How many spaces do you put after a period (full stop)?

[Shaun.P]

Hello all,

I remember being around 12 (in 1999) when my computing teacher (who would have been in her mid-thirties) emphasised that there should be two spaces after a full-stop.

It recently came to my attention that this is considered old fashioned and that the majority of people use one space.

I now find the habit almost impossible to break. I also think two spaces after the full stop looks better.

How many spaces do you use? When were you taught this?

 

[heehee]

I always thought the two spaces are for typewriters.

 

[brad.c]

There is only one space after the periods in your post. The internet has spoken.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I always put two spaces after a full stop.

This is what I was taught when I did a typing course, years ago, and it was also the standard when I worked as an editor, or have written anything for publication. Indeed, for any sort of writing (except texting where I'll use one), I use two spaces after a full stop.

Among other things, it makes for easier legibility, something that I value more and more as I get older.

 

[mscriv]

Two spaces is how I was taught and what I prefer. Although, the habit has changed a bit and often I find that when typing I may only use one.

 

[chown33]

I habitually use 2, but real-world ends up somewhere between 1 and 4. I don't worry about it too much. I just use search-and-replace if I need to normalize them. Making stylistic changes like that is why we use computers.

 

[costabunny]

looks like I am also old school and use two. I had this discussion with mum the other day and she says that nowadays they teach people to put only one.

I find text easier to read with two spaces after a full stop.

 

[whosnut]

I always thought the two spaces are for typewriters.

What's a "typewriter"? Actually, I think my mom still has hers.

I've always used one space after the period.

 

[Nermal]

I use one. I vaguely recall being taught to use two at school but I'd already been typing for years at that point so it didn't really sink in. After reading the article linked below, I think that's for the best!

I habitually use 2, but real-world ends up somewhere between 1 and 4.

I also learned to write single-digit numbers in full unless they're part of a list, i.e. "one" and "two", not "1" and "2".

 

[Jaffa Cake]

One space and one space only — two spaces is a hangover from the days of monospaced typewriters, an aid to legibility that isn't needed with proper fonts.

Whenever I get copy in from clients, one thing I invariably have to do is remove all the double (or more) spaces from it. I know who you are.

 

[GoCubsGo]

I habitually use 2, but real-world ends up somewhere between 1 and 4. I don't worry about it too much. I just use search-and-replace if I need to normalize them. Making stylistic changes like that is why we use computers.

4? Dude where?
I believe it is now one space, generally speaking, but people are still using two spaces a lot. I know I do as a habit that I am having a hard time breaking. No one cares that I do, but I have tried.

I recalled a recent article or childish rant about the subject. You can find it here.

 

[jf1450]

What Jaffa said. Used to be 2 but my wife who is a writer for a living said the world changed to 1 while I was sleeping.

 

[costabunny]

What Jaffa said. Used to be 2 but my wife who is a writer for a living said the world changed to 1 while I was sleeping.

oops having read jessicas link and all these consensus's - I think I have a bunch of people to apologise to (I've always preached its 'THE WAY') -

 

[MacNut]

2 out of habit altho the internet seems to format it too one. I think 2 is easier to read.

 

[Tomorrow]

One space and one space only — two spaces is a hangover from the days of monospaced typewriters, an aid to legibility that isn't needed with proper fonts.

Oh, if only all fonts were proper...*sigh*...but they aren't. In almost every case, two spaces look better to my eyes than one. But I have been typing for thirty-plus years, and have always done so with two spaces after a period.

 

[ucfgrad93]

I always put two spaces after a full stop.

This is what I was taught when I did a typing course, years ago...

I also was taught to put 2 spaces after a period. And I continue to do it, even when it doesn't show up. Like in this forum.

 

[maflynn]

Two spaces for me, as that was how I was taught in school.

 

[Squilly]

Two spaces. Separates words from a sentence. One space between words, two spaces between sentences. Got it?

 

[costabunny]

oops having read jessicas link and all these consensus's - I think I have a bunch of people to apologise to (I've always preached its 'THE WAY') -

..but just to clarify my position: I will continue to use two spaces as it's easier for me to read (and makes full stops stand out from comma's for those of us with less than perfect eyesight).

 

[snberk103]

I use two spaces, as I was taught, except when I remember to use 1 which is the modern way of doing things.

 

[rhett7660]

I too was taught the two spaces after a hard stop. However after reading this and seeing a lot of people now using the one space, I only do one space now.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2011/01/space_invaders.html

The problem with typewriters was that they used monospaced type—that is, every character occupied an equal amount of horizontal space. This bucked a long tradition of proportional typesetting, in which skinny characters (like I or 1) were given less space than fat ones (like W or M). Monospaced type gives you text that looks "loose" and uneven; there's a lot of white space between characters and words, so it's more difficult to spot the spaces between sentences immediately. Hence the adoption of the two-space rule—on a typewriter, an extra space after a sentence makes text easier to read.

 

[Nermal]

Two spaces. Separates words from a sentence.

Is that in case the full stop and following capital letter aren't obvious enough?

 

[0dev]

One. Else it's just untidy.

 

[Squilly]

Is that in case the full stop and following capital letter aren't obvious enough?

Yep. That's like saying "Mr. Lucas" is a sentence in itself (mind the verb)

 

[wordoflife]

One space.

Was never told to space it twice. But then again, I never really took a computer course.