When Did 2 Spaces After A Period Change?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

, , , ,

In

the April 2020 update

, Microsoft Word started highlighting two spaces after a period as an error, and offers a correction of one space.

Should there be two spaces between sentences?

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) was the only style guide that overtly recommended two spaces after a period, and even that long-time holdout for two spaces changed its guideline to one space in its 2019 update.

Do you put two spaces between sentences?


Always put exactly one space between sentences

. Or more generally: put exactly one space after any punctuation. Here’s a paragraph with one space between sentences: I know that many people were taught to put two spaces between sentences.

Do you put two spaces after a period in MLA format?

Double-space the text of your paper and use a legible font (e.g. Times New Roman). …

Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks

(unless otherwise prompted by your instructor). Set the margins of your document to 1 inch on all sides.

Should there be 2 spaces after a period?

According to the AP Stylebook,

single-spacing is correct

. The same goes for the Chicago Manual of Style. However, the Modern Language Association Style Center offers different advice, and suggests that writers use a single space after a period unless they have been explicitly told otherwise.

What is two spaces after a period called?

(This is called

a mono-spaced font

.) With a typewriter, it makes sense to add an extra space to make it clear that the sentence has ended. Today’s word-processing software makes fonts proportional, though, which is why we only need one space.

What is the correct amount of spaces after a period?

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) was the only style guide that overtly recommended two spaces after a period, and even that long-time holdout for two spaces changed its guideline to one space in its 2019 update.

How many spaces do you put after a comma?

Place

one space after

a comma, a semicolon, and other forms of punctuation falling within a sentence.

How many spaces is needed before and after inserting a dash?

Sometimes confused with the hyphen, a dash comes between words as a form of division, whereas a hyphen generally joins words or parts of words to indicate a connection. When typing, use two hyphens together without spaces to form a dash.

Do not put a space before or after the dash

.

Do you put two spaces after a colon?

Just as with the period, it used to be common to put two spaces after a colon, but now most style guides that address the matter (e.g., The Chicago Manual of Style)

recommend using only one space after a colon

. …

What is the space between sentences called?

The vertical space between lines of type is called

leading

(rhymes with sledding). Leading is measured from the baseline of one line of text to the baseline of the line above it. Baseline is the invisible line on which most letters sit.

Do you space after a slash?


If the slash divides two words, there is no space

. If it divides two phrases or sentences (or a single word from a phrase), it requires a space before and after.

How many spaces is a tab?

1. Indentation: tabs vs spaces. Java: 4 spaces, tabs must be set at

8 spaces

.

How many spaces are there between single and double quotation marks?

Please see CMOS 6.11: “When single quotation marks are nested within double quotation marks, and

two

of the marks appear next to each other, a space between the two marks, though not strictly required, aids legibility.” (You can find this by typing “single quotation marks” into the Search box or by looking in the index …

Is it necessary to put space after comma?


Place one space after a comma

, a semicolon, and other forms of punctuation falling within a sentence.

Timothy Chehowski
Author
Timothy Chehowski
Timothy Chehowski is a travel writer and photographer with over 10 years of experience exploring the world. He has visited over 50 countries and has a passion for discovering off-the-beaten-path destinations and hidden gems. Juan's writing and photography have been featured in various travel publications.