File: groff.info,  Node: Hyphenation,  Next: Breaking,  Prev: Sentences,  Up: Text

5.1.3 Hyphenation
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When an output line is nearly full, it is uncommon for the next word
collected from the input to exactly fill it--typically, there is room
left over only for part of the next word.  The process of splitting a
word so that it appears partially on one line (with a hyphen to indicate
to the reader that the word has been broken) with its remainder on the
next is "hyphenation".  Hyphenation points can be manually specified;
GNU 'troff' also uses a hyphenation algorithm and language-specific
pattern files (based on those used in TeX) to decide which words can be
hyphenated and where.

   Hyphenation does not always occur even when the hyphenation rules for
a word allow it; it can be disabled, and when not disabled there are
several parameters that can prevent it in certain circumstances.  *Note
Manipulating Hyphenation::.