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More About PunctuationMore About Written SpanishUsing HyphensThey Are Less Common in Spanish than in EnglishBeginning Spanish students, at least those who speak English as a first language, have a tendency to overuse hyphens. Hyphens (known as guiones) are used much less in Spanish than they are in English. They are used infrequently in the written form of everyday speech, finding use most often in journalese and in writing of a less casual nature. The primary time hyphens are used in Spanish is to combine two adjectives or two nouns of equal status to form a compound word. This should be made clear by the following examples:
Hyphens can also be used to join two dates, as in English: la guerra de 1808-1814 (the war of 1808-1814). Here are some examples of cases where hyphens are not used in Spanish where they are used (or can be, depending on the writer) in English:
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