Hyphen Sparks Style Debate

An AP Stylebook tweet called it the “hyphen drop heard round the style world.”

Earlier this month, the Associated Press changed its longtime style standard for email. It was first announced with this tweet:

Language evolves. Today we change AP style from e-mail to email, no hyphen.

Word nerds immediately voiced their opinion on the change. Mashable called the hyphen “a relic of a simpler time when Internet technology needed to be explained very carefully.” Grammar Girl did additional reporting. One of the best takes appeared on the Business Writing blog, which summarized the stances of the major style guides. 

Regardless of your hyphen views, the change is a great excuse to dust off your organization’s style guide (if you have one) and review the entries.

If you struggle with other technology-related terms, the AP has reiterated several of its style stances through recent tweets and the “Ask the Editor” page:

Regardless of whether you always defer to AP style, or create a blend of your own, it’s important to build consistency within your organization – and revisit your guide frequently to keep it relevant.