Actually, I saw the light when I switched from Blogger to WordPress.
But I’m not talking about which blogging platform to use. Rather, I’m talking about the one space rule.
See, I grew up in an era when typing was still taught in high school. Which means I learned to put two (TWO!) spaces after a period. And I made it through college without anyone ever correcting me. I thought it was standard. I thought everyone did it.
Then I moved to WordPress and I couldn’t understand why I would occasionally end up with some very funky spacing in my posts. Until I realized that if I took out the extra space at the end of every sentence, all would be well.
When did we go from two spaces to one space? And why did no one ever tell me??
I had to consult with my friend Rochelle who is just a few years younger than me…and come to find out, she only did the single space thing. Huh. So I gradually weaned myself from automatically hitting the space bar twice at the end of every sentence. It took months, people. MONTHS! But if you look closely at this post, you’ll see that I’ve successfully transitioned over.
And now that I’ve come to embrace the single space, I find this Slate article that explains it all. (It’s actually quite entertaining…you should go read it.)
Except there’s a disturbing link to another article hidden within that story. And I just have to say…
IT WILL BE A COLD DAY IN HELL BEFORE I GIVE UP MY CAPS LOCK KEY.
Glad I read the article before commenting because I was going to just repeat what the slate article said. So you all who don’t know the answer, go on over and read.
I never use my caps lock key, but I guess some people feel strongly about it.
VERY STRONGLY.
This reminds me of a conversation I had just the other day… My friend Lisa had to type up her college age daughter’s homework because daughter had a car wreck and broke her hand and when the paper came back, she was SEVERELY criticized for using TWO spaces after the end of sentences. My friend was furious and was taking a poll of who all learned it was 2 spaces and when did it change? So THANK YOU. I’ll click over to that article and forward to my friend.
I still use 2 spaces, I don’t really care – not sure I even noticed it.
That’s unfair…how can you be penalized when there wasn’t even a public awareness campaign?!?
So, if you learned to type on a typewriter, you’re likely using TWO. Makes a ton of sense, actually.
Huh! Never knew this!
You have BLOWN MY MIND.
First, I didn’t even know this was a thing! I thought everyone did two.
Second, it turns out I’m a typing Luddite? Well, that’s depressing.
It’s okay…evidently most of us are typing Luddites.
This was a big shock for me too! Just yesterday I was going over MLA format before working on a paper and I saw the one space after a period rule. I’m just not sure if I can kick the habit of two spaces. I’ve done it in this comment three times already. . .
If it was that important, you’d think they’d fix the space bar so it’d only put in one space no matter how many times you hit it.
As someone who is thirty, I was raised with the two space rule too, even though I used computers more than typewriters (and those were electric.) I learned the error of my ways in college when I majored in journalism. You can’t cede precious inches to extra spaces!
Surprisingly, I was having this very conversation with my undergraduate students this week. Someone asked me if he should use one space or two. I was baffled by the question, but apparently different professors still have different requirements for their papers. Sheesh.
Those professors are NOT helping matters!
oh boy – a habit I need to break apparently! I grew up using computers but still used 2 spaces (must have learned it in elementary school) -thanks for showing me the error of my ways.
My pleasure!
I didn’t read the article but since I write technical documentation for a living, I was told a good 8 years ago that my spacing was excessive. How rude!
If someone told me that, I’d probably be rebelling. But instead, I had to look at funky blog posts…there’s nothing like ugly posts to break a habit!
I grew up doing 2 spaces too, largely because I was typing on an old typewriter and that’s the way my mom had been taught to type. It wasn’t until I started blogging that I stopped doing the double space thing, because on Blogger, even if you put two spaces between sentences, it truncated it to one space. That annoyed me when I first began, but gradually I learned to just type one space. Then I learned why I was supposed to be doing that anyway. It’s been about three years now since I switched over and it would feel odd to use two spaces again! But it took months to get used to it, that’s for sure!
WHAT?!? I have NEVER heard this!! I mean, I noticed that blogger always changed my posts to one space, but I thought this was their issue. I never considered I was doing it wrong. Wow, I am totally in shock, LOL!!! I don’t even know if I believe it, hahaha. It will be weird to change that. As for the caps lock… that would take some getting used to but I don’t really use it all that much. (I will say that I learned to type on a commodore 64 and then in school after that and I was never told it was only one space.)
Well, thanks for this enlightening info, haha!
I think it’s worse when people are inconsistent about spaces. We get a lot of submitted stories and press releases at work where there will be one, two, or even three spaces between sentences, but it’s always a mishmash! I cannot figure out how that happens, but it is soooo annoying.
I learned to type with two, but switched to one after a graphic designer I know explained that new fonts automatically adjust spacing after a period, so we don’t need to do that. I’m not sure if that’s totally right, but I believed her.
I had no idea this was an issue until I read that article. I’m considering switching to three spaces instead.
Rebel.
I was raised with the two-space rule in the era post-typewriters but when teachers hadn’t been weaned off of two spaces yet. After a few months working in publishing, I’ve started to think it looks very weird to have two spaces instead of one. I’m completely switched to one space now. One space! It’s better!
I also grew up with the two space rule, and learned that that was the way to do it when I was learning to type. Recently my husband told me that was wrong, and it’s really only supposed to be one space, which took me a long time to get used to. You are not alone, Jill! I was so confused by this, and I can even remember teachers and professors giving me less credit if I only had one space between sentences!
This is hilarious. You have led us all out of the dark!
I’m actually shocked by how many people are commenting on this!
It’s always the little things…
I broke the two-space rule a few years ago, after my graphic-designer husband told me it was no longer necessary. If not for him, I’d probably still be using it, so I’m glad you’re getting the memo out!
I’m twenty-three and was always taught the two space rule. This is news to me.
Ah, you just hit upon one of my pet peeves! We got rid of the 2 spaces when we went to computers because computer fonts are proportionally spaced (each letter does not take up the same amount of space, which is what used to happen on a typewriter). Another convert to one space…yay!
Yep, I’m a two-spacer too. Well now I’ll try to remedy that, lol. I was raised in an era where (apparently) teachers still thought 2-spacers were more appropriate. Even in college, actually, and I just graduated 4 years ago. Weird. Man this is going to be hard to remember to only give 1 space now! It will take me months, I am sure. LOL thanks for enlightening me!
Oh my gosh, I just freaked out when I read that article the other day, because I, too, was taught that there were two spaces after a period. TWO. But oh so slowly I have been teaching myself to do it the other way. I haven’t noticed a dramatic change in my WP posts, but maybe it is there and I just haven’t noticed!
This is the first I am hearing about this. I feel like I have been duped! I really have to think about what I am typing now. I have always thought myself a snob when it comes to typing correctly, and now I am that pot that would call the kettle black. Fascinating!
Oh snap. Now I need to re-learn how to type. Thanks for the links, I had no clue.
I wonder when, exactly, they stopped teaching the two-space thing…because I learned it in high school, and it’s only been a decade since I graduate. Hmph.
But removing the Caps Lock key? HELL TO THA NO. Preach on, my sista.
THANK YOU! It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who likes to shout occasionally.
It’ll be a cold day in hell before I start writing shop instead of shoppe. Don’t even get me started on the 2-space thing.
You’re way old skool. Or is that olde skoole?
I will definitely check out the articles. I was also taught two spaces when I was first learning to type, but I only do one space now and I can’t remember how this personal transition occured to be honest. I haven’t read those articles yet, but if you asked me why I thought it was initially two spaces I would probably answer its just like when we were learning to handwrite in early school and we were told to leave a bigger space after the full stop than a comma. I am probably very wrong, but I will head over to those articles now
After reading the first article my biggest thought is this – surely the difference between shoppe and shop and phone and fone isn’t arbitrary? That’s how we spell it.
I suppose technically you could say that spellnig is arbitrary – but surely the composition of language is a bit more than arbitrary isn’t it? I don’t know.
I’m guessing it is cause computers do what typewriters never did. I’m in love with em dashes.
Gah…I had to google em dash. I might have to write another post!
I’m still at half and half with the one space thing. I think it adds character. Don’t you?
It’s quirky!
ha. i also lived during the epoch when the 2-space rule reigned. i took typing lessons starting in 4th grade–1983–because my dad told me i’d need to know how to type when i got older because we’d all be using things called COMPUTERS when i grew up. i thought he was nutters. ha!
i’m sorry but i’m sicilian and far too stubborn to break up with my double space after a period rule. i might consider using a copy machine instead of a mimeograph, though.
But mimeographs smell so good!
I have worked at companies who have rules, yes rules about these things. Isn’t marketing fun? My first company, two spaces after every period, next company one. It’s a hard habit to break!
This is news to me! It’s going to be so difficult to wean myself from two spaces to one. But I’ll try.
But if we don’t have a caps lock how will people know if we’re YELLING or EXCITED? Except by using a million exclamation points, I guess!?!?!!!?!?!
Let’s put it this way….I graduated from high school in 1999. I took keyboard classes and I learned to type with two spaces after the period. Still do. Actually, the only time I DON’T is when I’m on twitter because that extra character space is quite valuable.
Not sure I’ll ever be able to break the double space habit…
What is odd to me is that I have never noticed it in reading. I only noticed that I fight with the WP editor every so often and now I understand why. But I don’t see it when I’m reading type. And here it is some people’s pet peeve. This habit of two spaces IS hard to break. I had to fix it here 5 times!
My uncle tried to tell me this years ago. I figured what does someone 30 years older than me know? Guess my uncle was right! Slow Travel and the blog programs I use always change my spaces to one between sentences and it would drive me crazy. I wasted more time going back and trying to change everything back to two spaces and it would never work.
I finally saw the light myself when I read an article about the 2 vs 1 space thing a couple of months ago. Been trying to change but it is very difficult. I end up having to go back and fix every other sentence. Twitter has been the only place I have been successful also since you gotta conserve space there.
Great blog post! Love all the comments.
I didn’t finish the whole article because I made a New Year’s Resolution to never finish articles that tell me I am wrong or an idiot in the first paragraph, but really? I have noticed that two spaces wasn’t done anymore and wondered when this changed. I always knew that I had missed the memo, but could never find the darn memo that I had missed. I still tend to do the double spaced, but catch myself. My rule of thumb has been to go back and forth, double and single space, covering my butt for my failure of missing the memo. I figured that it was just these young whipper snappers, ignoring the rules of propriety as they usually do.
Egad, these whole discussion make me feel old and wish that I still had my typewriter. You know, I used my trusty typewriter for years. Bought it after my first computer, used both in fact for my first few years in college. The thing is, if I want to see a sample of my old writing, the things that I wrote on my typewriter still exist in a file in the cabinet. The things that I wrote on the various PC’s I have had since the 80′s? They are gone, never to be seen again. Give me a typewriter, you get permanence. Give me a word doc and you get gone in 60 seconds.
Mother of pearl, good gracious. I had no idea. I will try to change my two-space ways. My thumb is making me do the two-space skip right now, wanting to do that extra one, and now the delete key will probably be my most used one on the keyboard.
I found out about the one-space thing a couple of months ago. I learned to use two spaces and have always dutifully done so. It was a very hard habit to break. Clearly whoever is in charge of getting the word out about punctuation changes is falling down on the job.
I did not know. I feel so behind! Thanks for the PSA.
I’m 37 and also learned the two space rule in typing class in high school. I don’t remember how or when I made the transition to one space, but have it down pat now!!
Ok, I have to admit that I never heard of the two-space rule (I’m 26). But I have seen that many times, though to be blunt, I was cursing each person for putting two spaces where one should suffice. LOL! Now that I read your post, I got that mystery solved, phew! I won’t curse anymore.
Wow, after reading all the replies, I feel like a sore thumb. How come I never knew the two-space rule???? Now that’s making me feel more miserable. Guess, it’s because I never took to the typewriter but instead learned typing on the computer itself? Man, this is embarrassing!
I am dumbfounded. Or maybe just dumb. Ugh, I used two spaces twice already. This will be a hard habit to break!!
I cannot believe how long I have just spent reading this, following all the links and wikipediaing en dashes and em dashes. It has opened up a whole new world AND answered several questions. I will be bookmarking the 2 v 1 space article and emailling it to a few colleagues I suspect!
Thanks softdrink – what a brilliant discussion!
I’m not converting to one space. I’ve read the article and I don’t care. There are many things I may take the time to learn or unlearn but this will not be one of them. Don’t know why I am feeling cranky about this
I’m glad I’m not the only one who A) didn’t know about this B) has been pissed off at blogger for changing my spacing all those times, and C? feels a little cranky about learning that one space is correct. Even though the one-space rule has apparently been the rule for YEARS now (what???), I too just thought it was the new-fangled, lazy-typing, rule-disregarding way of doing things. I think the crankiness is because it feels like a slippery slope to go from accepting one space after a period to accepting poor spelling, no punctuation, text speak, etc. Pretty soon there will be no rules at all and it will be chaos. CHAOS, I TELL YOU!
P.S. I feel the same way you do about the caps lock key. I don’t use it often, but when I need it, it’s nice to have it.
I didn’t learn about the one-space rule until I started my current job almost two years ago. This editorial woman kept correcting the copy I wrote until I finally asked her what’s wrong with two spaces! How did I graduate in 2008 and never hear of this??
Anyway, it didn’t take long to pick up the new habit. Though I fondly look back on painstakingly writing college papers and pretending like I was writing more with my little routine: finish a sentence, double space, delete spaces, pretend I have a thought, double space again, delete spaces again, and so on and so on. At least it always made me sound like I was doing work by constantly hitting keys.