Why You Should Never Double Space

[Jason Dunn]

I remember us discussing this issue years ago, and I thought this was a pretty cool video:

http://channel9.msdn.com/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=112

[marcm]

I always learned to use one space (I guess living in the Windows 3.x+ world as a kid helped) in school, since JK when you simply put a "pinky space :wink:" after a period. I always single space, it's just simpler. However, I can understand how people coming from an age of typewriters might double-space after a period.

[Jason Dunn]

I can understand how people coming from an age of typewriters might double-space after a period.

Yeah. But soon they'll all be dead.

:mrgreen:

BWAHAHAHAHAHAA!

[Islanti]

Double-spacing is still stylistically correct. If you learned to type in a classroom environment, they'll still teach you to do it. That's why I do it. Of course, I can type fast enough it's not an issue. :)

[allenalb]

hey, i doublespace after periods, and i'm only 34...

[Jon Westfall]

hey, i doublespace after periods, and i'm only 34...

I'm only 22 and learned to type doublespaced. It seems to have worn off when typing on web forums, but its still activated when typing a scholarly paper. Maybe we should do a poll to find the youngest doublespacer!

[SteveHoward999]

Double-spacing is still stylistically correct. If you learned to type in a classroom environment, they'll still teach you to do it. That's why I do it. Of course, I can type fast enough it's not an issue. :)

A recent discussion in a professional forum I monitor pointed out that it is stylistically correct to double-space for printed material, but not for screen-based content.

[Jason Dunn]

Double-spacing is still stylistically correct.

Um...did you watch the video? That guy is a professional typographer - he eats and breathes fonts. He invented ClearType...and he's saying no one should double space unless they're using a typewriter. Double spacing with computer-based fonts is not correct in any way, shape, or form. Anyone who's teaching that is simply incorrect.

[shawnc]

Well you have to admire his passion. He obviously feels very strongly about the use of double-space and underline text. As a person who is finishing up his graduate studies, I actually find this quite useful. Never really understood why one double-spaced after the end of a sentence anyhow. Just never really made sense to me.

[Kati Compton]

Hmmm. For non-storytelling, I actually find two spaces easier to read. Especially for longer paragraphs.

There was an example pointed out in the linked thread that I think highlights the case for 2 spaces pretty well: sentences ending with "Washington D.C." The particular example was "Washington D.C. Bush", which apart from context really does not indicate strongly that the sentence ends after the D.C.

The argument that two spaces "interrupts the flow" of the typography... Well, I think it does, but I'm of the opinion that that's a good thing, not a bad thing. It helps delineate the sentences. Maybe my opinion is influenced by the fact that I've read MANY poorly-written academic papers where run-on sentences are the norm. I need the visual break.

To be honest, though, the "space" question is less important to me than the paragraph question. I want short paragraphs. I want blank lines between. I find "no extra space between paragraphs but indentations" *acceptable*, but suboptimal. Unfortunately, though, there's a LOT of people that use LaTeX or Word improperly, and have neither a blank line nor an indentation to signal a paragraph change. Drives me NUTS.

[rocky_raher]

Of course, one of the best reasons for not double-spacing after a period is because the document file will take up an extra byte. The hard drive on the desktop I'm using now has only about 7.5 GB of free space left (out of 111 GB total), so I'll have to start conserving on space. If I'm typing a document that I'll be downloading to my PPC, I'll leave out the single space after a period; the 1 GB SD card is up to 95% capacacity, so I really can't waste bytes. WhenItReaches98%CapacityIllSwitchToWritingEverythingInHungarianNotation.

[Kevin Remhof]

I just can't go along with this. I learned to type on a typewriter with a moving roller (I'm 31, not quite a relic yet). I just can't break the habit. I guess it is time for me to learn to type one space and then put in an HTML non-breaking space. ;) It may be 7 keystrokes but it will be worth it. I also always put 3 spaces before a zip code when typing an address.

This guy definitely makes a strong argument though. I've never been much of a ClearType fan so that doesn't win me over.

[Jason Dunn]

A recent discussion in a professional forum I monitor pointed out that it is stylistically correct to double-space for printed material, but not for screen-based content.

Again, I have to disagree - everything I know about typography (which, granted, isn't a LOT) tells me that it has nothing to do with the medium (printed, online) and everything to do with the font. I just looked at some paperwork from my bank, and a few computer software manuals, and nothing is double-spaced. Hell, my book isn't double-spaced! :D

[Islanti]

A recent discussion in a professional forum I monitor pointed out that it is stylistically correct to double-space for printed material, but not for screen-based content.

Again, I have to disagree - everything I know about typography (which, granted, isn't a LOT) tells me that it has nothing to do with the medium (printed, online) and everything to do with the font. I just looked at some paperwork from my bank, and a few computer software manuals, and nothing is double-spaced. h-ll, my book isn't double-spaced! :D

The guy is a bit off kilter. My style guide, which existed before computers were more than vacuum tubes, shows double spaces are a MUST. So it was, at least in 1950, stylistically correct. :P What I want to know is the stylistic guidelines for emoticons. Do I put ":))" or ":) )"?

Anyway, so we can all just get along: for anyone who wants to be sure they put the correct number of spaces in, you can enable this as a grammar checking feature in Word 2003 (probably earlier versions too, but 2003's what I have to check against).Open Tools -> Options.
Select the Spelling & Grammar tab.
Under Grammar heading click the "Settings..." button.
After "Spaces required between sentences:" select the number you want.

[dean_shan]

I'm a two space man. I'm so used to it I just comes natural.

[Darius Wey]

Back in the day of the x86 computers when Windows and word processing applications were ancient, I double-spaced after full stops ritualistically. Now I never do it, since it seems as though the single space is the norm.

[JackTheTripper]

I think this guy is a raging lunatic! http://www.smcu.org/images/transparent.gif http://www.smcu.org/images/transparent.gif http://www.smcu.org/images/transparent.gif http://www.smcu.org/images/transparent.gif http://www.smcu.org/images/transparent.gif http://www.smcu.org/images/transparent.gif And I always quintuple space. :p

[surur]

Well, it appears I single space, accept when I use Word. I just discovered this in my grammar options. I promise I never touched this myself. Maybe its a regional setting? (I just noticed I double spaced all the sentences here. Wonder why .. :worried: )

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/4259/spelling.JPG

So that explains all those green squiggles at the end of the sentences :)

Surur

[Islanti]

Well, it appears I single space, accept when I use Word. I just discovered this in my grammar options. I promise I never touched this myself. Maybe its a regional setting? (I just noticed I double spaced all the sentences here. Wonder why .. :worried: )

http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/media/users/4259/spelling.JPG

So that explains all those green squiggles at the end of the sentences :)

Surur
Oh, that's the virus I wrote to convert everyone to double-spacing and drive certain people crazy. ;)

[Jeff Rutledge]

Now I know why you shouldn't double-space. I've always known it was just plain wrong, but never knew why! :)