# No spacing after punctuation? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099 "2005-04-06T21:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/1 "2005-04-06T21:28:02Z")
I’ve noticed here and on myspace and assorted other places in my day to day life that some people never seem to hit the space bar after a period or comma. Is there some format where that is acceptable, such as coding or something? If you notice this, could it be indicative of some activity that the person does? Or is it just that they get so excited about typing the next sentence that they can’t be bothered to waste time with spaces? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/2 "2005-04-06T21:43:47Z")
I usually double space after the .!? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/3 "2005-04-06T21:49:22Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > I usually double space after the .!? Me too. I think the reasons for MySpace and things like that is that most people on there are slightly smarter than dirt, but less interesting. (Hey, I’m on there, I know.) ---
**Author:** ![seosamh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@seosamh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seosamh)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/4 "2005-04-06T23:05:24Z")
Complete and utter laziness is one likely cause. Another is not having had proper punctuation belted into them as a child by a nun, as happened to me… When I worked at the Office of the Rail Regulator, we had an incredibly pedantic boss (i.e. the Regulator himself) from Dundee who issued a directive that 2 spaces MUST ALWAYS be put after a full stop (“period”). A complete twat, but at least his heart was in the right place. ---
**Author:** ![laurelann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5daacb/32.png) [@laurelann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laurelann)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/5 "2005-04-06T23:41:22Z")
2 spaces after .!?: 1 space after ,; ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/6 "2005-04-07T00:03:13Z")
We’ve had a few posters recently that had this spacing issue. As far as I know, they’ve all been banned as being either jerks or socks. ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/7 "2005-04-07T01:11:03Z")
> [@laurelann](#): > > 2 spaces after .!?: > 1 space after ,; That’s outdated. That was true with fixed width fonts (like on typewriters) but now the general rule is one space after a period. In typing class I was taught to use two spaces, but then a year later I got chewed out by my English teacher for doing that :mad: . Note: While typing on html websites, including this board, you can add two spaces if you want but it will only show up as one space when it’s posted. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/8 "2005-04-07T01:37:53Z")
> [@aeropl](#): > > That’s outdated. That was true with fixed width fonts (like on typewriters) but now the general rule is one space after a period. In typing class I was taught to use two spaces, but then a year later I got chewed out by my English teacher for doing that :mad: . > > Note: While typing on html websites, including this board, you can add two spaces if you want but it will only show up as one space when it’s posted. Really? I never noticed that. I myself am an adherent to aeropl’s system. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/9 "2005-04-07T01:39:06Z")
and by **aeropl** I of course mean **laurelann**. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/10 "2005-04-07T02:41:43Z")
Even though it’s outdated, I still prefer the look of two spaces after a period. When all we had were fixed width fonts, the two spaces were necessary for the brain to recognize that there was a break. Now that we have proportional spacing, the Powers That Be[sup]TM[/sup] have decided that our brains no longer need the extra cue. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/11 "2005-04-07T07:01:00Z")
I always space after all punctuation. If you dont, it looks bad. Two spaces makes me think that the person was trying everything in their power to fill up space on a paper (same as using Arial 12pt font vs. Times New Roman 12pt). ---
**Author:** ![Terrorcotta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@Terrorcotta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terrorcotta)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/12 "2005-04-07T14:12:02Z")
From a strictly typographical standpoint there is no space before a punctutation and only one after. I’ve had to break a lot of writers from doing this. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/13 "2005-04-07T15:10:46Z")
I have never heard of no spaces after punctuation except for people who just don’t care. See my spaces? Speaking of which, there are a hell of a lot of question marks in the OP. It’s making me dizzy, feeling like we’re on a permanent question. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/14 "2005-04-07T19:58:18Z")
> [@Terrorcotta](#): > > From a strictly typographical standpoint there is no space before a punctutation Except, of course, for ( [ and opening ’ or ". ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/15 "2005-04-07T20:15:45Z")
I never use double spacing after punctuation. I don’t think that any professional journals or even publishers in my field require it, and it’s certainly never been required in college or at grad school. Also, i’m not the world’s fastest typist, so every saved keystroke is gold. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-spacing-after-punctuation/298099/16 "2005-04-07T20:35:35Z")
No spaces after punctuation,like this?It doesn’t make sense to me.It screws up the line breaks,doesn’t it?