Fun Filled or Fun-Filled – Which Is Correct?

Do you know the hyphen rules like the back of your hand?

Chances are, if you don’t, you’re going to struggle to know the difference between “fun filled” and “fun-filled.”

Luckily, this article will help you. We’ll teach you the correct spelling so you don’t have to worry about getting it wrong.

Fun Filled or Fun-Filled?

“Fun-filled” is grammatically correct. You should always hyphenate it because it is a compound adjective. It almost always comes directly before a noun, but it should still be hyphenated even if it comes after a noun. “Fun filled” as two words is incorrect.

You should always pay attention to the position of compound adjectives. This usually gives you a hint as to whether it should be hyphenated or not.

Generally, “fun-filled” comes before or after a noun. Here are two examples showing you what we mean:

  • The fun-filled experience is about to begin. I cannot wait to see what they’ve got on offer this year.
  • The day itself will be fun-filled. We’ve got to make the most of it, so I expect to see you early!

As you can see, “experience” is the noun in sentence one, and “day” is the noun in sentence two. Since both are modified by “fun-filled,” it makes sense to hyphenate it.

Unfortunately, for that same reason, “fun filled” is never correct. It’s best to keep the hyphen involved, as you’ll almost always find “fun-filled” comes directly before a noun.

Fun Filled

“Fun filled” is incorrect as two words. Unfortunately, it’s too jarring to find a suitable way to fit into a sentence.

It’s not a common way to write the compound adjective. After all, the inclusion of the hyphen helps you to spell it more clearly.

Here are some examples to show you what we mean:

  • Correct: It’s going to be a fun-filled day, and I can’t wait for you to experience these things.
  • Incorrect: Jon is a fun filled person. He knows exactly what to do to get the most out of every situation.

Even if you include “fun filled” after a noun, it’s still correct to include the hyphen. For instance:

  • Correct: This experience is fun-filled. I’m sure you’ll find the best way to enjoy it.
  • Incorrect: Their time will be fun filled. You can count on us to show them how to have fun.

Fun-Filled

It is always correct to include the hyphen. “Fun-filled” is the correct compound adjective form, so you should stick to including it in your writing.

According to AP Style guidelines, two (or more) words hyphenate when they modify the same noun. Therefore, it’s appropriate to group “fun” and “filled” together as they both modify one word.

For example:

  • You’re going to have a fun-filled time. Trust me; you won’t find anything quite like this elsewhere.
  • It’ll be a fun-filled weekend. I’ve got so many ideas that’ll make this as fun as possible for you!

As you can see, the hyphen helps to make things clearer for the reader. We always recommend including it if you’re trying to demonstrate how a compound adjective works.

Conclusion

It’s only correct to hyphenate “fun-filled.” You should avoid writing it as two words, as there is never an appropriate time to do so.

To keep things as simple as possible, remember:

“Fun-filled” is correct. “Fun filled” is incorrect. Always hyphenate this adjective if you’re unsure!