Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. If you are using an earlier version (Word 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Word, click here: Jumping to the End of a Word.

Jumping to the End of a Word

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated June 30, 2026)

3

Lori wonders if there is a keyboard shortcut to jump to the end of a word. She knows that Ctrl+Right Arrow jumps to the beginning of the next word, but she'd like to jump to the end of the next word, prior to any punctuation or spaces.

There is no built-in shortcut to do this. The only way it can be done is with a macro that could then be assigned to a shortcut key. You might think that you could simply record a macro that would move to the beginning of the next word (by pressing Ctrl+Right Arrow) and then back up one character (by pressing Left Arrow). This won't work, however, because the Ctrl+Right Arrow actually moves to the beginning of the next word or to the left of the next punctuation mark, whichever comes first. Thus, if the shortcut key moved to the left of a period (for example) at the end of a sentence, then moving one character to the left would put you within the word instead of at the end of the word.

So, your macro needs to actually evaluate what is to the left of the insertion point after using the Ctrl+Right Arrow. The following does just that:

Sub MoveToEndOfWord1()
    Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1
    Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1

    If Selection.Text <> " " Then
        Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
    End If
End Sub

The only caveat for the macro is that you need to run it from within a word. If you are already at the end of a word, it does absolutely nothing. If you want a macro that will work from the end of a word, as well, then you need to modify it a bit:

Sub MoveToEndOfWord2()
    If Selection.Text = " " Then
        Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1
    End If

    Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1
    Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1

    If Selection.Text <> " " Then
        Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
    End If
End Sub

Note:

If you would like to know how to use the macros described on this page (or on any other page on the WordTips sites), I've prepared a special page that includes helpful information. Click here to open that special page in a new browser tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (8336) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Jumping to the End of a Word.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Inserting a Document's Path

You can use the FILENAME field to insert a document's filename and, optionally, the path to that filename. However, if ...

Discover More

When to Hyphenate Your Document

Want to add a finishing touch to your printed document? Hyphenating the words in the document can make your text read ...

Discover More

Limiting the Options when Saving as a Copy

Word allows you to save your documents in a wide variety of formats. If you want to limit the formats that are available, ...

Discover More

Discover the Power of Microsoft Office This beginner-friendly guide reveals the expert tips and strategies you need to skyrocket your productivity and use Office 365 like a pro. Mastering software like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint is essential to be more efficient and advance your career. Simple lessons guide you through every step, providing the knowledge you need to get started. Check out Microsoft Office 365 For Beginners today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Viewing More of the Left Margin Area

When working in Draft or Normal view, you may want to view the area just to the left of the document's left margin. ...

Discover More

Using Optional Hyphens

Adding hyphens to your document can affect the way in which Word wraps text from one line to the next. Optional hyphens, ...

Discover More

Selecting a Text Block

Word has an interesting way of allowing you to select a rectangular block of text, without reference to what may be ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 4 + 4?

2026-07-08 00:56:53

Timothy J. McGowan

I'm even later, Barry. Here's another idea: Have Word select the current word and drop to the end of the selection. If the word ends with punctuation, the insertion point will be right at the end of the word. If the word is followed by a space, the insertion point will be after the space, so move it to the left.

If a word is followed by two or more spaces, this will not work, as Word selects all spaces following a word when selecting a word. This macro assumes there is only one space following the word.

Sub FindWordEnd()
Dim charLeft As String

' Select the current word.
Selection.Expand Unit:=wdWord

' Drop to the end of the selection.
Selection.Collapse Direction:=wdCollapseEnd

' When Word selects a word, it selects through to but not including punctuation.
' If there is no punctuation, it selects through to and including the space after the word.
' Therefore, evaluate the character that is now to the left of the insertion point.
' If it's a space, move left one character to the end of the origination word.

charLeft = Selection.Characters.First.Previous.Text
If charLeft = " " Then
Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1, Extend:=wdMove
End If
End Sub


2026-07-03 12:26:51

Barry

@ UP557
Maybe I'm a bit late :) but...
This code works works for most general text! maybe there is something better?

Sub WordEndLeft4()
'
' Go left to end of previous word

Dim strChar As String
Dim sPunc As String

strChar = ""
sPunc = "]}^_.,)?!';:-" ' if selection is one of these must be end of word!

While strChar < Chr(191) 'therefore will work for english language characters

Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
strChar = Selection.Text

If InStr(sPunc, strChar) <> 0 Then '= punctuation char
Exit Sub
End If

If strChar = " " Then 'need to check for punctuation char
Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
strChar = Selection.Text

If InStr(sPunc, strChar) = 0 Then '= punctuation char
Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
Exit Sub
End If

Exit Sub

End If
Wend

End Sub


2024-10-31 06:32:30

UP557

Hi Allen, thanks for this useful macro. I have tried to modify it to create another macro for jumping to the end of the previous word. It does work, but gets stuck when it reaches a word ending with a punctuation mark (the cursor remains behind the punctuation mark). Would you be able to help?


---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sub WordEndLeft()
'
' Go left to end of word
'
Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1
Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1

If Selection.Text <> " " Then
Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
End If

If Selection.Text <> " " Then
Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, Count:=1
End If
End Sub


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.