Suspended Hyphens: You Might Hate This Grammatical Rule

I’m not the only person who has favorite and least-favorite grammatical rules, right? For example, the Oxford comma is definitely up there as one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the rule we’re talking about right now—the suspended hyphen—is one of my least favorites. I know the rule. I know WHY it’s a rule. It makes sense. But I don’t like it.

What Is a Suspended Hyphen?

A suspended hyphen happens when you’re listing multiple compound words that all have the same final word (or words).

I checked my wallet and found only one-dollar, five-dollar, and ten-dollar bills.

In cases like this, you can omit the repetitive words from all but the last compound word in the series, like this:

I checked my wallet and found only one-, five-, and ten-dollar bills.

Instead of writing out “dollar” three times (which might sound a little bit repetitive), you can just pull out the first two instances and leave it at the end. When you do this, you MUST leave the hyphens. Pulling out the hyphens like this is incorrect:

I checked my wallet and found only one, five, and ten-dollar bills.

Those hyphens that are just hanging out with no second word to connect to are called suspended hyphens (or suspension hyphens), and they freak me out just a little bit. They’re technically correct—and I use them when I need to make a list of compound words like that—but I don’t like how the hyphen just hangs there in space. It looks wrong to me. But alas, we all have our grammatical grumbles, right?

Ebbitt & Ebbitt state that a suspended hyphen is “used to hold together a spread-out modifier.” The Chicago Manual of Style describes this rule as follows: “When the second part of a hyphenated expression is omitted, the suspended hyphen is retained, followed by a space (or, in a series, by a comma).”

Here are some more examples of suspended hyphens:

We’re trying to decide between a fifteen- and thirty-year mortgage.

Matthew’s class is studying fourteenth- and fifteenth-century religions.

At East Elementary School, the third-, fourth-, and fifth-grade rooms are in a separate wing.

The trains for London- and Edinburgh-bound passengers have already departed.

My mother- and father-in-law are visiting for Thanksgiving.

Be careful to only use a suspended hyphen when you’re listing separate things in a series and not single entities. For example, you would NOT use a suspended hyphen like this:

My living room needs a five- by eight-foot rug.

The rug is a single entity with one measurement, not multiple rugs with different measurements. It’s not a five-foot rug and also an eight-foot rug: it’s a five-by-eight-foot rug.

My living room needs a five-by-eight-foot rug.

Just make sure that you can separate the items in the list if you’re using a suspended hyphen. If they cannot be separated, don’t use a suspended hyphen.

I’m planning to take a three- to six-week trip to Europe.

I cannot separate those items: it’s a single trip that will last between three and six weeks, not multiple trips. Therefore, I need to remove the suspended hyphen and correct that modifier:

I’m planning to take a three-to-six-week trip to Europe.

Here’s another example:

Sandy’s new DIY project requires four-, eight-, and twelve-foot curtain rods.

I can separate these items—there are three different sizes of curtain rods that Sandy needs. Therefore, the suspended hyphens are correct.

What About Closed Compound Words?

You can also use a suspended hyphen with closed compound words; they’re not restricted to only hyphenated compound words.

It’s important to maintain a healthy diet for your dog. Over- and underfed dogs usually experience more health problems.

Even though overfed doesn’t have a hyphen, you can still substitute a hyphen for the second part of the closed compound word when it’s part of a series like that.

The rookie had a bad habit of over- or underestimating his opponents.

Before Stan can finish his major, he must take both micro- and macroeconomics courses.

It Does NOT Work Both Ways

Although you can use a suspended hyphen for the final part of a compound word, you CANNOT use it for the FIRST part of a compound word.

The organization rescued several overfed and -worked horses.

The organization rescued several -fed and overworked horses.

The organization rescued several overfed and overworked horses.

Instead, you must repeat the first part of the compound word in every element of the series.

He showed up to the meeting empty-headed and -handed.

He showed up to the meeting empty-headed and empty-handed.

If you have any questions about suspended hyphens (or if you just want to complain about them, like me), drop a comment below and I’ll find an answer for you!

Is it babysit, baby-sit, or baby sit? Learn about the 3 kinds of compound words here!

Sources:

• The Chicago Manual of Style. 17th ed. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2017.
• Ebbitt, D. R., and W. R. Ebbitt. Index to English. 8th ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1990.