Latent Print presents Styleguide Wednesday, a post each Wednesday featuring an editorial convention from the world of styleguides. View previous Latent Print moments of stylebook study and reflection here. This week features how to break a URL or email address.
The AP offers simple guidance on the issue: When it doesn't fit, break it. Add no new elements.
Chicago goes a step further to rescue readers from possible ambiguities arising at the break. Verse 6.17 asks us to break URLs before periods. Verse 7.44 instructs likewise for URLs and email addresses and advises, as does AP, not to hyphenate the break and to not break at a hyphen.
The first edition of Wired Style explains hyphen-aided breaks in email addresses: "This makes it unclear whether the hyphen is part of the address." On the email @, Chicago and Wired disagree. Chicago above, Wired below.
To facilitate the clean break, we're to look between elements of the URL or email address but can break syllables with a soft return if necessary. For Chicago's summary of the convention turn to verse 17.11.
The logic aims to not invite confusion at the line break. These are conventions, break as you please. Any clever line breakers out there want to comment?
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