Microtypography

Punctuation Spacing

Punctuation spacing controls whether a space is required, forbidden, or non-breaking before and after a punctuation mark.

Reviewed 2026-08-20Locale-dependent conventionContext required
CategoryMicrotypography
Rule strengthLocale-dependent convention
Locale applicabilityall
Avellio detectionSupported
Issue identifiersPUNC_SPACE_BEFOREPUNC_SPACE_AFTERREPEATED_PUNCT
Correction authorityClear Western-prose space-before cases may enter Safe Clean; a precise missing after-space may enter Review Queue; French and ambiguous contexts are guarded.

Definition

A space that is wrong in English can be required in French. Decimal marks, URLs, email addresses, abbreviations, initials, filenames, and code also create valid punctuation sequences that simple searches misclassify.

BAD vs GOOD

BAD
English error

Ready ? Yes,it is.

GOOD
English correction

Ready? Yes, it is.

Why it matters

Correct spacing preserves reading rhythm, prevents stranded punctuation, and communicates locale quality.

Rule strength

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

Exceptions and editorial considerations

  • French and some regional conventions use spaces that English does not.
  • Numeric punctuation, technical strings, and code require contextual guards.
  • Repeated punctuation can be intentional in informal or expressive copy.

How to fix it manually

  1. Resolve the paragraph locale first.
  2. Inspect the character on both sides of the mark.
  3. Use non-breaking spacing when punctuation must stay attached.
  4. Proof line breaks after correction.

Adobe InDesign guidance

Use GREP styles or Find/Change only with locale-aware scope and exclusions for numbers, URLs, email, and code-like content.

How Avellio detects it

Avellio emits PUNC_SPACE_BEFORE, PUNC_SPACE_AFTER, and REPEATED_PUNCT with locale and context guards.

Action safety

Clear Western-prose space-before cases may enter Safe Clean; a precise missing after-space may enter Review Queue; French and ambiguous contexts are guarded.

Check this automatically in Adobe InDesign

Language and locale differences

FR

Avellio’s France profile deliberately uses U+202F NNBSP before : ; ! ? and inside guillemets as one consistent detection model. External French guidance can distinguish U+00A0 NBSP before a colon from U+202F before ; ! ?; treat a documented publisher policy as authoritative when it differs.

FR CHFR CA

Swiss and Canadian French spacing can differ from France and by publisher. Do not apply the FR profile’s single NNBSP model as a universal regional rule.

EN USEN UKDEES

Ordinary prose normally has no space before sentence punctuation; exact quotation punctuation remains style-dependent.

Compare all published language and locale guides.

Authoritative references

  1. Avellio User Manual — Locale profile referenceAvellio product source
  2. Avellio User Manual — The Action LayerAvellio product source
  3. W3C — French punctuation spacingInternationalization reference
  4. W3C Internationalization — Quote marksInternationalization reference
  5. 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.