Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 24, 2023)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021
Kathleen's in-house style dictates that they use two spaces at the end of sentences. (She understands this is a hot topic for many people, nevertheless, it is their house style.) She's noticed that when a sentence ends near the right margin, Word will often break the end of the line between the two spaces after the sentence. So, they end up with one space at the end of the line and the other at the start of the next line. Kathleen wonders if there is any setting that will force Word to place all those spaces at the end of the line, as they should be.
If you notice this behavior with some of your documents, there is only one potential solution we've been able to come up with—you need to replace the two spaces with a non-breaking space followed by a regular space. As you are typing, you would enter the non-breaking space by pressing Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar. The space right after that should be a regular space.
If your document already has two regular spaces between sentences, you can use Find and Replace to search for instances of two spaces and replace them with the non-breaking space followed by a regular space.
This relatively simple fix should take care of the abnormal line breaking that you are noticing.
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (13565) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!
When you paste information into Word from the internet, you may get more than just the plain text you hoped for. This tip ...
Discover MoreWhen using smart quotes in your typing, Word tries its best to figure out which way the quote you just typed should face. ...
Discover MoreThe Track Changes tool can be a great asset when you are working on a document with others. It can also be a hassle if ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2018-10-01 17:14:15
Barb
I use the paragraph mark tool that shows by dots the number of spaces between words. Even when I call it to the attention of authors, they use the two spaces out of habit.
2018-09-30 01:06:56
David Cohen
I think the easier solution is to tell the house style enforcer to go jump in the lake.
2018-09-29 21:19:04
Phil Rabichow
In Word 2003, this wasn't a problem. Tools/Options/Compatibility & make sure "wrap trailing spaces to the next line" was unchecked. I haven't seen this happen in Word 2016.
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.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments