Do you put 1 space or 2 spaces after a period?
Nearly all style guides agree that one space is correct. 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.
Why you should never use two spaces after a period?
Monospaced type gives you text that looks “loose” and uneven; there’s a lot of white space between characters and words, so it’s more difficult to spot the spaces between sentences immediately. Because we’ve all switched to modern fonts, adding two spaces after a period no longer enhances readability, typographers say.
When did 1 space after period change?
In 1989, Desktop Publishing by Design stated that “typesetting requires only one space after periods, question marks, exclamation points, and colons”, and identified single sentence spacing as a typographic convention.
How many spaces after a full stop Oxford?
Two spaces
Two spaces after each full stop. Every time. Easy.
Is it one space after a period?
So which is it? 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.
How many spaces after a period in Canada?
However, major style books such as the Harvard Style Guide, the Modern Language Association (MLA) style, the Chicago Manual of Style and The Canadian Style, specify that there should only be a single space after a concluding punctuation mark. This rule applies to English and French.
Why did we put two spaces after a period?
To help readers more easily spot the ends of sentences, the two-space rule was put into effect—and for many, the habit stuck, even as typewriters gave way to computers that offered more proportionally spaced fonts, writes Ellen Gutoskey for Mental Floss. (Courier fonts are a notorious exception.)
Should there be 2 spaces after a full stop?
Typing two spaces after a full stop is wrong, according to Microsoft Word. According to the program, it’s a formatting ‘error’ to double space after a period. The practice comes from the days of the typewriter when equal-width characters of ‘monospaced’ fonts called for clearer sentence endings.
Is 2 spaces after a period correct?
Unless you are typing on an actual typewriter, you no longer have to put two spaces after a period. Or a question mark. Or an exclamation point. The rule applies to all end punctuation.
How many spaces after a full stop Australia?
One space
Answer: One space. The Australian Commonwealth Style manual: for authors, editors and printers says: ‘In typewritten (as distinct from typeset) material, it was customary to place two spaces after a colon, semicolon, full stop or other sentence-closing punctuation.
How many spaces should you put after a period?
Leave one space after a period or other concluding punctuation mark, unless your instructor prefers two spaces. Whichever spacing you choose, be sure to use it consistently throughout your paper. See the MLA’s formatting guidelines for more information.
Should you use one or two spaces after a period?
Very few style guides advise using two spaces after a period. The APA, Chicago Manual of Style, AP and US Government Printing Office Style Manual all recommend a single space between sentences. The contemporary benefits of using it are few, aside from taking up more space on a page.
How many times do you space after a period?
Two Spaces After A Period It’s the great generational debate … There was a time when every period, question mark, or exclamation point was followed by two spaces. These days, depending on what you’re reading, you can find either one or two spaces between the end of one sentence and the beginning of another.
Is it two spaces or one space after a period?
While there are many formal rules for punctuation marks and formatting, it’s easy to get tripped up on whether to use one or two spaces after a period. Learn why two spaces were originally used after a period and why the general rule today is to use one space after a period.