound adjectives. It's like a helpful little connector that makes our writing easier to understand. Easy peasy!

Revised and Fact checked by Linda Miller on 2023-10-29 10:54:28

Hyphen In a sentece

Learn how to use Hyphen inside a sentece

  • When you write the numbers from twenty-one to twenty-nine, you need to use a hyphen between the words twenty and one through twenty and nine, like twenty-one, twenty-two, and so on.
  • The word mother-in-law has a hyphen in it. It shows that the word is made up of three words: mother, in, and law.
  • In the sentence 'He is a well-known actor,' the words well and known have a hyphen between them to show that they are used together to describe the actor.
  • When you spell the word full-time job, you should use a hyphen to connect the two words full and time.
  • The compound adjective high-tech uses a hyphen between high and tech to show that they work together to describe something related to advanced technology.

Hyphen Synonyms

Words that can be interchanged for the original word in the same context.

Hyphen Hypernyms

Words that are more generic than the original word.