When you write a sentence then place the punctuation at the end, do you hit the spacebar once or twice? I am here to tell you today that you only need to hit the bar one time. Yes, people, once! Think of all the time you will save! Well, maybe not that much, but your written content will look more professional, cleaner, and modern.
One space at the end of a sentence is the newer, more efficient, and most importantly, correct practice. We all used to tap tap after the period because that is what we were taught, but the custom is old-fashioned, and not in a retro cool way, but in more of a grass-stained New Balance with faded jorts way. (No offense, Dads.)
Writing style is something you are free to make your own. Your voice, sentence length, and even some of your punctuation use, are a few components of your personal style. Consistency is the key to labeling your ways as your style. Some things, however, are just behind the times, like two spaces after a sentence, but I encourage you to do your own research.
Visit some websites of brands you respect and notice their style and format. Do they use two spaces or one? I’m not saying you won’t find two spaces after a sentence, but it won’t be in modern, large-scale publishing or in brands we all know and love, because most have evolved.
Until and even through the twentieth century, publishers and printers (not the plugin kind but the breathing, human type) used two spaces for clarity. It was then taught in schools when typewriters were the rage, and it even continued through our use of word processors and then computers, but it has fizzled out.
Old habits, right? They truly are difficult to stop. When I went to college in 2014, I was taught not to tap twice after a sentence, and it felt weird. I was in a constant fight with my muscle memory causing me to put serious effort into including only one space after the period, question mark, or exclamation point. It took some time until I was used to it, and it also took some time for me to see it on paper as normal.
Try it. Be modern. Be clean. Tap only once!
Read more about the history of using two spaces in this Master Class article by clicking HERE.