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Microsoft Has Ruled – No More Double Spaces Following Punctuation

April 27, 2020

It's been a long-standing argument over the past several decades. Should there be two spaces following punctuation or just one? When I took a typing class in high school, it was always two spaces following punctuation. As computers and word processors took the place of typewriters, a single space following punctuation became more appropriate. The primary reason is that typewriters use a fixed font whereas word processors typically use a proportional font. While the world changed, the debate about single or double spaces continued.

The Verge reported that Microsoft has now placed its weight behind the space debate. Word will now flag a double space following punctuation as an error. It's about time. One of the first things I do when reviewing someone's report or article is to replace all of the double spaces with a single one. For those of you that still insist on using the old typewriter mentality, Lifehack has instructions on how to configure Word so it won't show errors for double spaces. From my foxhole, long live proportional fonts.

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