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What is a Bad Line Break?

Published in Typography 3 mins read

A bad line break occurs when a word is inappropriately split at the end of a line, disrupting readability and the visual flow of text.

Understanding Bad Line Breaks

This type of break happens when a word is divided in a place where it should not be, contrary to standard hyphenation rules or the natural phonetic structure of the word. Such errors force a reader to momentarily pause or re-read, which detracts from smooth comprehension.

For instance, splitting catchphrase as catchph-rase or modernity as mode-rnity are prime examples of bad breaks, as they break the word in an illogical or awkward place.

Here are some common examples of bad line breaks:

Word Bad Break Example
catchphrase catchph-rase
modernity mode-rnity
education educa-tion
together toge-ther

Impact of Poor Line Breaks

In addition to hindering understanding, bad line breaks have several negative consequences on the overall presentation of text:

  • Reduced Readability: The primary issue is the disruption of the reader's eye movement and cognitive flow, making the text harder to scan and process efficiently.
  • Poor Aesthetics: Visually, text riddled with bad breaks can appear unprofessional and unpolished. It often creates distracting "rivers" of white space—vertical channels of empty space that run through paragraphs, especially in justified text.
  • Perceived Lack of Professionalism: In formal documents, publications, or professional communications, consistent bad line breaks can signal a lack of attention to detail and undermine the credibility of the content.

Avoiding Bad Line Breaks

Preventing bad line breaks is crucial for maintaining a professional and legible document. Here are practical insights and solutions:

  • Adhere to Syllabification Rules: Break words between syllables according to established linguistic rules. English hyphenation is complex, but general rules suggest breaking between pronounced sound units.
  • Avoid Awkward Splits:
    • Never leave a single letter or just two letters at the end or beginning of a line (e.g., avoid a-gain, on-ly).
    • Do not break words that are already very short (e.g., also, many).
    • Avoid breaking proper nouns, dates, or numbers whenever possible.
  • Maintain Visual Balance: Strive for consistent line lengths and even gray areas in text blocks. This often involves adjusting hyphenation and justification settings.
  • Utilize Advanced Software Features: Modern word processors and design software (like Adobe InDesign or Microsoft Word) offer sophisticated hyphenation and justification algorithms. Ensure these features are enabled and configured correctly.
  • Manual Review and Adjustment: For critical or highly visible texts, a manual review of line breaks is essential. You may need to manually insert hyphens (soft hyphens, specifically) or adjust word spacing to improve the flow.
  • Understand Hyphenation Logic: Familiarize yourself with basic hyphenation principles to make informed decisions when overriding automatic settings. For more information on good typography practices, consult resources on typesetting and design principles.