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You can change the spacing between characters of text for selected text or for particular characters. In addition, you can stretch or compress an entire paragraph to make it fit and look the way that you want it to.
Change the spacing between characters
Selecting Expanded or Condensed alters the spacing between all selected letters by the same amount. Kerning alters the spacing between particular pairs of letters — in some cases reducing and in other cases expanding the space depending upon the letters.
Expand or condense the space evenly between all the selected characters
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Select the text that you want to change.
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On the Home tab, click the Font Dialog Box Launcher, and then click the Advanced tab.
Note: If you’re using Word 2007 the tab is called Character Spacing.
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In the Spacing box, click Expanded or Condensed, and then specify how much space you want in the By box.
Kern the characters that are above a particular size
Kerning refers to the way spacing between two specific characters is adjusted. The idea is to give a better looking result by reducing the spacing between characters that fit together nicely (such as «A» and «V») and increasing the spacing between characters that don’t.
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Select the text that you want to change.
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On the Home tab, click the Font Dialog Box Launcher, and then click the Advanced tab.
Note: If you’re using Word 2007 the tab is called Character Spacing.
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Select the Kerning for fonts check box, and then enter the point size in the Points and above box.
Stretch or scale the text horizontally
When you scale the text, you change the shapes of the characters by percentages. You can scale text by stretching it or by compressing it.
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Select the text that you want to stretch or compress.
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On the Home tab, click the Font Dialog Box Launcher, and then click the Advanced tab.
Note: If you’re using Word 2007 the tab is called Character Spacing.
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In the Scale box, enter the percentage that you want.
Percentages above 100 percent stretch the text. Percentages below 100 percent compress the text.
Change the line spacing
To increase or decrease the amount of vertical space between lines of text within a paragraph, the best method is to modify the style the paragraph uses.
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Find the style you’re using in the Styles gallery on the Home tab.
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Right-click the style you want to change and select Modify.
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Near the center of the dialog box you’ll find the line spacing buttons that let you select single, 1.5x or double spaced. Choose the spacing you want to apply and click OK.
If you’d like to apply more specific line spacing to the style, clickthe Format button at the bottom left corner of the Modify Style dialog box and select Paragraph. The Line spacing drop-down lets you select or set more specific line spacing.
For more information on modifying styles in Word, see: Customize styles in Word.
See also
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Using Styles in Word — a free, 10-minute video training course.
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Change the font size
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Set page margins
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Align text left or right, center text, or justify text on a page
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Change the line spacing in Word
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Many of us over a certain age endured a high school typing class on a (gasp!) real typewriter. Between nerve-wracking speed tests and paper jams, we were taught to put two spaces after periods in order to make individual sentences easier to identify. Today, the extra space is frowned upon, but those of us who survived an entire semester with one of those metal monsters may find it hard to break the two-space habit. If that’s you (and it’s certainly me), here is a quick tutorial on how to find and delete extra spaces in Microsoft Word.
This tutorial is also available as a YouTube video showing all the steps in real time.
Watch more than 100 other writing-related software tutorials on my YouTube channel.
The images shown below are from Word for Microsoft 365. These steps also apply to Word 2021, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, and Word 2010.
Delete Extra Spaces Using Word’s Find and Replace Tool
1. Select the Home tab.
2. Select Replace in the Editing group.
3. Ensure you are in the Replace tab in the Find and Replace dialog box.
4. Place your cursor in the Find what text box and press the space bar twice to add two spaces. (The text box will appear empty.)
5. Place your cursor in the Replace with text box and press the space bar once to add one space. (The text box will appear empty.)
6. Select your preferred replacement option:
- Replace replaces only the current occurrence of a double space with a single space.
- Replace All replaces all the double spaces with single spaces. If you choose this option, a dialog box will appear telling you how many replacements have been made.
- Find Next locates the next double space in the document without replacement.
7. Select the Close button to close the Find and Replace dialog box when you are finished.
Note that you can also customize Word to flag extra spaces between words and sentences as you type and then correct each occurrence individually.
Spruce up the formatting in your Word docs
What to Know
- To fix spacing between words, go to Find and Replace. Enter a space in both fields, then go to More > Format > Font and choose a font size.
- To adjust spacing between characters, go to Home, select Expand (the down-arrow) next to Font, and select the Advanced tab.
- To change spacing between lines, go to Home and select Expand (the down-arrow) next to Paragraph and adjust the Spacing options.
This article explains how to fix spacing in Word 2021, 2019, 2016, and Word for Microsoft 365.
How to Fix Spacing Between Words in Word
Using different fonts or font sizes in your document can lead to inconsistent spacing between words. Follow these steps to adjust the spacing between words without affecting the space between letters:
To show paragraph breaks and spaces, go to the Home tab and select the Show/Hide icon (¶) in the Paragraph group.
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Highlight the text you want to change and select the Home tab. Press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to highlight the entire document.
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Select Replace in the Editing group.
On Mac, go to Edit > Find > Advanced Find and Replace, then select the Replace tab.
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Click in the Find what text field and press your spacebar to create a space.
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Click in the Replace with field and press your spacebar to create a space.
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Select More to expand the window.
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Select Format and choose Font.
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Under Size, choose the font size you use most consistently throughout the document, then select OK.
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Select Replace All.
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In a new window, Word will report the number of replacements. Select Yes to apply changes to the entire document, or select No to change only the highlighted text.
The spacing between words should now be consistent. You can now close the Find and Replace window.
Don’t add multiple spaces between words because it makes formatting the entire document more difficult.
You can justify text in Word if you want to expand word spacing so the right margin is always straight (like a newspaper column).
How Do I Fix Spacing Between Characters?
To adjust the spacing between characters (letters, numbers, symbols, etc.), follow these steps:
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Highlight the text you want to change and select the Home tab.
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Next to Font, select Expand (the down-arrow).
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Go to the Advanced tab. To stretch or compress the text, increase or decrease Scaling. For Spacing, choose Expanded or Condensed to adjust the spacing between all characters.
Select Kerning for fonts to enable text kerning. This feature automatically adjusts the spacing between characters to be more aesthetically pleasing. You can choose to kern characters above a certain size.
How to Fix Line Spacing in Word
Follow these steps to change the amount of space between lines within a paragraph:
To adjust the spacing between paragraphs, go to the Design tab, select Paragraph Spacing and choose from the options. For single spacing, choose No Paragraph Space.
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Highlight the text you want to change and select the Home tab.
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Next to Paragraph, select Expand (the down-arrow).
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In the Spacing section, manually set the amount of space before and after line breaks, or choose one of the options under Line spacing. Select the Line and Page Breaks tab for more advanced options like text wrapping and pagination settings.
When you’re done, select OK to save changes.
FAQ
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How do I change the tab spacing in Word?
The quickest way to set tab stops is to click the ruler where you want a tab. Alternatively, go to the Home tab and select Paragraph Settings in the Paragraph group. Next, select the Tabs button. Finally, set the desired Tab stop position, click Set, and click OK.
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How do I fix the spacing between bullet points in Word?
To change line spacing between bullets in a list, select the list and then click the Paragraph Dialog Box Launcher. On the Indents and Spacing tab, under Spacing, clear the Don’t add space between paragraphs of the same style check box.
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If you want to remove multiple extra spaces at once from a Word document, follow this tutorial. You have to use the Find and replace option to make the change.
Let’s assume that you have got a document you have to edit, and you have found out that there are several extra spaces between two words. Even if it has a smooth font, it isn’t easy to find additional spaces between two words. In that case, you can use Microsoft Word to remove all the additional spaces in bulk.
To remove multiple extra spaces at once using Word, follow these steps-
- Open the document with Microsoft Word.
- Click the Replace option in the Home tab.
- Enter ( ){2,} in the Find what box.
- Enter 1 in the Replace with box.
- Click the More button.
- Tick the Use wildcards box.
- Click on the Replace All button.
Open the document with Microsoft Word and click on the Replace button in the Home tab. You will see this option in the Editing section visible in the top-right corner.
After opening the Find and Replace window, enter ( ){2,} in the Find what box and 1 in the Replace with box. Now click the More button and tick the Use wildcards box.
At last, click the Replace All button to make the change in the document.
There are two drawbacks to this method. First, you won’t be able to remove more than one extra space. In other words, if you have two extra spaces between two words, it will replace only one.
If you want to replace two extra spaces, use ( ){3,} instead of ( ){2,}.
For your information, the number in Find what box increases or decreases as the number of spaces. Secondly, this method cannot remove the Tab space between two words in a Word document.
Unfortunately, the same thing is not available in Google Docs or Word Online. You can show the Paragraph marks if you cannot find one or more extra spaces in a Word document while editing.
Hope it helps.
When he is not writing about Microsoft Windows or Office, Sudip likes to work with Photoshop. He has managed the front end and back end of many websites over the years. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor’s degree.
Answer
There are a few ways to remove extra spaces between words in Microsoft Word:
- Click the Home tab and then click the AutoCorrect Options button. In the AutoCorrect Options dialog box, click the Remove tab. Under Remove Characters, select Spaces and then click OK.
- Press Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar to open the Quick Access Toolbar and then click the AutoCorrect Options button. In the AutoCorrect Options dialog box, click the Remove tab.
How to Solve Extra Spacing Problem in MS Word | Remove Extra Space | LeonsBD
How do you fix a weird space between words?
There are a few things you can do to fix a space between words. One is to use a hyphen (-) when needed. Another is to use an apostrophe (‘) when needed.
Is there supposed to be a space between and words?
There is no definitive answer to this question, as it depends on the author’s style and preferences. Some authors place a space between words, while others do not. Ultimately, it is up to the author to decide how they would like their text to look.
Why are spaces between words important?
Spaces between words are important because they help readers to understand the structure of a sentence. Without spaces, it would be difficult for readers to know where one word ends and the next begins.
Why do we double space between words?
Double spacing between words is used to improve readability and makes the text easier to follow.
When did it change from two spaces to one space after a period?
The change from two spaces to one space after a period occurred in the mid-1800s.
Is two spaces after a period wrong?
No, two spaces after a period is correct.
When did spaces between words start?
The space between words started to become more common in the Middle Ages. It was thought that it made the text look more elegant and less like a bunch of random letters.
What is a space between words called?
A space between words is called a comma.
What is the name of the space between words?
The space between words is called the hyphen.
How do you teach spaces between words?
There is no one answer to this question as it depends on the specific needs of the classroom or writing program. However, some approaches to teaching spaces between words may include having students practice spacing between words using a worksheet or game, having students read passages aloud with a space between each word, or having students write sentences with spaces between each word.
How do you teach kids to leave space between words?
This is a difficult question to answer in a short amount of time. It depends on the child and the age they are at when you are trying to teach them how to write well. For younger children, it might be helpful to have them practice writing with small letters or using block letters. This will help them learn how to space their words correctly. Additionally, parents can encourage good grammar by correcting their children when they make mistakes.
Why are my words spaced out in word?
There are a few reasons why your words may be spaced out in word. One possibility is that you’re not using the correct spacing between words. For example, if you want to space out your words so they look like they’re on one line, you should use a space after every two words instead of one. Additionally, if you’re using a software program to write, it may be spacing your words out incorrectly.
How do you encourage finger spaces?
There are a few ways to encourage finger spaces. One is to have students practice writing in different finger positions. Another is to have students practice writing with a pencil in different finger positions. Finally, you can have students practice writing words using the fingers of their opposite hand.
Why do we use finger spaces?
Finger spaces are used to indicate where one paragraph ends and the next begins.
What is space in writing?
Space in writing can be defined as a blank area on a page where text can be written.