Should big words be hyphenated?

[purplepoppy]

A dyslexic friend pointed out something I found interesting. Is the word "nowhere" pronounced "no where" or "now here"? Unless you know where to split the word both are valid. It would make sense to hyphenate it, no-where.

Sometimes here you'll see place names hyphenated and that can be controversial but I think it helps the tourists. Which begs the question, should we hyphenate all long words to help people?

[AviatorTom]

#ANALBUMCOVER is called underwear in the US, knickers in some other places.

Hyphens are good when the meaning is not clear, but don't tell that to a German, known for making very long words out of smaller words, like this one:

Rechtsschutzversicherungsgesellschaften

which means "legal protection insurance companies"

Recht – Law or right
Schutz – Protection
Versicherung – Insurance
Gesellschaften – Companies or societies

[MrChinaski]

Panzerkampfwagen... yes, the Germans are the masters of long words.

[purplepoppy]

Durchfall and krankenwagon are my favourite German words from the little I learned at school

[MrChinaski]

Lol. I googled these. Hopefully you don't need both at once. :)

[RavVid]

Great idea. For some reason the pronunciation of Woolloomooloo confuses folk from out-of-town. Wool-loo-moo-loo would be much easier for them.

Maybe a tilde would be better cause it is never used and needs a justification to be keyboards. So when we saw it used we would know it was just a pronunciation guide and normal people wouldn't spell it that way.

no~where and Wool~loo~moo~loo would help the abnormals and also teach them to write it correctly.

[EmmiL]

I sent you a pm

[AI Opinion]

Hyphenating long words to aid readability, especially for individuals with dyslexia, is an idea to consider. However, consistently applying this across all long words might not always be necessary or practical. For words like "nowhere," context usually clarifies meaning. In certain cases, hyphenating can enhance clarity, as seen in some place names or compound terms. Ultimately, aim for balance—when hyphenation truly aids understanding, use it, but reserve it for cases where it significantly enhances readability.

[goaded]

No. What's wrong with “Neunmilliardeneinhundertzweiundneunzigmillionensechshunderteinunddreißigtausendsiebenhundertsiebzigfache“?

9,192,631,770x

(And, yes, I did read your example 4, 3, 5.)

[DryGermanGuy]

"That says anal bum cover. I’ve spent five years of my life trying to invent an anal bum cover, failing to do so is my greatest regret!"

- Sean Connery, SNL Celebrity Jeopardy

[ProbablyClueless]

Just intuitively, I would think it depends on whether the idea you're trying to convey is consistent with the way the syllables of the word flow.

We know that "nowhere" is "no" and "where" because each syllable represents a complete sound in the word. Pronouncing "nowhere" "now" "here"

[MrChinaski]

Eats shoots and leaves, right?

In my own writing, I minimise punctuation with the view that it is better to maximise readability for the 1000 instead of nurse the one or two.

Different writers have different views.

[MrChinaski]

The Economist (UK magazine) style guide is a pretty useful and available guide to modern writing.

[andreasderjuengere]

In the name of equality, I petition to also include the small words in this.

[Makeushiver]

Rime to put the bong aside if that's your biggest concern right now

[exitseven]

analbumcover too funny

[WonderingManII]

It might be a good idea.

[Panthero80]

I need my bum cover.

[Anonymous]

Yes, I believe so.