There are a few things in English that can be cause for concern for learners over time. Hyphens are one of those problems. We’ll look at the detail oriented hyphen rule today to see whether it is detail-oriented or detail oriented. It’ll help answer the simple question, is detail oriented hyphenated?
Detail Oriented Or Detail-Oriented – Hyphenated Or Not?
You should hyphenate detail-oriented when you are using it to modify a noun or object in a sentence. You should leave detail oriented unhyphenated when you are not modifying a noun instead of using it as its own noun. However, with the English language constantly evolving, the unhyphenated spelling is being phased out. More people expect to read “detail-oriented” regardless of the language rules.
Examples Of When To Use “Detail Oriented”
We’ll start by covering the unhyphenated version. Officially, it is grammatically correct to leave “detail oriented” unhyphenated when we’re using it as a noun and not modifying an object directly in a clause. However, in all of these examples that we’re about to provide, you can easily replace each unhyphenated word with the hyphenated word “detail-oriented,” and people wouldn’t mind.
- I am very detail oriented.
- I pride myself on being detail oriented.
- We are detail oriented.
- She is detail oriented.
- You can’t be more detail oriented.
Examples Of When To Use “Detail-Oriented”
The most common way to write it is to include the hyphen throughout. Even in the examples above, we almost always see hyphenations between “detail” and “oriented.” If you’re writing “detail-oriented” in a resume or a CV, you should just make sure to hyphenate it. You will never be wrong as long as you follow that rule.
- He is a detail-oriented person.
- This is a detail-oriented position.
- You have to be a detail-oriented candidate.
- This is a detail-oriented subject.
- We’re all detail-oriented people.
Is Detail Oriented Hyphenated AP Style?
AP style shows that all hyphenated words are just joint words that are closely linked. We use these close connections between words to help us determine the meaning, and they’re often used to modify nouns or objects in sentences. If no noun or object is present and modified, then no hyphens are needed between the words.
Should I Capitalize “Oriented” In The Word “Detail-Oriented”?
If you’re already finding yourself a little confused with hyphens, you might be even more confused when it comes to title capitalization. We’re taught seemingly contradicting ideas about capitalizing titles, and it would help to learn more specifically what to look out for with hyphenated words. The truth is that the words you capitalize in your title are entirely up to you and your personal style.
Some people like to capitalize only the first word of a title and any proper nouns. If this is the case for you, then “oriented” will never be capitalized in “detail-oriented.” Other people like to capitalize every major word in a title, leaving out only articles, short conjunctions, and short prepositions. In this style, you’ll capitalize “detail” but leave “oriented” lower case as it’s continuing from the word.
The final style is growing in popularity recently and involves capitalizing every word in it. In this style, both “detail” and “oriented” are capitalized no matter what, so it’s the easiest style rule to remember.
Alternatives To “Detail Oriented”
If you’re not fond of remembering the hyphenation rules, don’t worry! There’s one other thing you can do. Finding an alternative to a word is a great way to stop worrying about hyphenation rules! Let’s look at some of the best examples to replace “detail-oriented” if you ever have to write it yourself.
- meticulous
- exact
- rigorous
- analytical
- perfectionist
Quiz – Detail Oriented Or Detail-Oriented?
Now we’ve covered all the language rules associated with hyphenation; it’s time to put our new skills to the test. We’ll run you through a quick quiz to see what you’ve learned from our article. You can check out the answers at the end to see how well you did.
- I am a (A. detail oriented / B. detail-oriented) person.
- We are all (A. detail oriented / B. detail-oriented) here.
- This is a (A. detail oriented / B. detail-oriented) position.
- I’ve never met someone more (A. detail oriented / B. detail-oriented).
- I have a (A. detail oriented / B. detail-oriented) job.
Quiz Answers
- B
- A
- B
- A
- B