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- Microsoft Word will begin flagging two spaces after a period as an error, a long-running debate that's been met with both excitement and criticism.
- The company recently started testing the change in the desktop version of Word.
- Those who prefer typing two spaces instead of one will be able to adjust Word's preferences accordingly.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Microsoft is putting its foot down in the age-old debate about whether it's correct to put one or two spaces after a period.
Microsoft Word's Editor function is getting a new feature that flags two spaces after a period as an error, according to The Verge. The company recently started testing this change in the desktop version of Word, as some Twitter users have noticed in recent days.
The one versus two-space debate has been raging on for years, probably for about as long as we've been typing on modern computers. A study from of Skidmore College in 2018 even sought to answer the question, with the results finding that two spaces were in fact better.
As you might expect, the change in Microsoft Word created quite the stir on Twitter. Some found the update frustrating, while others viewed it as much-needed validation.
Tweet Embed://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1253282379583676416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
To whoever pushed a Microsoft Word update to my computer in the middle of a pandemic that decided two spaces after a period is wrong: pic.twitter.com/7OdRKJuhPMTweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1253769749202382849?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
microsoft word decided that two spaces after a period is now an error and honestly i feel like that's the best thing that'll come out of 2020Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1251645000909090816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I don't usually tweet my frustrations, but I'm really pissed. Microsoft WORD now considers two spaces after a period to be an error.
WHAT THE HELL IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?!Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1252232746870558721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A big win for the one-spacers; two spaces after a period is now an error in Word. 🧐https://t.co/kxjLUeMB5STweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1253178601584971778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
I hate how Microsoft Word is now correcting my two spaces after the end of a sentence. THIS IS HOW I WAS TAUGHT BACK IN THE 90's OKAY!?!?!Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1253000212001497090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Absolutely delighted that Microsoft word is now marking two spaces after the full stop as errors.
About bloody time.
If you're still advocating for two spaces instead of one, you'll be able to change this setting, as Lifehacker notes. There's a "Writing Style" in Microsoft Word's grammar settings that enables you to tell the program not to check for spaces after periods at all, or set it to "two space."
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