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To hyphenate or not?

Do you ever get stuck staring at a word, wondering if you should hyphenate it? My most common Google search is inquiring about if a word is hyphenated or not.

Coworker or co-worker?

Answer: both versions are acceptable! However, if you have to adhere to a style guide, you will want to reference that. The AP Stylebook requires a hyphen, but the Chicago Manual of Style does not.

Reopening or re-opening?

No hyphen! If a store is reopening, you don’t need to add a hyphen.

Check in or Check-in?

It depends on how you are using it! If you use “check in” as a verb, there is no hyphen. I need to check in at the front desk.

However, if you use it as a noun or adjective modifying another word, you would hyphenate it. I’ll leave my suitcase at the check-in desk before I meet you at the restaurant.

One last one…

Runner-up or runner up?

The hyphenated version is the correct one: runner-up. But, this word is tricky when you make it plural! The correct plural form is runners-up! I KNOW! But, this is a situation where I say use your best judgment. Who cares if you use the correct plural form if everyone else thinks you are wrong? The important part is to communicate your message.

There are many rules when it comes to hyphenation. If in doubt, reference a dictionary and Google it.

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liable vs. libel

She was ____ for the damages to the car. Is it liable or libel?

If you guessed liable, you are correct! Liable can mean legally responsible for something, likely affected by something, or likely to do something.

She was liable for the damages to the car.

The word libel is both a noun and a verb. The noun refers to publishing an incorrect statement that results in people having a bad opinion of someone.

Because of the false story, the newspaper was found guilty of libel.

The verb’s meaning is nearly identical - it means to write or publish a false statement that results in people having a bad opinion of someone.

Do you ever get these two words confused?

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A MUCH-NEEDED LAUGH!

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INSPIRATION

After losing her job in the dot com bust, Candace Nelson decided to embrace her love for baking and go to pastry school. After graduating, she dabbled in special occasion cakes, hoping friends and small orders would sustain her.

But, in 2005, she opened a cupcake shop in a small, 600-square-foot location. Her store, Sprinkles, opened in Los Angeles, and it was the world’s first cupcake bakery.

On opening day, they sold out of cupcakes in three hours and sold more than 2,000 cupcakes in its first week! It is credited with being one of the first companies to launch the cupcake craze.

Today, Sprinkles has 40 locations nationwide and has sold over 75 million cupcakes.

🧁🧁🧁

Sometimes, when monumental changes happen, we can’t foresee the good that may come from them. Candace had no idea that losing her job would lead to launching an incredibly successful company!

May we all discover the silver lining in some of our biggest obstacles or changes.

Thank you SO much for reading my newsletter —see you in two weeks!