Hyphens with Prefixes

Such a little mark holds such meaning. Properly placing hyphens can be confusing. Often people think that anything combined needs a hyphen or that a word looks better hyphenated. Actually, though, a hyphen typically isn’t needed. For example: He seems uninterested in the movie (not un-interested). However, sometimes hyphens are necessary.

Use a hyphen if the prefix will create a double a or i.

I am a semi-invalid since breaking my arm.

Use a hyphen when adding a prefix to hyphenated compound words.

John visited several non-English-speaking countries.

Use a hyphen with the prefix “re” if “re” means again and when omitting the hyphen would cause confusion.

I re-covered my chair last month. (Use the hyphen since you didn’t recover your chair.)

My favorite comic series has been reissued. (Although here “re” means again, it would not cause confusion with another word so no hyphen is needed.)

 

And, as always, refer to your style guide if you are still perplexed about when to use a hyphen. The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th edition, says that a hyphen should be used:

1. before a capitalized word or a numeral (pre-1950, sub-Saharan);

2. before a compound term (non-self-sustaining) (however, with an open compound word, such as pre–Vietnam War, an en dash should be used in place of the hyphen);

3. to separate two i’s or a’s and other combinations that might cause misreading (anti-intellectual);

4. to separate the repeated terms in a double prefix (sub-subentry);

5. when a prefix or combining form stands alone (over- and underused).

 

Try It!

Determine where hyphens should be placed in the sentences below. Not every sentence needs a hyphen.

1. I recently read a book about post World War II society.

2. The realtor told me that the asking price of my dream house is nonnegotiable.

3. My non beer drinking friend was bored at the frat party.

4. Tim had to reedit his paper before printing the final copy.

5. The artist recreated one of Monet’s flower paintings.

 

Answers: (1) post–World War II; (2) fine as is; (3) non-beer-drinking; (4) fine as is; (5) re-created