Hyphens
A hyphen (-) is a short punctuation mark used to join two or more words together to make a single, clear idea, such as in compound adjectives ('well-known author') or compound nouns ('mother-in-law'). Year 6 pupils learn to use hyphens to avoid ambiguity and to build compound words correctly in their writing.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- Use a hyphen to join two or more words that work together as a single describing word before a noun (a compound adjective), e.g. 'a well-behaved dog'.
- Use a hyphen to join some compound nouns, e.g. 'mother-in-law', 'check-in'.
- Use a hyphen to join a prefix to a word when leaving it unhyphenated would be confusing or look odd, e.g. 're-cover' (cover again) versus 'recover' (get better).
- Use a hyphen with numbers written as words from twenty-one to ninety-nine, e.g. 'thirty-five'.
- Do not confuse a hyphen with a dash: a hyphen joins words together with no spaces around it, while a dash separates extra information and is longer.
- Check whether the meaning of the sentence changes if the hyphen is removed - if it does, the hyphen is needed for clarity.
Worked example
Add a hyphen where it is needed to make the meaning clear: 'I saw a man eating shark at the aquarium.'
- Read the sentence without a hyphen - it could mean a shark that eats men, or a man who is eating shark meat.
- Decide which meaning is intended: a shark that eats men.
- Join 'man' and 'eating' with a hyphen to form the compound adjective before the noun 'shark'.
- Final answer: 'I saw a man-eating shark at the aquarium.'
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a English exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Add a hyphen where needed in this sentence: 'The well designed bridge won an award.'
Explain how a hyphen changes the meaning of the phrase 'twenty odd people' compared with 'twenty-odd people'.
Write two sentences of your own that use hyphenated compound words: one compound adjective and one compound noun. Underline the hyphenated word in each.
Free printable worksheet
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