# How many spaces between sentences? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 22, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703 "2010-09-22T21:36:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/21 "2010-09-23T01:33:29Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > The odd thing is that, despite hearing so often that modern editors _demand_ for single spaces, I’ve yet to actually run into one who does, at least in academia. I’ve preparing papers for myself and a number of colleagues for journal publication for a few years now, and have never had it mentioned (and Lord knows I’ve had plenty of other nitpicky things brought up). This is because, as strongly as I (and other editors) might feel about this issue, it’s not worth the fight. Most of my typists are exactly like the other people in this thread. They’re old enough that they were trained on two and they’ll continue to use two until the day they die, no matter how you try to force them into using just one. So I don’t fight it, and only ask that whether they use one space or two, they keep it consistent throughout the document. And then when the document comes into my hands, I run a macro that replaces two spaces with just one. And I get on with my day. Edit: There’s a practical side to this too, at least in my job. Multiple typists might work on a single document, or I might have several documents for one customer typed up by several different people. The work needs to look consistent, and stripping spaces down to one each is far easier than ensuring two (and only two) spaces between sentences. Some customers do want it, though. Grr. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/22 "2010-09-23T01:39:33Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I am saddened to see that some of you crazy people still use two spaces. Then again, I work in a law firm and still see people type that way all the time in correspondence. > > My first formal typing class would have come on a computer back in…1990, in high school. I remember being told then that the two space thing was an issue of the past. YOU PEOPLE NEED TO STOP LIVING IN THE PAST! > > Ahem. 😃 I love how you dragged me to this thread because you thought I was on your side only to have me defect to the enemy. TWO SPACES! TWOOOOOO! ---
**Author:** ![Oly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oly/32/8255_2.png) [@Oly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oly)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/23 "2010-09-23T01:45:51Z")
When I first saw one space, it chafed against all I was brought up to believe. Now, I’m a thorough going two to one convert. Likewise after colons. The whole point is visual clarity. We no longer need an extra space for that. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/24 "2010-09-23T01:54:08Z")
One. This is relevant because I’m currently editing a multi-page file that uses two spaces after a period. And it’s a proportional font. Gah! Stop it! I was probably one of the last people to take typing classes on a typewriter, and I don’t remember being told to use two spaces. (when did schools quit doing that? When Smith-Corona stopped making typewriter ribbons? When they could afford a few computers in the budget?) ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/25 "2010-09-23T01:58:33Z")
I’m 22 and when I was taught to type in 4th grade, I was taught 2 spaces. I don’t know why, but that’s what I was taught. I don’t particularly care about changing it. A lot of programs automatically reduce it to one space anyway so hurrah and other people’s issues with my spacing aren’t really something I worry about. ---
**Author:** ![LawMonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d6d6ee/32.png) [@LawMonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LawMonkey)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/26 "2010-09-23T02:31:09Z")
Can’t really answer it–I’m sloppy at this point, having been taught to do two but brought into the modern era of one at some point. There’ll be a mix in most of my typing, unless I’m thinking about it (as I am now). On the other hand, having to manually remove every double-space after a period from my law review comments may have been sufficient negative reinforcement to break me of the two-space habit. ---
**Author:** ![hobscrk777](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a6a055/32.png) [@hobscrk777](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hobscrk777)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/27 "2010-09-23T02:44:23Z")
One! One one one ONE! As a student who frequently finds himself editing reports for group projects, I go cross-eyed crazy when I find out that one of my teammates has just sent me a draft with two spaces after a period. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to correct automatically, but it’s almost enough to make me throw my monitor out the window. On a more level-headed note, I understand the rationale behind double-spacing on typewriters, but I can’t fathom what the point is to double-spacing in a world of proportional fonts. Supposedly it makes the ends/beginnings of sentences more distinct. News flash - proportional fonts already adjust to account for that. Do \*any \* popular or mainstream books, newspapers, magazines, etc. double-space after periods? (No offense to anyone in here who double-spaces. I’m sure you’re a very upstanding citizen, but this is a big pet peeve of mine) ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/28 "2010-09-23T03:08:14Z")
Hardly anybody cares, anymore. But those who do, care passionately. Like everybody else learning typing at the time, I learned two spaces. Then I got a job as a typesetter, and had to adjust to one space. At the same time, I had learned that to simulate an em-dash on a typewriter you typed two hyphens, no spaces. This typesetting job was for a newspaper, and they wanted space em-dash [an actual character, I should point out, that was nowhere near the hyphen] space. So I adapted to that. Then came computers, and either they took out the space, or you could set them to add the space, [excuse my typing at the moment there is a black cat in front of my monitor] whichever your little heart desired. I once entered a manuscript in a best unpublished novel competition and the anal-retentive control freak judge actually DEDUCTED FIVE POINTS because I had only one space after a period. She is one of those who’s passionate about it. She claimed that is what professional editors expect. Well, fuck that. I work as an editor, and get paid for it, therefore I am a professional. The first thing I do before pouring an electronic manuscript into a typesetting program is search the two spaces and get rid of them. But, if you’re looking at typed copy all day, as a lot of editors are, the two spaces do help. As does using Courier instead of Times Roman or something even fancier. If a manuscript has to be scanned, the period followed by only one space is often read as a comma. So there’s merit in two spaces as well. ---
**Author:** ![vix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a88e4f/32.png) [@vix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vix)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/29 "2010-09-23T03:17:34Z")
One! I was taught to use two spaces in my high school keyboarding class. Did that through college, then I got a job as a reporter and quickly had to adjust to one. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/30 "2010-09-23T03:32:19Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I am saddened to see that some of you crazy people still use two spaces. Then again, I work in a law firm and still see people type that way all the time in correspondence. > > My first formal typing class would have come on a computer back in…1990, in high school. I remember being told then that the two space thing was an issue of the past. YOU PEOPLE NEED TO STOP LIVING IN THE PAST! > > Ahem. 😃 I like it here in the past, the food is tastier and the colors are brighter and my joints don’t hurt. Seriously, though, I’ve had to adjust to a lot of little things that have changed. And a lot of big things that have changed. Some of these changes I’ve greeted with open arms, and some of them I’ll probably resist to my dying day. The one or two space after a period debate is negligible. Yes, I prefer to put two spaces after my periods. But for the most part, this isn’t going to affect anyone else. It’s not even going to affect YOU specifically, as long as you just know me through this message board, because the software strips out every extra space that I automatically put in. When I learned to type, using only one space after a period would count as a typo, and it would lower my grade if I had too many typos. So now I either use two spaces, or none (when playing an interactive fiction game), because it’s habit. The standard keyboard has changed over time, and I’ve changed with it, but I can only change so much, you know? If I wrote professionally, I’d probably change. Probably. But this just isn’t that important to me, for me to want to form new habits. I have to form all sorts of new habits, and this is very low priority. And I probably had already graduated high school before you were born. Respect my grey hairs, please. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/31 "2010-09-23T03:48:45Z")
> [@Asimovian](#): > > I am saddened to see that some of you crazy people still use two spaces. Then again, I work in a law firm and still see people type that way all the time in correspondence. > > My first formal typing class would have come on a computer back in…1990, in high school. I remember being told then that the two space thing was an issue of the past. YOU PEOPLE NEED TO STOP LIVING IN THE PAST! > > Ahem. 😃 It wasn’t that far past even in your day. I learned two spaces on an electric typewriter in my first formal typing class…in 1987, in high school. Just think, a mere 3 years earlier that would have been you. I was using word processors regularly a couple of years later myself and quickly ingrained the one-space habit. But yes, I was originally taught two. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/32 "2010-09-23T03:49:31Z")
There’s a nice little reference book on how to make that leap from typing to typography that came out about 20 years ago. The title sums it up nicely: [The Mac is Not a Typewriter](http://www.amazon.com/Mac-not-typewriter-Robin-Williams/dp/0201782634) Buy it. Read it. Learn it. Love it. Maybe, just maybe, if you get this book, you’ll not only drop that vulgar habit of double-spacing between sentences, but you’ll develop a yearning to do some kerning, you won’t be so afraid of white space, and you’ll never leave a hanging orphan again. ---
**Author:** ![pyromyte](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d26b3c/32.png) [@pyromyte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pyromyte)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/33 "2010-09-23T03:52:04Z")
I was taught two in ‘keyboarding’ class (computer). At least it was a DOS program, so it was mono-spaced font. For engineering drawings at work, our drafting standard calls for ALL CAPS, mono-spaced font, with one space after each sentence. This broke me the two space habit. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/34 "2010-09-23T04:03:32Z")
[One previous thread on the topic](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=513861). [And another.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=532741) Including my post: > [@Double space after a period](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/double-space-after-a-period/510801/25): > > I feel pretty strongly about this issue. Relatively. When I became an editor of my academic journal, I wrote a four-page memo to the Editor in Chief, recommending we change from two spaces (“French spacing”) to one space (“standard spacing”). Everyone laughed at me, but we did make the switch. > > In a nutshell, the idea of double-spacing is left over from a generation of high school teachers who learned to type on manual typewriters. A manual typewriter, being monospaced, is just about the only place where double-spacing is appropriate. But since these people taught us to type on computers, they required us to use double-spacing in all typing, even with modern proportional fonts. Double-spacing increases the incidence of unsightly [rivers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_%28typography%29), and contrary to the perception of some, it actually decreases readability.[sup]1[/sup] Every major style guide eschews double-spacing, including GPO,[sup]2[/sup] APA,[sup]3[/sup] and _Chicago_.[sup]4[/sup] Unless you’re using courier new, just don’t do it. > > * * * > > [sup]1[/sup] _See_ Colin Wheildon, Communicating or Just Making Pretty Shapes - A Study of the Validity (or Otherwise) of Some Elements of Typographic Design (2005). > [sup]2[/sup] ¶ 2.49 > [sup]3[/sup] _Available at_ [noparse][http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/apa.html[/noparse]](http://nutsandbolts.washcoll.edu/apa.html%5B/noparse%5D). > [sup]4[/sup]§ 6.11 (“Space between sentences in typeset matter, one space, not two (in other words, a regular word space), follows any mark of punctuation that ends a sentence, whether a period, a colon, a question mark, an exclamation point, or closing quotation marks.”) ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/35 "2010-09-23T12:29:05Z")
One if it’s a proportional font. Two if monospaced. And, yes, I automatically switch without thinking about it. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/36 "2010-09-23T12:30:49Z")
> [@Electric\_Warrior](#): > > This is important to me because the second space can vastly change the meaning of a phrase. For instance, take the line from Arthur Conan Doyle: > > > [@](#): > > > > “Holmes!” I ejaculated. Oh, and the extra space does nothing to change the meaning in the example given. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/37 "2010-09-23T12:53:06Z")
Yet another person who was taught two spaces eons ago & still does it out of habit about half the time. When writing a real document I’ll try to remember to do a search & replace along with that final spell check. In an email not so much. I just counted and in this post I did the two spaces after both non-terminal sentences above. But you can’t see them because html doesn’t render that way. So Neener!!! ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/38 "2010-09-23T12:56:13Z")
I voted for two, because I think it makes documents easier to read whether the font is monospaced or proportional. For those ardent “one” fans, what is your objection to the double space? It surely can’t be that it makes a document a fraction of a percent longer? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/39 "2010-09-23T12:57:19Z")
> [@Student\_Driver](#): > > … I think it’s kind of similar to how I _still_ manually type “html://” in front of URLs, even though browsers automatically add it for you… I had to do it for years, so it just became ingrained habit. … I bet you get very few successful browsing sessions if that’s really your habit. Now typing “http://” in front \*might \*work OK. But that’s a different habit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703/40 "2010-09-23T13:04:50Z")
I’m two from pure habit, though it’s now an obsolescent rule I guess. I use _vi_ as my text editor; it provides double space after ‘.’ in response to its ‘J’ command, even when inappropriate, producing “Mr. Jones” for example. (I mean with two spaces between “Mr.” and “Jones”. For fun, I’ve actually put _six_ spaces there; I suppose it will display here as a single.) I write html documents by hand, where spacing is really annoying: I write "     " for a triple space. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-spaces-between-sentences/554703.md?page=3)