Rules for splitting words

[koster]

Where can I find the rules for where to split words, when text is printed in columns like in a newspaper, for example?

[SaxyJag]

I was always taught to break between syllables, eg. news-paper, print-ed etc. With word processors, of course you don't have to do it, because they do it for you if you want.

You shouldn't split words in legal documents, and neither should there be any blank space at the end of a line. When they used to be typed, you were supposed to type a row of em dashes to the end of the line if you couldn't fit the next word in. Nowadays, of course, you just set the wp to fully justified and you're away.

[sir.prize]

Here is a good explanation . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyphen

[Mr Songman]

And never hyphenate the word headache.....unless it's a splitting one!!!

[winterland]

Another convention: not to split in such a way that you would be led to mispronounce the first part by not seeing the second; eg col-umns not co-lumns; re-dress not red-ress.