­

Soft Hyphen

ASCII Code: 173•Category: symbols

The soft hyphen (­) is an invisible typographical character that suggests an optional line break location within words, appearing as a visible hyphen only when word wrapping occurs at that position.

Technical Details

ASCII Code
173
HTML Entity
­
Hexadecimal
0xAD
Binary
10101101
Octal
255

Usage & Examples

Programming

char symbol = '­'; // ASCII 173

HTML/Web

­ or ­

Common Uses

hyphensoftinvisibletypographyformatting

How to Type This Character

Windows

Alt Code:
Hold Alt and type173 on numeric keypad
Character Map:
Search "Character Map" in Start menu

Mac

Character Viewer:
Press Ctrl +Cmd +Space
Copy & Paste:
Easiest method - copy from this page!

💡 Pro tip: The fastest way is to bookmark this page or copy the character from our ASCII library!

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Circumflex accent
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Tilde
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About the Soft Hyphen

Typography Control

Essential for professional typography and text layout, the soft hyphen allows designers and typographers to specify acceptable word-breaking points without forcing hyphenation. It remains invisible unless line wrapping necessitates word division, maintaining clean text appearance.

Web Development

Critical in responsive web design for controlling how long words break across different screen sizes. Web developers use ­ (HTML entity for soft hyphen) to prevent awkward line breaks while maintaining readability on mobile devices and narrow columns.

Multilingual Publishing

Particularly important in languages with long compound words like German, Dutch, and Finnish. Publishers use soft hyphens to ensure proper word division according to linguistic rules while maintaining justified text alignment and readability.

Document Formatting

Used in professional document preparation, especially in narrow columns, newsletters, and technical documentation where precise line breaking control improves visual appearance and prevents orphaned word fragments.

History of the Soft Hyphen

1960s

Computerized Typesetting

Early computer typesetting systems developed the concept of discretionary hyphens to automate word-breaking decisions while maintaining typographical quality in professional publishing.

1970s-1980s

Word Processing Integration

Advanced word processors incorporated soft hyphen functionality to improve document layout, enabling writers and publishers to control hyphenation without visible formatting marks.

1987

ISO Latin-1 Standard

The soft hyphen was officially included in the ISO Latin-1 character set at position 173, standardizing its use across computer systems and ensuring consistent behavior in digital typography.

1990s

HTML and Web Standards

Web standards incorporated the soft hyphen through the ­ HTML entity, enabling precise typography control in web browsers and responsive design applications.

2000s-Present

Responsive Design Era

Mobile web development and responsive design made soft hyphens increasingly important for managing text flow across varying screen sizes and device orientations.

Cultural Impact

The soft hyphen represents the evolution of typography from mechanical to digital, enabling automatic yet controlled text formatting that adapts to different display contexts while preserving readability.

Usage Examples

HTML Web Development

Example
antidis­establishmentarianism, super­cali­fragi­listic

HTML entity usage for responsive word breaking

German Compound Words

Example
Donau­dampf­schiff­fahrts­gesell­schaft­kapitän

Managing long German compound words in narrow layouts

Technical Documentation

Example
pseudo­random­number­generator, multi­threaded­application

Breaking technical terms in narrow column formats

Mobile Typography

Example
respon­sive­design, user­experience­optimization

Controlling word breaks on small screens and mobile devices

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