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Too Much White Space Bothers Readersĭocuments need just the right balance of white, or blank, space. If you’re reluctant to change your typing habits, you’re not alone-many people still want to use two spaces after a punctuation mark.īut there are many reasons to follow the one-space rule. Reasons to Use One Space Between Sentences Instead of Two

It’s worth noting, however, that monospaced fonts are generally considered to be harder to read than proportional fonts, so you should avoid using them unless you’re required to. These fonts include Courier, Consolas, and Menlo. Typewriter-style fonts, also known as monospaced fonts, are fonts where every letter is the same width. The only scenarios in which it’s acceptable to use two spaces between sentences are when you’re typing on a typewriter or when you’re using a typewriter-style font. When Should You Still Use a Double Space Between Sentences? That’s why the two-space rule is considered incorrect now. Instead, it just looks awkward and jarring since the font is already adjusted correctly if you use one space. With proportional typesetting, using two spaces between sentences does nothing to improve readability. This means that the program automatically adjusts the width of each letter to make your writing easy to read. This change happened when people switched to typing on laptops and computers rather than on typewriters.ĭigital word-processing software, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, uses proportional typesetting. These days, it’s important to use one space between sentences, not two spaces. This rule was standard practice to help separate sentences more clearly. If you learned to type on a typewriter, you were probably taught to leave two spaces after a punctuation mark that indicates a full stop, such as a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Typewriters have wide letters that take up more space, as well as uneven spacing between words, which makes paragraphs harder to read. Why Were Some People Taught to Use Two Spaces?īefore digital word processors existed, most people learned to type on typewriters. This rule holds true whether you’re writing essays, emails, novels, or any other form of writing. The best practice is to use only one space between words and sentences. How Many Spaces Do You Need Between Words and Sentences?