What is a non breaking space?

In typography, we distinguish between normal and none breaking spaces. However, you cannot see any difference between these two types of spaces on the printed paper. In both cases, there is just a certain distance between two words.

Although, you cannot identify the none breaking space at first glance, it is still important and has its place. It is a special blank character because it keeps both words together that are on the left and on the right of the whitespace. So,  two words that are connected with such a non-breaking space may not be separated from each other and always break together into the next line in case of a linebreak.

Examples of Use

Therefore, it always makes sense to use the non-breaking blank when there are two words or characters that are inextricably linked with each other. This applies, for example, in case of numbers or values with units or a percent sign. In this case, the non-breaking space would ensure that the number will never stand alone at the end of a line while the corresponding unit symbol is written at the beginning of the next line due to a line break at this point. Instead, number and unit will always stay together.

Other examples for the usage of non-breaking blanks are abbreviations such as "e. g.", laws such as "§ 10", currency data such as "100 €" or numbers written in blocks like "1 000 0000".

If you do not use the non-breaking space at such points, you run the risk that the text wraps ugly at these locations.

Typing a none breaking Space

The non-breaking space does not have an own key on the keyboard. Instead, when using Windows, you can hold down the ALT-key while entering the digits 0160 on the number keypad in order to insert a non-breaking space. When using Mac OS, usually, you can use the key combination ALT + SPACE.

More information about inserting non-breaking space characters, you can find here:

• Use non-breaking space in OpenOffice
• Use non-breaking space in Microsoft Word
• Use non-breaking space in HTML on Websites

In addition to these programs specific advice, the key combination mentioned above, should work in almost all word processing programs.