Learn English – Timestep, time step, time-step: Which variant to use

compoundshyphenation

I am writing a piece on integration of differential equations.
One of the words that I have to use frequently is "timestep" (however it is written), i.e. a step forward in the "simulated" time.

There seem to be three variants:

  • "time step"
  • "timestep"
  • "time-step"

The wikipedia article one Verlet integration in fact uses all three (!) of these variants.

Is there a context in which one is preferred over the other?
How do I decide which one to use?

Best Answer

A general remark on hyphens from Longman English Grammar by Aleander

1 There are no precise rules.

2 When short nouns are joined together, they form one word without a hyphen (a teacup). But this may lead to problems of recognition, therefore bus stop, not busstop.

3 Hyphens are often used for verb + particle combinations as in make-up.

4 When a compound is accepted as a single word, i.e. it has an entry in a dictionary, the tendency is to write it as one word (sunbathing).

5 In other cases the use of the hyphen is at the discretion of the writer, writing paper or writing-paper.

6 But the tendency is to avoid hyphens where possible.

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