How many spaces do you type?

[deltaX]

This is kind of a dumb poll, but I was talking to my mom about this recently and I'm curious to know what others think.

When I was learning to type in the early 2000's, I was taught that when you're typing something, at the end of a sentence you always put two spaces after the period. I still do that to this day, and thought that was the standard. However, my mom is a computer teacher, and she say nowadays teachers tell students to only put one space, which kind of blew my mind. I don't see myself changing my typing habits anytime soon, even though some internet research confirmed that officially one space is now accepted.

What do you do at the end of a sentence? Do you use the "old" way and type two spaces, or do you only type one? Or did you go to school somewhere where you learned something different entirely?

[King Al]

When I see the two spaces I just feel like there's a hole in my life. A hole in my heart. A hole in my whole. Nothing is whole when there's a hole. I'm just not whole anymore...

[Skycaptain]

I just use one space, having never been taught typing.

[timewarp]

Whenever possible I use LaTeX. No matter how many spaces I type, LaTeX will find the best and correct spacing for me.

[Grumpy Alien]

I was taught one space. (My first typing class was in 2000.) I'd never heard of or seen two spaces until I started helping my mom when she went back to school. (If you read a book, it's always one space!) My assumption was that two spaces came from typewriting.

[SirEl]

Mum tells me to type two spaces after a sentence but I only do it sometimes because I'm a rebel. ^_^

[ThaHoward]

Well we never learned to use any number if spacing. But I use one space. It's the most natural really.

[Philip027]

Two, even though most websites and such seem to format double spaces into singles, making the effort pointless :/ (These boards don't, though!)

I honestly don't know if I was specifically taught to do it that way, but one has just always looked weird to me. Plus I think anything that helps make it clearer when one sentence ends and another begins (even something as minor as a slightly bigger space after the period) helps with reading flow.

[Guest 80814]

Just the one.

[daveb]

One space. I don't see a need for more.

I flunked typing in school (decades ago). I could never get the hang of touch-typing on those clunky old typewriters.

[Ashmedai]

I was taught that a single space was standard from about the late 90's onwards, so that's what I use. This is the first time I've ever heard of anyone ever using two.

[deltaX]

Whenever possible I use LaTeX. No matter how many spaces I type, LaTeX will find the best and correct spacing for me.

As far as I know, LaTeX puts two spaces after a period automatically unless you tell it otherwise. I know this because when a professor was proofreading my personal statement for grad school, he pointed out that all instances of Dr. [Name] had two spaces, and so I had to hard-code in that I only wanted one space if the period was part of the "Dr." in somebody's name

I'm surprised so many people only use one space. To me, two just makes so much more sense

[Ricki]

Thanks. Now I can't stop seeing how big the gaps between sentences are. *Cries in a corner.*

[timewarp]

Whenever possible I use LaTeX. No matter how many spaces I type, LaTeX will find the best and correct spacing for me.

As far as I know, LaTeX puts two spaces after a period automatically unless you tell it otherwise. I know this because when a professor was proofreading my personal statement for grad school, he pointed out that all instances of Dr. [Name] had two spaces, and so I had to hard-code in that I only wanted one space if the period was part of the "Dr." in somebody's name

I'm almost certain there must be a correct way of doing that, something along the lines

\usepackage[abbreviated=True]{academicdegrees}

and then in the text \Doctor or something like that. :P

[Tystie]

One.

However, I was taught to put two spaces in. I'm sure I read somewhere that the change has to do with switching from typewriters to computers. (And, yes, I'm old enough to have learned to type on a really heavy manual typewriter.) I've only recently unlearned putting two spaces at the end of a sentence. It took me a while to break the habit, though.

[binary suns]

I was tought to use two spaces. but i use one. it's cause like in the ninetys the spacing on printing was different, less precise or something. so the second space was needed for clarity. but now technology spaces it out better, either because there's more space after the "." or becuase it automatically introduces extra space or both. so the second space isn't needed.

i am paraphrasing my sparce memory of why though hehe.

[Guest]

I try very hard to only type 1. The rule changed to 1 after I had left school and all that, so it's been tough to relearn, tbh.

[Starry Sky]

One space. I never knew that there was such thing as typing with two spaces : O

[Guest]

Haha, I didn't understand what you meant until I saw the spaces inbetween your . and the next ord :D No one ever mentioned it here, we just do the one space like between any other words.

[fuzzipueo]

What would be interesting is to see when people graduated. I remember being taught the two spaces not only in typing but also in English class. It changed at some point after I graduated high school ('88) and no one in college ever made a fuss about the number of spaces after a period. Like Philip027 said, a lot of webpages will edit out that extra space, so there really isn't any point in doing two spaces after.

For the record: I was taught to put in two spaces, but only do one.

[ShyFeather]

I was taught two spaces in 2006... I'm trying to use one space though. I've heard using two spaces on a resume is a no no since it'll give the impression you're older than you are. I don't know how often they look at that but age discrimination in hiring happens a lot.

[cavyX]

One space, it actually makes me kinda twitchy if there's more.

[deltaX]

Whenever possible I use LaTeX. No matter how many spaces I type, LaTeX will find the best and correct spacing for me.

As far as I know, LaTeX puts two spaces after a period automatically unless you tell it otherwise. I know this because when a professor was proofreading my personal statement for grad school, he pointed out that all instances of Dr. [Name] had two spaces, and so I had to hard-code in that I only wanted one space if the period was part of the "Dr." in somebody's name

I'm almost certain there must be a correct way of doing that, something along the lines

\usepackage[abbreviated=True]{academicdegrees}

and then in the text \Doctor or something like that. :P

I didn't know you could do that :o Can't say I'm surprised though, LaTeX can do almost anything if you know the right code. I'll keep that in mind for next time I have to type up something.

What would be interesting is to see when people graduated. I remember being taught the two spaces not only in typing but also in English class. It changed at some point after I graduated high school ('88) and no one in college ever made a fuss about the number of spaces after a period. Like Philip027 said, a lot of webpages will edit out that extra space, so there really isn't any point in doing two spaces after.

I graduated high school in 2012, but learned typing in mostly elementary and middle school. I distinctly remember in sixth grade (~2005/2006) we would have to type passages and you'd always lose points if you didn't have two spaces at the end of each sentence. I think I might have been at the very end of my school district teaching two spaces though, because my brother was three years behind me in school, and he never does two spaces. When he asks me to proofread his papers, I would always "fix" the spacing without realizing I was technically the one in the wrong.

I was taught two spaces in 2006... I'm trying to use one space though. I've heard using two spaces on a resume is a no no since it'll give the impression you're older than you are. I don't know how often they look at that but age discrimination in hiring happens a lot.

I still have two spaces on my resume! I doubt I'll have to use it to apply for anything in the near future, but perhaps I should consider updating to one space next time I update it. Though I'm surprised employers would want to check age using spaces, when there's usually stuff like graduation year that are more reliable ways of telling.

[Sleepy Skeleton]

I was taught (early 2000s) to only use one. Using two just feels so excessive! I mean, it's not like I notice when other people do it, but it still feels wrong. Like Capitalizing Every World or putting a space before a period .

[timewarp]

Whenever possible I use LaTeX. No matter how many spaces I type, LaTeX will find the best and correct spacing for me.

As far as I know, LaTeX puts two spaces after a period automatically unless you tell it otherwise. I know this because when a professor was proofreading my personal statement for grad school, he pointed out that all instances of Dr. [Name] had two spaces, and so I had to hard-code in that I only wanted one space if the period was part of the "Dr." in somebody's name

I'm almost certain there must be a correct way of doing that, something along the lines

\usepackage[abbreviated=True]{academicdegrees}

and then in the text \Doctor or something like that. :P

I didn't know you could do that :o Can't say I'm surprised though, LaTeX can do almost anything if you know the right code. I'll keep that in mind for next time I have to type up something.

I don't know it either. :P I made the name of the package up and everything... thought you would have noticed by my silly choice of names. :D Though I do believe there must be some solution out there. So far I've always found something on some forum, and it's usually very weird.

EDIT: I've been curious now and looked it up.

"e.g. this and that

e.g.\ this and that

In the first line the space after the 2nd period is typeset like an end of sentence space. In the second line the space after the 2nd period is typeset like a normal inter-word space:

"

Ah, and also: "You can setup with \frenchspacing that the end of sentence space is not different from the normal inter-word spacing."

[SithLord]

I never knew people were being taught to type with only one space. I didn't have much of a typing class in school but my mom pounded two spaces into me. It's bothered me to this day so when I'm editing other people's papers, I add the extra space. It just seems wrong to me that there's only one between sentences.

And that comment about only one space in books... I checked and omg it's right. Now I don't know what to believe anymore!!! *curls into fetal position and cries*

[Toothlesss]

I learned typing with two spaces after sentences in grade school. But now, since I type a lot (computer, iPhone,) I stick to one because it seems more natural to me.

[Rising Sun]

I learned at school, after punctuation, always one space after, and more precisely, for single punctuation (.,), no space before and one space after, and for double punctuation (;:?!), one space before and one space after. No space at all for ' and ". Since then, I've always typed this way.

[SpeedinThroughSpace]

Nobody taught us how many spaces come after a sentence in school...

I use just one. It looks weird with no spaces, and two spaces make such a large gap that I think it looks odd, too. One is perfect.

I'm rather picky about where to put this one space. It has to be "last word of the sentence, full stop, space, first word of next sentence". I don't even know why, but things like "word, space, full stop, word" or "word, space, full stop, space, word" drive me nuts. My mom always has her spaces and full stops all over the place, and I'm like "You can't do that". :D

[deltaX]

I'm rather picky about where to put this one space. It has to be "last word of the sentence, full stop, space, first word of next sentence". I don't even know why, but things like "word, space, full stop, word" or "word, space, full stop, space, word" drive me nuts. My mom always has her spaces and full stops all over the place, and I'm like "You can't do that". :D

For me it's "last word, period (aka. full stop), space, space, word", but yeah other than the number of spaces I agree. I think messing up that order is the absolute worst, and unless it's a typo I would never, ever do that.