The Hyphen - It IS Important

Basic hyphen rules review:

Use a hyphen:

1. When the creator of the word used one (which is why we have a hyphen between Spider-Man and not Superman)
2. For two words are working together as a single adjective (chocolate-covered raisins)
3. Between the tens and ones of numbers (twenty-one)
4. To avoid confusion (re-elect)
5. With the prefixes ex-, all-, self- (ex-wife, all-inclusive, self-driving)
6. With any prefix attached to a capitalized word (pre-World War II)
7. Before the suffix -elect (president-elect)

Do NOT use a hyphen when:

1. Two words are working together as a single adjective AFTER the noun (Those raisins are chocolate covered)
2. Between other place values (two hundred sixty-five)