OECD Style Guide (Fourth Edition)

6. Hyphenation

Abstract

Used correctly, hyphens improve the clarity of your text and help you to avoid ambiguity. They are essential for compound words and terms.

General rules

• A hyphen joins words or parts of words to form a compound adjective, adverb, noun or verb.

• Hyphens provide clarity. For example, “A small business owner” and “A small-business owner”: the first is a small owner of a business; the second owns a small business.

• Non-breaking hyphens should be used in all instances throughout Word™ text in which the words should be displayed on the same line in the final output.

• When in doubt, consult the word’s entry in the Oxford English Dictionary.

See also: Capitalisation.

Policy maker, policy-maker or policymaker? Frequent hyphenation questions

• Use policymaker (noun) and policymaking (noun and adjective); do not hyphenate.

• Use decision maker (noun) and decision making (noun and adjective); do not hyphenate.

• Use macroeconomics (noun), macroeconomic (adjective), microeconomics (noun) and microeconomic (adjective); do not hyphenate.

• Hyphenate socio-economics (noun) and socio-economic (adjective).

• Use online as both an adjective and adverb; do not hyphenate or split into two words.

• Use website as one word without hyphenation but use web page and web manager as two‑word phrases, without hyphenation.

• Use worldwide as both an adjective and adverb; do not hyphenate or split into two words.

Adjectives and adverbs

• When two words together act as a compound adjective modifying a noun, they are generally hyphenated.

Do

✔ Use hyphens in compound adjectives before nouns (“attributive” adjectives).

The report takes an evidence-based approach.

The well-known economist addressed the conference.

Don’t

✘ Hyphenate compound adjectives when the first word is an adverb ending in “-ly”.

🙁 Targeted training programmes should help to develop a highly-skilled workforce.

🙂 Targeted training programmes should help to develop a highly skilled workforce.

✘ Use a hyphen if the compound adjective comes after a preposition or noun (“predicate” adjectives).

🙁 In the longer-term, the policy measures will boost employment.

🙂 In the longer term, the policy measures will boost employment.

🙁 The recommendations are evidence-based.

🙂 The recommendations are evidence based.

Compound proper nouns and adjectives

Do

✔ Capitalise proper nouns in compound words; if a hyphenated term contains a proper noun and a common element, only capitalise the proper noun.

The group was founded to promote Anglo-American relations.

Quebec is a French-speaking region in Canada.

✔ For title case, capitalise the second word in a hyphenated term.

The OECD has released a new report, Evidence-Based Decision Making in Health Policy.

✔ For joint works, separate the abbreviations or acronyms of the two organisations with a hyphen.

The OECD‑FAO Agricultural Outlook.

See also: Capitalisation; Country and territory names, codes and currencies, and territorial disclaimers.

Don’t

✘ Capitalise common elements unless they begin the title, heading or sentence.

🙁 The problem cannot be solved with Short-term solutions.

🙂 Short-term solutions cannot solve the problem.

Dangling hyphens

• Hyphens are often used to show that two or more compound terms share a common part.

• Use them sparingly where the sense is clear and be consistent in your use throughout your text.

See also: Punctuation.

Do

✔ Repeat the hyphenated prefix for clarity.

The article compared pre- and post-pandemic data.

Don’t

✘ Use dangling hyphens if omitting the term creates confusion.

🙁 The university offers courses for under- and postgraduate students.

🙂 The university offers courses for undergraduate and postgraduate students.

✘ Omit the second hyphen, or subsequent hyphens, as this may create confusion.

🙁 The course is required for first-, second and third year students.

🙂 The course is required for first-, second- and third-year students.

Doubled hyphens

• Compounds made of more than two words may use multiple hyphens.

  The working party met to discuss balance-of-payment deficits.

Do

✔ Be consistent in your use of double hyphens throughout your text.

✔ Hyphenate the number range in ages:

• If the age range is being used as an adjective, hyphenate all parts of the compound phrase.

  The survey assessed the annual earnings of 15‑to‑24‑year-old workers.

• If the age range is being used as a noun, do not include “to” and drop the hyphen after the last figure.

  The study examines the number of 15‑19 year-olds who leave school without a qualification.

Don’t

✘ Overuse doubled hyphens; rephrase as needed.

🙁 A non-self-financing institution.

🙂 The institution is financed by donors.

Non-breaking hyphens

• Use non-breaking hyphens when you want to keep a word or number on the same line, to preserve meaning and enhance readability.

• Be aware that non-breaking hyphens must be used all instances throughout Word™ text where the words should be displayed on the same line in the final output.

• Insert a non-breaking hyphen using (Ctrl + 8).

Do

✔ Use non-breaking hyphens for terms, proper nouns, numbers, negative sums, years, abbreviations and acronyms.

See also: Negative numbers.

Don’t

✘ Allow line breaks to separate critical compound terms.

✘ Use non-breaking hyphens to systematically replace all hyphens.

Prefixes

• Hyphenation with prefixes depends on established usage and clarity.

• Compounds formed with prefixes are often standard combined words rather than hyphenated, whether they are adjectives, adverbs, nouns or verbs (upfront, underdeveloped, overestimate).

• Adding a prefix to create a compound word often requires a hyphen (ex. cross-country, intra-industry, non-tradeable).

Do

✔ Use hyphens after prefixes for clarity, following established usage. Consult the Oxford English Dictionary if in doubt.

The report provides a cross-country analysis of education systems.

✔ Hyphenate to prevent confusion with other words.

He was asked to re-sign [sign again] the form vs. He resigned from [left] the group.

Don’t

✘ Hyphenate when the prefix and root are commonly combined.

🙁 The team will re-write the proposal.

🙂 The team will rewrite the proposal.

Repeated letters

Do

✔ Hyphenate double vowels and double or triple consonants (co‑ordinate, re‑entry, non‑negotiable, shell‑like).

✔ Hyphenate when a prefix and root word result in double letters and the meaning may be ambiguous.

She bought her chicken coop [cage or pen] at the gardening co-op [abbreviated term for a co‑operative group or business].

Don’t

✘ Omit the hyphen in our Organisation’s name.

🙁 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development

🙂 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development