Composition

Hyphenation Ladders

A hyphenation ladder is a run of consecutive lines ending in hyphens beyond the publication’s tolerated limit.

Reviewed 2026-08-20Configurable composition conventionContext required
CategoryComposition
Rule strengthConfigurable composition convention
Locale applicabilityall
Avellio detectionSupported
Issue identifiersHYPHENATION
Correction authorityManual composition review only.

Definition

Hyphenation can improve spacing and rag, but too many consecutive hyphenated lines form a visible ladder. The acceptable maximum differs by measure, genre, and house style.

BAD vs GOOD

BAD
Three-line ladder

inter- nation- aliza- tion

GOOD
Distributed endings

Recompose so hyphenated endings do not form a conspicuous run.

Why it matters

A dense ladder can interrupt reading and signal over-constrained composition.

Rule strength

Configurable composition convention. This is not an absolute linguistic law; locale, genre, content, and house style can change the correct decision.

Exceptions and editorial considerations

  • Very narrow columns and technical language may make strict limits impractical.
  • Disabling hyphenation can create worse spacing or rag.

How to fix it manually

  1. Confirm correct paragraph language and dictionary.
  2. Adjust hyphenation settings at style level.
  3. Edit copy or measure where justified.
  4. Inspect word spacing and downstream reflow.

Adobe InDesign guidance

Set language and hyphenation in paragraph styles. Compare Paragraph Composer results before inserting discretionary or no-break controls.

How Avellio detects it

Avellio emits HYPHENATION when consecutive hyphenated line endings exceed the configured limit.

Action safety

Manual composition review only.

Check this automatically in Adobe InDesign

Language and locale differences

all

Dictionary, compound-word, and acceptable ladder behavior depends on assigned language and publisher settings.

Compare all published language and locale guides.

Authoritative references

  1. Avellio User Manual — Complete issue identifier referenceAvellio product source
  2. Adobe InDesign — Control hyphenation and word breaksAdobe documentation
  3. Adobe InDesign — Set text compositionAdobe documentation
  4. Unicode Standard Annex #14 — Unicode Line Breaking AlgorithmUnicode standard

Avellio references document product behavior. External standards and authorities support the general or locale-specific typographic guidance. Where traditions disagree, this page states the disagreement instead of manufacturing one universal rule.