The hyphen ( ‐ ) is a punctuation mark used to join words and to separate syllables

of a single word. It is often confused with dashes ( –, —, ― ), which are longer and
have different uses, and with the minus sign ( − ) which is also longer. The use of
hyphens is called hyphenation.

Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyphen

Hyphen Use
Two words brought together as a compound may be written separately, written as one word, or
connected by hyphens. For example, three modern dictionaries all have the same listings for the
following compounds:

hair stylist

hairsplitter

hair-raiser

Another modern dictionary, however, lists hairstylist, not hair stylist. Compounding is obviously in a
state of flux, and authorities do not always agree in all cases, but the uses of the hyphen offered here
are generally agreed upon.

1. Use a hyphen to join two or more words serving as a single adjective before a noun:

a one-way street

chocolate-covered peanuts

well-known author

However, when compound modifiers come after a noun, they are not hyphenated:

The peanuts were chocolate covered.

The author was well known.

2. Use a hyphen with compound numbers:

forty-six

sixty-three

Our much-loved teacher was sixty-three years old.

3. Use a hyphen to avoid confusion or an awkward combination of letters:

re-sign a petition (vs. resign from a job)

semi-independent (but semiconscious)

shell-like (but childlike)

4. Use a hyphen with the prefixes ex- (meaning former), self-, all-; with the suffix -elect;
between a prefix and a capitalized word; and with figures or letters:

ex-husband

self-assured

mid-September

all-inclusive

mayor-elect

anti-American

T-shirt

pre-Civil War

mid-1980s

5. Use a hyphen to divide words at the end of a line if necessary, and make the break
only between syllables:

pref-er-ence

sell-ing

in-di-vid-u-al-ist

6. For line breaks, divide already hyphenated words only at the hyphen:

mass-

produced

self-

conscious

7. For line breaks in words ending in -ing, if a single final consonant in the root word is
doubled before the suffix, hyphenate between the consonants; otherwise, hyphenate at
the suffix itself:

plan-ning

run-ning
driv-ing

call-ing

8. Never put the first or last letter of a word at the end or beginning of a line, and don't
put two-letter suffixes at the beginning of a new line:

lovely (Do not separate to leave ly beginning a new line.)

eval-u-ate (Separate only on either side of the u; do not leave the initial

e- at the end of a line.)

SOURCE http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/576/1
Definition

The hyphen is a short mark - like this.

It is used to show a link between words.

EXAMPLES

mother-in-law two-thirds
matter-of-fact co-operation

USE

Hyphens are used to join words.

He plans to make a come-back.

They are also used to avoid an odd sequence of letters.

Re-enter looks better than Reenter.

Hyphens are also used when you need to avoid confusion:

Notice the difference between these two examples:

two-year-old cats

This means - 'Any cats which are two years old'.

two year-old cats

This means - 'Two cats which are one year old'.

They are also used to show the difference between terms which are spelled the same, but
which have different meanings:

reformation change for the better

re-formation to form again

recover to regain control

re-cover to cover again

resign to stand down

re-sign to sign again
 Hyphens are used when new terms are formed.

The hyphen disappears when the new term becomes popular.

bath-tub bathtub

book-shelf bookshelf

This is happening right now, where all three forms of a term in IT are being used:

Word processor
Word-processor
Wordprocessor

NB! The hyphen sometimes disappears - 'bathroom' used to be written 'bath-room'.

Source http://www.buzzin.net/english/hyphens.htm

Hyphens and Dashes

A hyphen joins two or more words together (e.g. x-ray, door-to-door) while a dash
separates words into parenthetical statements (e.g. She was trapped - no escape was
possible.

Hyphens:

Generally, hyphens are used to avoid confusion or ambiguity but today most words that have been
hyphenated quite quickly drop the hyphen and become a single word (e.g. e-mail and email, now-a-
days and nowadays). In many cases though a hyphen does make the sense clear:

• I am thinking of re-covering my sofa (to put a new cover on it)

• I would like to recover my sofa. (perhaps from someone who has borrowed it as this means
'to get it back')

Hyphens and numbers

1. Use a hyphen with compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine.

 • fifty-one
• eighty-nine
• thirty-two
• sixty-five
• eighty-one

2. In written fractions place a hyphen between the numerator and denominator.

• two-fifths
• one-third
• three-tenth
• nine-hundredth

[Exception] if there is already a hyphen in either the numerator or the denominator, you omit the
hyphen between the numerator and denominator.

• sixty-nine eighty-ninths (not 'sixty-nine-eighty-ninths')

• twenty-two thirty-thirds

3. Use a hyphen when the number forms part of an adjectival compund:

• France has a 35-hour working week.

• He won the 100-metre sprint.
• Charles Dickens was a great nineteenth-century novelist.

Usage

Consult your dictionary if you are not sure but remember that current usage may be more up-to-date
(not uptodate... yet!) than your dictionary. There are some cases where hyphens preserve written
clarity such as where there are letter collisions (co-operate, bell-like) or where a prefix is added (anti-
nuclear, post-colonial), or in family relations (great-grandmother, son-in-law.)

Dashes:

Dashes can be used to add parenthetical statements in much the same way as you would use
brackets. In formal writing you should use the bracket rather than the dash as a dash is considered
less formal in most cases. However, they should not be overused nor used to replace commas
although they can be used to create emphasis in a sentence.

For example:

• You may think she is a liar - she isn't.

Source - http://www.edufind.com/ENGLISH/punctuation/hyphen.php
 Punctuation Use a hyphen
Apostrophe
Brackets
Colon & Semi-Colon with some prefixes and suffixes
Comma
Hyphen 1) To avoid multiple letters.
re-evaluate [reevaluate]
Other Marks
Quotation Marks
2) If the root word is capitalised.
Terminating Marks
pre-Christmas, anti-European

CP Site
3) With specific prefixes and suffixes.
Home
self-sacrificing, all-seeing, ex-wife, vice-chairman, president-elect
Books (UK)
Books (US)
4) To avoid ambiguity or awkward pronunciation.
Email
un-ionised [unionised], re-read

Sister Site 5) Where a list of words each have the same prefix or suffix. pre- and post-
Grammatically recession, over- and under-weight
Correct

to form compound words

1) For clarity.
Recommended
sit-in, stand-out, Mother-In-Law

2) In compound adjectives that modify what they precede.

blue-chip company, devil-may-care attitude, up-to-the-minute news

with fractions, numbers and initial letters

1) With fractions and numbers between 21 and 99.
one-half, sixty-four, twenty-eight and three-quarters
Books (UK)
Books (US) 2) Words that start with a capital letter
X-ray, T-shirt, U-Turn

to divide words at the right hand margin.

Source - http://www.correctpunctuation.co.uk/punctuation-hyphen.htm