# Is there any way I can get Microsoft Word to insert two spaces after each period? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2006, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011 "2006-05-09T03:16:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/1 "2006-05-09T03:16:08Z")
Here’s the deal: I’ve been working on converting a story I’ve written into standard manuscript format. I’ve checked out multiple online guides (including **RealityChuck** ’s 🙂 ) and several say that editors prefer two spaces after each period. Now, I’ve been raised in the tradition of one space after each period. My manuscript, properly formatted except for said spacing issue, is 669 pages long. I’m willing to go through all that and add a space after every sentence if I have to (and colon, if the case may be) but I’m not looking forward to it. Is there a way I can get Microsoft Word to do this for me, or am I doomed? ---
**Author:** ![Rhubarb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/59ef9b/32.png) [@Rhubarb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhubarb)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/2 "2006-05-09T03:21:32Z")
You can do a replace (Edit -\>Replace) where the string ". " is replaced by ". " (period-space is replaced by period-space-space). The only fly in this ointment is if you already have period-double space in some places. They would then become period-triple space, although you could do a second replace for period-triple space to be replaced by period-double space. ---
**Author:** ![carterba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85e7bf/32.png) [@carterba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carterba)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/3 "2006-05-09T03:22:47Z")
Do you really want two spaces after every period? Do you have any "Mr."s or "Dr."s in there? Any abbreviations like “etc.”? Acronyms such as “C.H.A.O.S.”? If you don’t want double spaces after those, this may be a lot more work than you realize. You could try a Find/Replace from ". " (a period with a space after) to ". " (two spaces). But that will probably overspace. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/4 "2006-05-09T03:22:52Z")
Just use Edit/Replace and replace ". " with ". " without the quotes. Do the same for ? and ! if there are any. ---
**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/5 "2006-05-09T03:26:01Z")
> [@Cockatiel](#): > > Now, I’ve been raised in the tradition of one space after each period. Not that this has anything to do with anything but where is this? ---
**Author:** ![ScoobyTX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@ScoobyTX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ScoobyTX)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/6 "2006-05-09T03:39:56Z")
1. Replace all period+space+space with period+space. 2. Replace all period+space with period+space+space. That way you won’t triple space the ones that are already double spaced. ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/7 "2006-05-09T03:40:22Z")
> [@carterba](#): > > Do you really want two spaces after every period? Do you have any "Mr."s or "Dr."s in there? Any abbreviations like “etc.”? Acronyms such as “C.H.A.O.S.”? > > If you don’t want double spaces after those, this may be a lot more work than you realize. Dangit. Guess Word won’t differentiate, will it? :smack: > [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Not that this has anything to do with anything but where is this? It’s what I’ve always done and nobody’s ever corrected me for it. Is two spaces after the end of the sentence the standard? Because I honestly never knew. If it is, I really wish my English teachers said something. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/8 "2006-05-09T03:41:51Z")
I don’t know a single copyeditor who works electronically who doesn’t strip out extra spaces as part of his or her automated cleanup routine before editing. (They may be out there, but I haven’t met one yet.) Interpret that as you will. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/9 "2006-05-09T03:42:11Z")
It looks as though post #4 in [One or Two Spaces After a Full Stop?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=361726) might have the answer. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/10 "2006-05-09T03:47:55Z")
> [@jnglmassiv](#): > > Not that this has anything to do with anything but where is this? It has become increasingly more acceptable to use one space after a period ever since the implementation of proportional type fonts, especially when using justified text. In courier font, each letter takes up the same amount of room. Double spacing at the end of a sentence helps you see where a sentence ends. In fonts like Times New Roman, each letter only takes up as much space as it needs and is easier to read. Unfortunately, the only way to get Word to do what you want is through the Find and Replace Function. I do word processing in a law firm and have to do this quite often. As someone else said, search for period-space and replace with period-space-space. Then search for period-space-space-space and replace with period-space-space. If you know there are other abbreviations that use a period, you can search and replace them also, except you want to search for Mr.-space-space, for instance and replace it with Mr.-space. Even though your manuscript is 669 pages long, if it contains a lot of abbreviations or other terms containing periods and spaces, you might as well find and replace one period at a time as it will take you just as long to correct the misspacings that a global (replace all) change will cause. Find and replace is your friend if you use it properly 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/11 "2006-05-09T04:00:41Z")
> [@Thudlow Boink](#): > > It looks as though post #4 in [One or Two Spaces After a Full Stop?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=361726) might have the answer. I could try this, too. It’s a lot of clicking the “Change” button over and over again, but it looks like it’ll work. Thanks. And that’s a great thread. I’m using Courier, so now I understand why they want the extra space. ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/12 "2006-05-09T04:14:48Z")
Sorry for the double post, but I’ve got another question about spacing that my notes don’t address. If you have something like this: “ZOMG!” Bob exclaimed. or “Talk like a human being, man,” said Joe. Do you put two spaces between the outer quotation marks and the following word or do you keep it as one space? For the record, MS Word is marking only the quotations ending in periods, exclamation points, or question marks. No commas. ---
**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:** [May 9, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/13 "2006-05-09T05:19:18Z")
If you want, you can change the space thing in Tools–Autocorrect–exceptions (I think). I know you could in Word 97 and it looks like you can in Word 2000. Don’t know about Word 2003. But I wouldn’t bother. I am an editor, and all the editors I know want to see Courier and not a proportionally spaced font, for a variety of reasons. (Easy to misread words; if the copy is scanned, the scanner will misread, for example, “modern” as “modem”). Exception: If you are entering your work in a contest and the contest expressly requests two spaces after end-of-sentence punctuation. Otherwise, it doesn’t really read any differently with the extra spaces (nor will it greatly add or diminish the length of your work), and when the typesetter converts it, those spaces will have to be stripped out. As to your second question I would say: Same thing. Extra spaces are bad when text is converted into type. Don’t put in _any_ extra spaces. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/14 "2006-05-09T05:19:44Z")
When using proportional fonts, you should never put two spaces anywhere. ---
**Author:** ![KP](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KP)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/15 "2006-05-09T06:03:19Z")
My suggestion: 1. do a global search&replace of ". " with “|” (| is any symbol not used in the manuscript) 2. do a global search&replace of "| " with “|” (to deal with any existing second-spaces) 3. do a global search&replace of “|” with ". " (period plus two spaces) 4. do global search&replaces of (e.g.) "Mr. " (twospaces) with “Mr.” etc. You’ll still have to proofread, but the remainder will be minor errors and probably can be ignored ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/16 "2006-05-09T06:08:00Z")
My understanding from what I’ve been taught is that, at least in technical documents, the whole “two spaces” thing is totally out, looked upon as a throwback to typewriting. If fiction is anywhere near the same, I’d say don’t worry about the double spaces. ---
**Author:** ![Jake4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@Jake4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake4)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/17 "2006-05-09T13:44:25Z")
The whole “two spaces” thing is so totally out that in KP’s post his “two space” example only has one space! Damn you, SDMB! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/18 "2006-05-09T13:51:35Z")
The whole two spaces after a period rule is a relic from the days of typewriters. There is no reason at all to use it today on a computer-written manuscript. No editor will expect it or require it. It’s a dead issue. Do not go through the trouble to convert your manuscripts. [Professional writer adding his voice to the others.] ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/19 "2006-05-09T15:10:31Z")
Yet another professional writer saying that you don’t put two spaces after a period. Even in the typewriter days, typesetters only used one space. The _Chicago Manual of Style_ states clearly that there is only one space at the end of a sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011/20 "2006-05-09T16:16:46Z")
Gah. I learned to touchtype in the seventh grade, and we were taught to put two spaces after a period. Even in this post, knowing that the two-space rule is outmoded, I’m having to work at using only one space; it just comes naturally to me to use two, and my thumb does this double-tap without my giving it permission. I hate that rule. Daniel [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-i-can-get-microsoft-word-to-insert-two-spaces-after-each-period/356011.md?page=2)