First off, congratulations to my childhood hero Rickey Henderson for being elected into the baseball Hall of Fame!! Not only was Rickey an incredible hitter and base stealer, he also said things like “Rickey don’t like it when Rickey can’t find Rickey’s limo” (no seriously, that’s an actual quote), making him spectacularly entertaining off the field as well. Rickey might just be the first baseball player ever to give his entire acceptance speech in the third person.
Now then.
I’d like to issue a parental advisory right now. Because of the impassioned feelings on both sides of this issue, this debate could get ugly.
Let’s get this one settled once and for all.
(Deep breath)
One space or two after a period?
Bracing….
(Thanks to lotusgirl for the idea.)
Elyssa Papa says
I was taught two spaces in school and college, too. But that’s changed since I’ve learned it’s one spaces, even though it seems like this varies amongst different publishers.
So maybe . . . it depends???
Kate H says
This isn’t really an issue for debate. Use of two spaces belongs to the typewriter era. Computers do automatic “kerning,” which means they give you a little extra space after a period so the following capital doesn’t look too close. It’s unnecessary to use double spaces, and it drives copyeditors and typographers nuts! Please, people, don’t do it!
Tom Burchfield says
As a professional freelance proofreader and editor, I had one space thoroughly beaten into my head by my mentors, period.
I posted a remembrance of Donald Westlake over at the Red Room at
https://www.redroom.com/articlestory/whatever-mask-he-wore-donald-westlake-1933-2008,
if you’re at all interested. I’m not essay-ing on blogspot anymore, BTW.
Snarky Writer says
I find it easier to separate sentences when there’s an extra space between them.
Jade says
Wow. What an amazingly impassioning subject!
The answer is, of course, ONE. I’m a magazine editor. Copy with double spaces after full stops simply means we have to spend an extra twenty minutes editing the damn thing. Searching for double spaces doesn’t always work, because some (clearly deranged) people put in three spaces occasionally – just to be safe, perhaps? To still the voices in their head that warn them not to put the sentences too close together or fires will break out?
Aaargh. One, please. Just one!
AC says
Everyone else has probably already said it, but ONE SPACE for the love. This isn’t the 80s. Two spaces are not necessary.
I edit for a magazine and if my freelancers would learn this simple *new* rule it would save me TONS of time backspacing the crap out of their stories.
Laura D says
To all the tree huggers out there. Two spaces makes minimal damage compared to useless filler. Editors gotta get rid of that too!
Anonymous says
As a magazine editor, I don’t have page space for your extra breathing room…it has to be one for formatting in articles. For books, go with what they tell you they want, but one space won’t get kicked back to you for re-formatting, two spaces might
Stacey says
I am used to two spaces, because that is how I learned to type. I think if I tried to type with just one, it would take longer than going back through and deleting them later!
Stacey says
Oh and RW…I don’t think it is just the “senior”s that learned the double space…I am only 25 and I learned it all the way through high school in my keyboarding class.
Ashley says
Okay. If it is ONE space these days, someone needs to send a memo to every teacher in the country! I just graduated from college in May of 2007 and was never at anytime in my academic career told that I should be using two spaces instead of one. And I wrote a LOT of papers.
I have no problem making the switch if that is what is required. I just wish I wouldn’t have [recently] been taught to do it another way. It gets stuck in your head and I do so much typing that those two spaces are just second nature to me. And now that I’m so used to them, they just look better, too.
Summer says
Two! I had two English teachers, one in elementary school and one in high school, who were very emphatic about there being two spaces after a period, not one. When I got to college I was informed that two-spacing was outdated and basically made me look like a dumb hick. (Who knew punctuation could make you look uncool?) I tried for an entire school year to break the habit and switch to using only one space after each period.
When I finally managed to break the habit… I found that I hated it. It is much easier (for me, at least) to read and process text where there’s a little extra space at the end of each sentence. It looks like a tiny difference, but it makes a world of difference in reducing mental fatigue when I read, as I wind up having to reread sections far, far less often.
I’m a two-spacer, and proud of it! 🙂
(In the interest of full disclosure, I do often use a typewriter when I write. But I didn’t while I was in school, so it doesn’t really have a bearing on my single/double spacing after periods.)
Juliana Stone says
My fingers have been trained to type two spaces after a period. I didn’t realize it was an issue either until one of my crit partners noticed, however, neither my agent nor my editor said anything about it. I guess until I’m told not too…I will continue with two spaces. Then I’ll curse the whole retraining angle.
Marilyn Peake says
I know that work submitted electronically is now supposed to have only one space after a period. It’s so ingrained in me to have two spaces after a period, I found myself alternating between one and two spaces when I tried to retrain myself while writing fiction manuscripts, so I just went back to two. Interestingly, I was taught to use only one space after a colon, and recently found grammar/style guidelines stating that two spaces are required after a colon! Cormac McCarthy is one of my favorite writers, and he decided to leave out apostrophes in words that sound the same with or without them such as “don’t”/”dont”, and he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In case this is supposed to be an argument, I will sum up by saying: So there! 🙂
Summer says
I should also add – I do usually edit out the extra spaces before I submit something for publication.
The rest of the world, though, simply has to deal with my extra-space-taking-up-ness. 🙂
L.C. Gant says
I use two spaces out of habit because that’s how I was taught, but I absolutely hate the concept. One makes so much more sense to me, and eventually I’m sure I’ll switch, but for now…two it is. As they say, old habits die hard.
Don says
OK, this is one that I can speak authoritatively on. Two spaces after a period is actually a remnant of 19th century typesetting (not typewriting). Compositors were paid by the line, so not surprisingly, they began engaging in various tricks to increase their line count. Spaces increased from 1/5 em to 1/4 em to 1/3 em or more, and an extra space was inserted after each sentence. If you pick up a book typeset in the 19th century, it’s painfully spaced. In the 1920s tighter spacing became more fashionable and became mainstream after world war two courtesy of the advocacy of Jan Tschichold (who redesigned the Penguin Paperbacks) and a generation of typographers trained in the wake of the return to quality in the 20s.
But typewriter standards, which were established during the dark ages of typography were never brought up to date. All sorts of post hoc explanations were created (legibility, monospaced fonts, etc) to defend the practice, but the truth remains that it was a consequence of the typewriter coming into existence in the late 19th century.`
Anonymous says
Wow! I am amazed that so far the results are favoring one space. I thought everyone used two spaces. Regardless, it’s too late for me to change that. As an English major, I used two spaces. In law school, I used two spaces. As a lawyer, I use two spaces (though I may ask my secretary what she uses; now I’m curious). And as a writer: two spaces.
It also surprises me that people say it’s “old fashioned” to use two spaces. I’m only 27! I didn’t realize I was already old enough to be old-school. Damn.
JLR says
I’ve heard the two spaces after a period was antiquated, typewriter practice. But I graduated in 2000, we did have computers, and we were still taught the two space rule then. In college, I was still taught it. I guess it depends on where you live and whom teaches you. It would halve my speed to try to make myself not do two spaces, such an automatic gesture it’s become to me, so I don’t know if I want to learn a new method. But with word processors these days, it is easy to do a search and replace to get two spaces down to one (did it once for a submission). Not so sure about vice versa.
Jodi
Iain H. McLean says
Firstly let tell you I’m British, living in California and freshly into my thirties.
I was told at school to have only one space after a full stop (period). Now I use MS word for some of my writing and it automatically defaults to two spaces. I’ve noticed this in some American publications so I just left it in there.
To me two spaces is like the cadence in music. It lets the reader/listener know that with in no uncertain terms the sentence is coming to and end and we’re about to begin another. A useful device if you ask me.
Scott says
Dang, who knew the one space, two space quesiton would generate so many comments. I still use two spaces. Until today, I didn’t realize there was a big debate going on. I obviously need to get out more often.
I’m comfortable with the two space rule. I’m afraid if I try and change now, my manuscripts will be series of two spaces, one space, one space, two spaces, one space, two spaces . . . well, you see my point.
Kathleen says
I do two. I love two. I think two is better. My fingers type two without even thinking.
But I’m trying to change my habit since it seems that almost everyone (including my dream publisher) does one. ::sigh::
I suspect it has something to do with the fact that many online things won’t even accept two spaces and will winnow it down to one, no matter what you do.
Arianna says
“Unless your childhood hero was Babe Ruth, you should use one space after a period.”
That cracks me up. I couldn’t even tell you who Babe Ruth played for. I’m 21 and use two spaces. Perhaps the real question is how old our English teachers have been.
And to all of you who say you can’t understand how anyone can waste so much time adding in a pointless space, I am throughly confused. Do you even think about it? I just write. I don’t consciously think about how many spaces I’m using…
Heidi C. Vlach says
I plead the fifth. One versus two spaces is one of those things where no matter how I do it, someone always claims I need to go reread Strunk and White until I stop failing so hard.
Anonymous says
I learned two spaces in high school typing. I’ve since unlearned it and my productivity has soared! Just think of all the time you save not adding that extra space.
Carradee says
The biggest issue for me is consistency in something, but I definitely prefer the 2. It’s easier to read.
Jenn says
ONE!
As a formal editorial wonk who had to go through manuscripts chapter by chapter to search and replace period-space-space with period-space, I beg you, please don’t make your poor, hardworking editorial assistant do that chore.
annathepiper says
I was originally taught two spaces–until I started writing on the computer and one space became acceptable. Now I default to one space. But hey, if an agent or editor says to me that they’d really prefer two spaces, it’s not a big deal to me. That’s what global search and replace is for.
Seriously, what irritates me way more is abuse of apostrophes. Don’t get me started on “your” vs. “you’re” and “it’s” vs. “its”. 😉
Nocturnal Intellect says
Wow, I am the one that is always different, but we only have two choices here, so I have to do it: NO SPACES AT ALL! *wink*
Katie Darby says
I briefly worked for a magazine whose style guide omitted the penultimate comma to “save print space,” yet they used two spaces after the period. This has burned an irrational (but no less fiery!) hatred of the double-spacing after a period.
Just one space! From a copyeditor.
Karen says
I’m eighteen, barely know what a typewriter is, learned to type when I was ten, and I’ve always used two spaces. My parents are published authors and use two spaces as well. That’s the way I was taught, and, as far as I know, the way it is still taught.
Heather Harper says
I was taught two after in a manuscript and one after in a query/synopsis.
Lady Glamis says
I believe Natalie:
https://betweenfactandfiction.blogspot.com/2008/12/why-you-dont-need-two-spaces.html
was the one who started this whole thing…. I haven’t read through the comments to see if this was already brought up.
But then I did a post on my own blog about this.
And then apparently Lotus has mentioned it, too. Wow! What a snowball.
Well, here’s my take on my blog:
https://theinnocentflower.blogspot.com/2009/01/sounds-of-silence-almost.html
And here it is from THE BIBLE FOR EDITORS:
https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/OneSpaceorTwo/OneSpaceorTwo03.html
I get really passionate about this kind of stuff. My minor was technical writing, and we would have wars about this in college.
other lisa says
There’s a controversy about this? It’s not two?
Ashley says
Wow. We are a really opinionated group when it comes to spaces!!
I tried to check back in on this blog twice over the last 10 minutes and both times I got an error saying there was too much traffic on the site.
Too funny!
Misssy M says
There should even be a debate. It’s one space after a comma and two spaces after a full-stop. I beleive that to be international law.
Sorry, I don’t do “periods”- that’s something else entirely.
Professor Tarr says
Just wait til we degenerate into Boxers/Briefs; Ginger/MaryAnn!
Michael says
I was taught two spaces. It became a habit and it’s not important enough to me to retrain myself to only hit the space bar once after a period.
Misssy M says
You also spell believe with “ie”. The fact that I didn’t lends incredibility to my spaces assertion…but don’t let that dissuade you.
Anonymous says
I bet two spaces doesn’t mean crap when an agent is looking for a good story. I doubt, we’ll ever hear, “WOW, that was a good story, but I can’t take on an author who spaces twice after the end of a sentence.” HAHAHA, yea right!
Cyndi says
I took graphic design and pre-press technology in college. In my typography class we were taught when typesetting a ms to Find & Replace every instance of double spaces with single. Can you imagine having to do this to a 100k word ms? Have some sympathy for the poor copyeditor and use one space.
Carley says
I was taught two spaces, but then this was on a typewriter. I never use two now though, it just looks wierd to me. So I voted two because that’s what I was taught, not what I actually do! 🙂
Nikki Hootman says
ONE SPACE ONLY!
Two spaces is an obsolete holdover from the manual typewriter days. That we’re even discussing this is just another example of how far the publishing industry lags behind the times.
Kristin Laughtin says
Two. I’ve noticed some comments about that habit being an old-fashioned remnant from the days of typewriters, but I’m 25 and that’s the way I’ve learned it from kindergarten. Two spaces also gives me an advantage if I need to send a manuscript to someone who absolutely requires one space after a period*: I can find and replace all those instances down to one space. Doing it the other way around would be much more difficult.
*(Note: I do not know if such people actually exist, but thier hypothetical existence works for my argument.)
Kait Nolan says
I realize that the two space thing is a remnant from typewriters, and it is what I was taught in keyboarding in the 7th grade (approximately 16 years ago). I personally find having two spaces after a period easier on the eyes as I read. I can more easily see the end of one sentence and the beginning of another. Frankly, I think publishing has more important things to worry about–like the quality and content of the work.
Furious D says
I was taught 2 spaces, and that’s what I’m gonna do til the day I die, dagnabbit!
Lisa says
Oprah can’t believe she’s still talking about weight and I can’t believe anybody’s still talking about this.
Yeah, yeah all of us (including me) who used a typewriter were taught two spaces after a period.
We don’t use typewriters anymore. Let’s get over it. Insistence on two spaces after a period says something about a person, and I’m pretty sure it isn’t necessarily good.
Grace Peterson says
I was taught the two space rule back in the dark ages–high school. When I began writing my column 2003, my editor informed me that I needed to use one space. So I think it’s something that is changing with the times.
Annie says
Three.
Lisa Dez says
I’m wearing out my keyboard fast enough already. If I hit the spacebar twice after every period there’d be a hole in it by now.