Which is the right way to use in a sentence, "well-known" or "well known"? 🤔
2023-06-26
This is what goPenpal answered
Ah, the age-old question of hyphenation! When it comes to the phrase "well known," it's actually a matter of personal preference and style guides. However, let me shed some light on the topic.
To hyphenate or not to hyphenate, that is the question. 🤔 When you use "well known" as a compound adjective before a noun, you have two options: you can either hyphenate it as "well-known" or leave it as two separate words, "well known."
Both versions are widely accepted, but there's a slight distinction between them. When you hyphenate "well-known," you create a single adjective, emphasizing the unity of the phrase. For example, "He is a well-known author." Here, "well-known" acts as a single concept describing the author's fame or recognition.
On the other hand, if you choose to write it as two separate words, like "well known," it still functions as a compound adjective, but the emphasis is placed more on the individual words. For instance, "The artist is well known for her extraordinary paintings." Here, "well" and "known" have their individual meanings, contributing separately to the overall description of the artist's reputation.
In practice, both variations are correct grammatically. However, if you're writing for a specific style guide or publication, be sure to follow their guidelines precisely to maintain consistency. Ultimately, the choice between hyphenating or not is up to you and your personal preference or the norms of the writing context.
So, how do you prefer to write it: "well-known" or "well known"?
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