When you hyphenate something, you join two words — or two beats of a long word — with a little dash called a hyphen. People do this so the pieces are read as one idea, as in well-known or twenty-one. You also hyphenate when a long word will not fit at the end of a line: you break it between beats and put a hyphen at the end of the first line.

When you hyphenate something當你hyphenate某樣東西時 you join two words你是把兩個字連起來 or two beats of a long word或一個長字的兩個音節部分 with a little dash called a hyphen用一個叫hyphen的小短線 People do this大家這麼做 so the pieces are read as one idea是為了讓這幾個部分被讀成同一個概念 as in well-known or twenty-one像well-known或twenty-one when a long word will not fit at the end of a line當一個長字在行尾放不下時 You also hyphenate你也會hyphenate you break it between beats把它從音節之間斷開 and put a hyphen at the end of the first line在第一行的結尾加上一個hyphen

Though actually, English speakers do not all agree which words need a hyphen. Older books hyphenate more; today many people write email, not e-mail. Teachers and editors still care, because the dash can change meaning: a man-eating shark is not a man eating shark.

Though actually不過其實 English speakers do not all agree which words need a hyphen說英文的人對哪些字需要hyphen並沒有共識 Older books hyphenate more比較舊的書會加更多hyphen today many people write email現在很多人寫email not e-mail不寫e-mail Teachers and editors still care老師和編輯還是很在意 because the dash can change meaning因為那條短線會改變意思 a man-eating shark man-eating shark（吃人鯊） is not a man eating shark不是a man eating shark（一個正在吃東西的男人）

The common use is the verb. You can also meet hyphenate as a noun for a word written with a hyphen, but that use is quieter and more for specialists.

The common use is the verb常見的用法是動詞 You can also meet hyphenate as a noun你也會遇到hyphenate當名詞用 for a word written with a hyphen指帶有hyphen寫法的字 but that use is quieter and more for specialists但這種用法比較少見，更偏專業