Many words beginning with a prefix are written with a hyphen (
co-payment); many are not (
overproduction). Confusingly, there are also cases where both forms are considered acceptable (British:
pre-school / American:
preschool). As can be seen from this last example, the tendency in American English is to hyphenate less than in British English. In any event, if in doubt about whether a prefix should be followed by a hyphen, consult a reliable dictionary. However, the following observations generally hold.
Words beginning with a common prefix (such as
un-,
dis- or
re-) are often written without a hyphen.
 | Current levels of absenteeism in many subjects are unacceptably high. |
| Student representatives have disregarded criticism from the Rector, calling it uninformed and unfair. |
| This initiative reaffirms the strong ties between the two universities. |
Nevertheless, make sure to hyphenate when the prefix
re- precedes a word beginning with
e, such as
re-evaluate, or when the hyphen can help avoid confusion, such as
re-sent vs
resent or
re-sign vs
resign.
Hyphenate all words formed by a prefix and a word beginning with a capital letter.
| This movement is a pan-European response to failures in education. |
| The research confirms a growing anti-British sentiment in commercial relations. |
| The trans-Siberian railway attracts many students seeking adventure. |
But note that words like
transatlantic,
transpacific or
subarctic are normally written as single words with no capitalization.
