For specific listings on commonly used prefixes, see the main AP Style page.
In AP Style, you generally do not hyphenate when using a prefix with a word starting with a consonant.
There are three constant rules for AP Style hyphenation, although they yield some exceptions to first-listed spellings in Webster’s New World College Dictionary.
- Except for “cooperate” and “coordinate,” use a hyphen if the prefix ends in a vowel and the word that follows begins with the same vowel.
- Use a hyphen if the word that follows is capitalized.
- Use a hyphen to join doubled prefixes: “sub-subparagraph.”