Formatting Issues

How to Stop Microsoft Word from Creating Large Spaces Between Words

John Wilson Oct 12, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user needs to prevent Microsoft Word from adding unusually large and awkward blank spaces between words.

How to Fix Large Spaces Between Words in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting a document with justified text alignment, particularly when lines contain long words that are not hyphenated.
Observed behavior: Microsoft Word automatically stretches the line by inserting excessive space between words to force the text to align perfectly with both the left and right margins.

Before you start

Before adjusting layout settings, click the 'Show/Hide ¶' button in the Home tab to reveal hidden formatting marks. This ensures the large gaps aren't being caused by accidental multiple spaces, manual tabs, or manual line breaks (Shift + Enter).

Solution 1Recommended

Enable Automatic Hyphenation for Justified Text

This is the most effective way to maintain a straight right margin (full justification) without causing awkward, stretched spaces between words.

When text is fully justified without hyphenation enabled, long words are pushed to the next line in their entirety. This forces Word to distribute massive spaces among the remaining words on the previous line. Hyphenation allows words to break naturally at the edge of the margin.

Select the affected text

Highlight the specific paragraphs with irregular spacing, or press 'Ctrl + A' to select the entire document.

Navigate to Layout settings

Click on the 'Layout' tab (labeled as 'Page Layout' in older versions) located on the top ribbon.

Turn on Automatic Hyphenation

Click the 'Hyphenation' button in the Page Setup group and select 'Automatic' from the drop-down menu.

Insert optional hyphens manually (Alternative)

For specific stubborn words, place your text cursor where you want the word to break and press 'Ctrl + -' (the minus key on the numeric keypad) to insert an optional hyphen.

Pro Tip: Optional hyphens remain invisible unless the word actually hits the end of a line, keeping your formatting perfectly clean regardless of margin changes.

Solution 2

Switch Paragraph Alignment to Align Left

If a straight right margin is not strictly required for your document, changing the alignment to left will immediately remove the stretched spaces.

Solution 3

Reset Font Advanced Scaling Settings

Sometimes, altered font character spacing or scaling can exaggerate the appearance of spaces between words. Resetting this ensures standard text rendering.

Seamless Document Formatting

Format Justified Text Perfectly with WPS Office

WPS Writer provides intuitive typography controls to manage text alignment, character spacing, and hyphenation without awkward gaps. It's fully compatible with Microsoft Word documents, allowing you to edit and format your existing files seamlessly.

1. Open your file in WPS Writer: Launch WPS Office and open your .docx file containing the spacing issues.
2. Select the text: Highlight the paragraphs displaying the stretched, large spaces.
3. Apply automatic hyphenation: Go to the 'Page Layout' tab on the top ribbon, click 'Hyphenation', and choose 'Auto' to instantly fix the spacing.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word (.docx, .doc) formatsAdvanced typography tools for precise text justification and alignmentSmart automatic hyphenation to eliminate large spacing gapsFree, lightweight, and incredibly easy to use

microsoft office alternative - wps office

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does justifying text create such large gaps?

When text is justified, the word processor stretches each line so it touches both the left and right margins perfectly. If a line contains a few long words that cannot fit, the last word wraps to the next line, leaving the previous line with extra space that is evenly distributed between the remaining words.

Can I fix word spacing without turning on hyphenation?

Yes. The fastest way to fix the spacing without using hyphens is to switch your paragraph alignment from 'Justified' to 'Align Left'. You can also try rewriting sentences to use shorter words or adjusting the margins slightly so the text wraps differently.

Does pressing 'Shift + Enter' cause large spaces in justified text?

Yes. Using a manual line break (Shift + Enter) inside a justified paragraph forces the current line to stretch fully across the page, regardless of how few words it contains. To fix this, delete the manual break and press 'Enter' to create a standard paragraph return.

What is the shortcut to insert an optional hyphen?

You can insert an optional hyphen by pressing 'Ctrl' + '-' (the minus sign on the numeric keypad). This tells the software it's okay to break the word at that specific point only if it falls at the very end of a line.

Document & File Issues