Writing Tip

Use Hyphens to Prevent Misreading of Prefixes

Difficulty Level: Basic

Recommendation: When Attaching a Prefix to a Word, Use a Hyphen to Prevent Misreading When Appropriate

Recognizable spelling patterns—such as “spell” and “ing” in “spelling”—enable us to quickly shove words into working memory, which enables us to read fluidly. One commonly used spelling pattern is “er.” When we encounter a new word with “er” in it, we know how to pronounce it. Sometimes, we encounter a word that we know but fail to accurately process it because a prefix introduces a known spelling pattern that gets in the way.

A prefix can be joined to a word in two ways: bare and mechanical. In a bare joining, the prefix is joined to the main word without any characters, such as “preeminent.” A mechanical union requires some sort of punctuation, such as the hyphen in “pre-eminent.” How we join prefixes to words can affect the way that the new word is parsed by the reader.

Words are processed in two ways (not one at a time but rather by way of a kind of darting of the eyes back and forth). First, words enter working memory as a visual channel. Second, words enter working memory as an auditory (phonemic) channel. If the word is not recognizable—such as the case of an encounter with a new word—it cannot be readily processed in working memory—either visually or phonemically. The reader has to work with it. If it sounds funny, working memory may turn a deaf ear. Below are some examples of prefixes that 1) result in known spelling patterns that confound the reader, 2) cloak the division between the main word and the prefix, and 3) lead the reader down a garden path. Generally, I recommend that prefixes be joined to the main word with a hyphen if there is any chance of misreading, even when the normative spelling of the word excludes the hyphen.

For example, consider these faulty constructions that I found in published documents:

• Preattack = pre-attack (“preat” is a recognizable spelling pattern)
• Reedit = re-edit (“reed” is a recognizable spelling pattern)
• Deemphasize = de-emphasize (“deem” is a recognizable spelling pattern)
• Rearmament = re-armament (“rear” is a recognizable spelling pattern)

Also, consider using a hyphen when adding a bare prefix would result in a word that already exists:

• Really = re-ally (“really” is a word)
• Retreat = re-treat (“retreat” is a word)

Here is an example of an established word with bare conjunction between the main word and the prefix: posthumous. Nothing we can do to change this arrangement, because post-humous would result in confusion (“humous” by itself means a paste made from chickpeas). You have to pick appropriate opportunities to apply the hyphen.