Reducing the Size of Spaces in a Selection

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 27, 2023)

1

George would like to condense only the space between words in some text he selects in a document. He can change the point size of each space, one at a time. He can also do it by finding the space and replacing it with a space that is a smaller font size. However, he would like to decrease the size of the spaces step by step. (For example, 0.1 points in each step.)

It isn't possible to do exactly what George wants because Word only allows you to adjust font size in half-point increments, not tenth-point increments. If decrementing by a half-point at a time will do, then the best approach is to use a macro:

Sub StepSpaceFontSize()
    Dim F As Double
    Dim C As Long

    For C = 1 To Len(Selection)
        If Asc(Mid(Selection, C, 1)) = 32 Then
            F = Selection.Range.Characters(C).Font.Size
            If F > 5 Then
                Selection.Range.Characters(C).Font.Size = (F - 0.5)
            End If
        End If
    Next C
End Sub

The macro steps through each character in whatever text is selected and, if the character is a space, decreases the point size of just that space. The macro enforces a bottom limit on font size, as it will only go down to 5 points.

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 (13717) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and 2021.

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

Changing the Bullet Type

When you apply bullet formatting to paragraphs, Word allows you to choose from a variety of different bullets. If you ...

Discover More

Jumping to a Footnote

Jumping to a specific footnote can be very handy if your document has a lot of footnotes in it. Word provides the ...

Discover More

Deleting Shortcuts

Windows allows you to easily create any number of shortcuts you desire. If you want to get rid of those shortcuts at some ...

Discover More

Create Custom Apps with VBA! Discover how to extend the capabilities of Office 365 applications with VBA programming. Written in clear terms and understandable language, the book includes systematic tutorials and contains both intermediate and advanced content for experienced VB developers. Designed to be comprehensive, the book addresses not just one Office application, but the entire Office suite. Check out Mastering VBA for Microsoft Office 365 today!

More WordTips (ribbon)

Inserting a Formatted Text Box with a Macro

Macros allow you to do just about anything in Word, but not if you limit yourself to using just the Macro Recorder. This ...

Discover More

Determining a Random Value

If you need to determine a random value in a macro, you can do so using the Rnd function. This tip presents the syntax ...

Discover More

Moving the Insertion Point to the Beginning of a Line

If you need to move the insertion point within your macro, then you'll want to note the HomeKey method, described in this ...

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 five minus 2?

2019-12-28 06:47:20

Ken Endacott

The macro must be executed for each 0.5 point reduction in space size. The following macro repeats the reductions until cancelled.

Sub StepSpaceSize()
Dim aRange As Range
Dim k As Long
Dim F As Single
Set aRange = Selection.Range
Do While MsgBox("Reduce all spaces in selection by 0.5 points", vbOKCancel) = vbOK
k = 1
Do
If aRange.Characters(k) = " " Then
F = aRange.Characters(k).Font.Size
aRange.Characters(k).Font.Size = F - 0.5
End If
k = k + 1
Loop Until k > Len(aRange.Text)
aRange.Select
Loop
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.