To set automatic hyphenation, select Hyphenate in the Paragraph panel. Alternatively, select Hyphenation in the Paragraph panel flyout menu > Hyphenation.
Last updated on
May 24, 2023
- Illustrator User Guide
- Get to know Illustrator
- Introduction to Illustrator
- Workspace
- Workspace basics
- Learn faster with the Illustrator Discover panel
- Create documents
- Toolbar
- Default keyboard shortcuts
- Customize keyboard shortcuts
- Introduction to artboards
- Manage artboards
- Customize the workspace
- Properties panel
- Set preferences
- Touch Workspace
- Microsoft Surface Dial support in Illustrator
- Undo edits and manage design history
- Rotate view
- Rulers, grids, and guides
- Accessibility in Illustrator
- Safe Mode
- View artwork
- Use the Touch Bar with Illustrator
- Files and templates
- Tools in Illustrator
- Tools at a glance
- Select tools
- Navigate tools
- Paint tools
- Text tools
- Draw tools
- Modify tools
- Generative AI (not available in mainland China)
- Quick actions
- Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Illustrator on the web (beta) overview
- Illustrator on the web (beta) FAQ
- Troubleshooting issues FAQ
- Keyboard shortcuts for Illustrator on the web (beta)
- Create and combine shapes on the web
- Add and edit text on the web
- Apply colors and gradients on the web
- Draw and edit paths on the web
- Work with cloud documents on the web
- Invite collaborators to edit on the web
- Illustrator on the iPad
- Introduction to Illustrator on the iPad
- Workspace
- Documents
- Select and arrange objects
- Drawing
- Type
- Work with images
- Color
- Cloud documents
- Basics
- Troubleshooting
- Add and edit content
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Drawing basics
- Edit paths
- Draw pixel-perfect art
- Draw with the Pen, Curvature, or Pencil tool
- Draw simple lines and shapes
- Draw rectangular and polar grids
- Draw and edit flares
- Image Trace
- Simplify a path
- Symbolism tools and symbol sets
- Adjust path segments
- Design a flower in 5 easy steps
- Create and edit a perspective grid
- Draw and modify objects on a perspective grid
- Use objects as symbols for repeat use
- Draw pixel-aligned paths for web workflows
- Measure and plot dimensions
- 3D objects and materials
- Color
- Painting
- Select and arrange objects
- Reshape objects
- Crop images
- Transform objects
- Combine objects
- Cut, divide, and trim objects
- Puppet Warp
- Scale, shear, and distort objects
- Blend objects
- Reshape using envelopes
- Reshape objects with effects
- Build new shapes with Shaper and Shape Builder tools
- Work with Live Corners
- Enhanced reshape workflows with touch support
- Edit clipping masks
- Live shapes
- Create shapes using the Shape Builder tool
- Global editing
- Type
- Add text and work with type objects
- Create bulleted and numbered lists
- Manage text area
- Fonts and typography
- Convert text within images into editable text
- Add basic formatting to text
- Add advanced formatting to text
- Import and export text
- Format paragraphs
- Special characters
- Create type on a path
- Character and paragraph styles
- Tabs
- Find missing fonts (Typekit workflow)
- Arabic and Hebrew type
- Fonts | FAQ and troubleshooting tips
- Create 3D text effect
- Creative typography designs
- Scale and rotate type
- Line and character spacing
- Hyphenation and line breaks
- Spelling and language dictionaries
- Format Asian characters
- Composers for Asian scripts
- Create text designs with blend objects
- Create a text poster using Image Trace
- Create special effects
- Web graphics
- Drawing and dimensioning
- Import, export, and save
- Import
- Creative Cloud Libraries in Illustrator
- Save and export
- Printing
- Prepare for printing
- Printing
- Automate tasks
- Troubleshooting
Learn how to set hyphenation and line breaks in Illustrator.
You can specify how words break using automatic hyphenation settings. You can choose a composition method to refine line breaks.
Set automatic hyphenation
Hyphenation options determine whether words can be hyphenated and, if so, what breaks are allowable.
-
To apply automatic hyphenation or specific hyphenation settings to some paragraphs only, first select the paragraphs that you want to affect.
-
Select Hyphenation in the Paragraph panel menu, and specify the following options:
- Words Longer Than _ letters: Specifies the minimum number of characters for hyphenated words.
- After First _ letters and Before Last _ letters: Specifies the minimum number of characters at the beginning or end of a word that can be broken by a hyphen. For example, by specifying 3 for these values, the word aromatic will be hyphenated as aro‑ matic instead of ar‑ omatic or aromat‑ ic.
- Hyphen Limit: Specifies the maximum number of consecutive lines on which hyphenation may occur. Zero means that unlimited consecutive hyphens are allowed at the ends of lines.
- Hyphenation Zone: Specifies a distance from the right edge of a paragraph, demarcating a portion of the line where hyphenation is not allowed. A setting of 0 allows all hyphenation. This option applies only when you use the Adobe Single-line Composer.
- Hyphenate Capitalized Words: Deselect to prevent capitalized words from being hyphenated.
- Words Longer Than _ letters: Specifies the minimum number of characters for hyphenated words.
-
To set the hyphenation dictionary, select a language in the Language menu at the bottom of the Character panel (If you can't find the dictionary, select Show Options in the Character panel menu).
If you set the language in Preferences > Hyphenation > Default language, the language in the Character panel changes for any new text.
Note:
Hyphenation settings apply only to Roman characters. These settings don't affect double‑byte characters available in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts.
Add word exceptions to the dictionary
-
Select Edit > Preferences > Hyphenation (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > Hyphenation (macOS).
-
To add a word to the exceptions list, type the word in the New Entry box, and click Add.
Prevent words from breaking
You can prevent words from breaking at the end of lines—for example, proper names or words that could be misread when hyphenated. You can also keep multiple words or groups of words together—for example, clusters of initials and a last name.
-
Select the characters that you want to prevent from breaking.
-
Select No Break in the Character panel menu.
Note:If you apply the No Break option to too many adjacent characters, the text may wrap in the middle of a word. If you apply the No Break option to more than a single line of text, none of the text will appear.
Select a composition method
The appearance of type on the page depends on a complex interaction of processes called composition. Based on the word spacing, letterspacing, glyph spacing, and hyphenation options you’ve selected, Illustrator evaluates possible line breaks and chooses the one that best supports the specified parameters.
You can choose between two composition methods: the Adobe Every‑line Composer and the Adobe Single‑line Composer. Both methods evaluate possible breaks and choose the one that best supports the hyphenation and justification options you’ve specified for a given paragraph. The composition method affects only the selected paragraphs, so you can easily set different composition methods for different paragraphs.
To choose one of these methods, select it from the Paragraph panel menu:
- To apply either of the methods to all paragraphs, first select the type object.
- To apply either of the methods to the current paragraph only, insert the cursor in that paragraph.
The Every‑line Composer considers a network of break points for a range of lines. Thus, it can optimize earlier lines in the paragraph to eliminate especially unattractive breaks later on.
The Every‑line Composer approaches composition by identifying possible break points, evaluating them, and assigning a weighted penalty based on the following principles:
For left-, right-, or center-aligned text, lines that fall closer to the right side are favored and have a lower penalty.
For justified text, the highest importance is given to evenness of letter and word spacing.
Hyphenation is avoided when possible.
The Single-line composer offers a traditional approach to composing type one line at a time. This option is useful if you want manual control over how lines break. The Single‑line Composer uses the following principles when considering a breakpoint:
Longer lines are favored over shorter lines.
In justified text, compressed or expanded word spacing is preferable to hyphenation.
In nonjustified text, hyphenation is preferable to compressed or expanded letterspacing.
If spacing must be adjusted, compression is better than expansion.
Talk to us
If you have a question to ask or an idea to share, come and participate in the Adobe Illustrator Community. We would love to hear from you and see your creations.
Adobe MAX
The Creativity Conference
Oct 14–16 Miami Beach and online
Adobe MAX
The Creativity Conference
Oct 14–16 Miami Beach and online