Select the text object or paragraphs you want to format.
Last updated on
Oct 25, 2026
Learn how to use automatic hyphenation settings and composition methods to control how text breaks across lines.
Use hyphenation and composition settings to create balanced, professional-looking text layouts.
Hyphenation controls determine where words break at the ends of lines, while composition methods determine how Illustrator distributes text across paragraphs. Automatic hyphenation settings control which words can break and where breaks occur. The No Break option prevents specific words or phrases from splitting across lines. Composition methods determine how Illustrator evaluates and optimizes line breaks across single lines or entire paragraphs. These settings apply only to Roman characters and don't affect double-byte characters in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean fonts.
You can apply hyphenation settings to entire text objects or to selected paragraphs, giving you precise control over text appearance in different parts of your design.
Configure automatic hyphenation
Select Window > Type > Paragraph to open the Paragraph panel.
Select Hyphenate in the Paragraph panel to enable automatic hyphenation.
For advanced control, select the Paragraph panel menu icon and choose Hyphenation.
In the Hyphenation dialog, set Words Longer Than to specify the minimum character count for hyphenated words.
Set After First and Before Last values to control how many characters must appear before or after a hyphen.
Set Hyphen Limit to specify the maximum number of consecutive hyphenated lines. Enter 0 for no limit.
Adjust Hyphenation Zone to control how close words can be hyphenated to the right margin (applies only with Single-line Composer).
Deselect Hyphenate Capitalized Words if you want to prevent proper nouns and other capitalized words from hyphenating.
Select OK to apply your hyphenation settings.
To change the hyphenation dictionary, select a language from the Language menu in the Character panel.
Tip
Setting the language in Edit > Preferences > Hyphenation (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > Hyphenation (macOS) changes the default language for all new text.
Add exceptions to the hyphenation dictionary
Select Edit > Preferences > Hyphenation (Windows) or Illustrator > Preferences > Hyphenation (macOS).
Type the word you want to add in the New Entry box.
Select Add to include the word in the exceptions list.
Exception words override the default hyphenation dictionary.
Prevent specific words from breaking
Select the characters, words, or phrases you want to keep together on a single line.
Select Window > Type > Character to open the Character panel if it's not already visible.
Select the Character panel menu icon and choose No Break.
Note
Applying No Break to large amounts of text can cause unexpected wrapping. Applying it to more than one line prevents that text from displaying.
Choose a composition method
Select the text object to apply the composition method to all paragraphs, or insert the cursor in a specific paragraph to affect only that paragraph.
Select Window > Type > Paragraph to open the Paragraph panel if it's not already visible.
Select the Paragraph panel menu icon and choose either Adobe Every-line Composer or Adobe Single-line Composer.
Understanding composition methods
Composition methods determine how Illustrator calculates line breaks using your hyphenation and justification settings.
Every-line Composer evaluates multiple lines together to create balanced paragraphs. It adjusts earlier lines to improve later line breaks and minimizes unnecessary hyphenation.
Single-line Composer evaluates one line at a time, giving you more predictable manual control. It favors longer lines and adjusts spacing before using hyphenation in justified text.
For detailed information about other Paragraph panel options, see Paragraph panel overview.
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