Most words containing prefixes or suffixes are written without any hyphens: antiwar, Romanesque. Here are some exceptions:
BEFORE CAPITALIZED BASE WORDS | un-American, non-Catholic |
WITH FIGURES | pre-1960, post-1945 |
WITH CERTAIN PREFIXES AND SUFFIXES | all-state, ex-partner, self-possessed, quasi-legislative, mayor-elect, fifty-odd |
WITH COMPOUND BASE WORDS | pre-high school, post-cold war |
FOR CLARITY OR EASE OF READING | re-cover, anti-inflation, troll-like |
Re-cover means “cover again”; the hyphen distinguishes it from recover, meaning “get well.” In anti-inflation and troll-like, the hyphens separate confusing clusters of vowels and consonants.