Nonbreaking Space in Professional Writing
A nonbreaking space behaves like a space while preventing a line break at that position. In professional documents it can keep selected words or short units together, but it should not be used as a manual layout or indentation tool.
Use a nonbreaking space when two text elements should stay together across line wrapping; do not use it to fake page layout.
Key details
Important caveats
Technical Boundary
Unicode-compatible systems may use U+00A0 or, in narrower contexts, other nonbreaking-space characters; support and width can differ by environment.
Usage Boundary
Use nonbreaking spaces for genuine keep-together needs rather than as a substitute for layout, indentation, or repeated ordinary spaces.
Further guidance
Function
A nonbreaking space keeps the text on its two sides together when software wraps a line, helping prevent awkward separation of items that should stay visually linked.
Practical Application
Use a nonbreaking space only to keep a short pair/group together across line wrapping, such as a value and unit or another style-required pair. Do not stack nonbreaking spaces to create indentation, columns, or page positioning.
Reader Check
Would an automatic line break between these two elements damage readability or violate the governing style?
Worked Example
A document may keep “10 km” together with a nonbreaking space when its style requires that pair not to split. Use tabs, tables, or layout tools—not repeated nonbreaking spaces—to align columns.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Use left alignment — Microsoft Style Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Nonbreaking-space use to keep words together across line wrapping
- Line and word breaking — Microsoft Globalization (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Unicode nonbreaking spaces prevent line breaking at their position