WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - Grammar Minute: How Many Spaces Belong After a Period?

Episode Date: March 20, 2025

Unless you're using a typewriter, the simple rule is usually better. Learn more on today's episode of Grammar Minute!

Welcome to the Grammar Minute, where we're saving the English language 60 seconds out of time. I'm Lauren Smith, and last week I got stuck in a traffic jam, which made me think of spaces between cars, which made me think of spaces between sentences. Don't come for me, I'm a grammar nerd. Anyway, since the invention of keyboards, grammarians have been arguing over whether it's appropriate to type two spaces after a period or only one. With typewriters, it was hard to tell where a new sentence began if you didn't hit the space bar twice. twice. Computers have eliminated that problem, and thus the rule has changed. You should always put one space after the period when typing on a computer. Never, too. And yes, before you tried to pat out your page count for a professor who's making you write some 30-page essay, Microsoft Word will rat

you out and mark the double spacing is wrong. The difference between double and single-spacing is also surprisingly obvious just by looking. That's your Grammar Minute. Visit thegrammerminant.com for more tips and tricks. Thank you.