Formatting Issues

How to Add Special Characters Between Words in Word Using Wildcards

Emma Brown Sep 30, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to insert a special character, such as a dot or hyphen, between specific word intervals (like every second or third word) within a paragraph.

How to Add Special Characters Between Words Using Wildcards in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Automatically formatting text by inserting repeating separator characters using advanced search parameters.
Observed behavior: The text lacks the desired special characters between word groupings, requiring an automated wildcard Find and Replace solution to bypass manual typing.

Before you start

It is highly recommended to test the wildcard pattern on a small, selected portion of text first, as incorrect Find and Replace strings can drastically alter your document formatting.

Solution 1Recommended

Insert Special Characters Between Every Two Words

Use this wildcard grouping to identify pairs of words and automatically insert a character between them.

This method utilizes wildcard grouping. By placing sets of words into parentheses, Word can remember them as distinct groups and arrange them in the replacement text alongside your new special characters.

Open Find and Replace

Press Ctrl + H on your keyboard to open the Find and Replace dialog box.

Enable Wildcards

Click on the 'More >>' button to expand the options, then check the 'Use wildcards' box.

Input the Find Pattern

In the 'Find what' box, type (\<*\> ) (\<*\>) exactly as shown. Ensure there is a space after the first group. This tells Word to look for any two consecutive words.

Input the Replacement Pattern

In the 'Replace with' box, type \1 · \2 (you can replace the middle dot with a hyphen, slash, or any character you need). This keeps both words but inserts the symbol between them.

Execute Replacement

Click 'Replace' to test the first occurrence, or 'Replace All' to apply the formatting throughout the selected text.

Insert Special Characters Between Every Two Words

Understanding the Syntax: The \<*\> syntax matches any complete word. The parentheses () group the words, and \1, \2 refer to the first and second matched groups in your replacement text.

Solution 2

Insert Special Characters Between Every Three Words

Expand the wildcard pattern to identify sets of three words for character insertion.

Efficient Document Formatting

Use Advanced Find and Replace in WPS Writer

WPS Office offers a robust Writer application with advanced Find and Replace capabilities, fully supporting wildcard operations for complex text formatting.

1. Open WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your text document in the Writer application.
2. Launch Find and Replace: Press Ctrl + H to open the Find and Replace dialog window.
3. Enable Wildcard Search: Click 'Options' at the bottom of the dialog box and check the 'Use wildcards' option.
4. Execute the Replacement: Enter your word grouping parameters (e.g., (\<*\> ) (\<*\>)) and replacement formatting, then click 'Replace All'.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx) formats and layouts.Supports advanced wildcard Find and Replace parameters exactly like Word.Free, lightweight, and user-friendly interface.Available across Windows, Mac, and Linux platforms.

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the Find and Replace tool not locating any words?

Ensure that you have checked the 'Use wildcards' box in the search options. Wildcard expressions like \<*\> will not be recognized as special commands if this setting is disabled, and Word will look for literal text instead.

Can I use different special characters instead of a dot?

Yes. In the 'Replace with' box, you can replace the middle character in the string (\1 · \2) with any symbol you prefer, such as a hyphen (-), pipe (|), or asterisk (*).

What does the \< and \> symbol mean in a wildcard search?

In Word wildcards, \< marks the beginning of a word and \> marks the end of a word. When combined with an asterisk (*), which stands for any character, the full sequence \<*\> explicitly searches for complete words.

How do I undo the Find and Replace action if it formats incorrectly?

You can immediately press Ctrl + Z on your keyboard or click the Undo arrow in the quick access toolbar to revert the 'Replace All' action and return the text to its original state.

Document & File Issues