Make targeted use of manual hyphenation to make your texts even easier to read

Word's manual hyphenation lets you control where words break. Activate it via Layout > Hyphenation > Manual. Word suggests hyphenation points, and you can accept, reject, or choose your own. This ensures better typography and avoids awkward breaks. Confirm each choice, and Word applies it instantly.

2 Min. reading time

15 January 2026

Make targeted use of manual hyphenation to make your texts even easier to read

Lydia R. asks:
On the whole, I am very happy with Word’s hyphenation. However, every now and then I disagree with Word. Is there somewhere I can set the point at which a word is hyphenated?

Saskia Gießen answers:
Dear Ms. R., yes, you can activate manual hyphenation. Word then suggests each hyphenation in a window and you decide where the word should be hyphenated with a mouse click.