Widows, Orphans, Runt Lines and Hanging Conjunctions: What Do They Mean?

What is text formatting?

This includes factors such as typeface, font size, text style, line spacing, indents and paragraphs, margins, colours, lists and numbering. As a general rule, text should be justified and have 1.5 line spacing. Font sizes of 11–14 points are commonly used.

What is line breaking?

Its main purpose is to ensure a smooth reading experience and eliminate unwanted effects such as widows, orphans, runt lines and hanging conjunctions. When breaking text into lines, consider the following:

• line length − lines that are too long can make reading more difficult, while lines that are too short can distract the reader. An average line length of around 60–70 characters is often recommended, although this can vary depending on the typeface and font size.
• word breaks − words should be divided at appropriate points to avoid incorrect breaks that make reading more difficult. One example of a poor break is when a single letter appears at the end of a line and the rest of the word continues on the next line. Correct word division is essential for maintaining readability.

Typographic errors

The following are common line-breaking errors, described in words. Check whether any of them appear in your text.

Runt line

A typographic error in which a very short line, such as a single-word line, is left at the end of a paragraph.

Widow

A final line of a paragraph that is stranded at the top of a new column or page, separated from the rest of the paragraph.

Hanging conjunction

A short conjunction, preposition or other function word left at the end of a line. This is mainly treated as a visual issue in English, where such words are generally allowed at line endings.

Orphan

The first line of a paragraph left at the bottom of the previous column or page, separated from the rest of the paragraph.

Formatting and line breaking on websites

Hanging conjunctions often appear in web content and are generally acceptable. If you still want to control them, HTML codes can be helpful. The most useful and commonly used codes for formatting and line breaking include:

• <h1> </h1> − first-level heading;
• <h2> </h2> − second-level heading;
• <h3> </h3> − third-level heading;
•  <b> </b> − bold text;
• <i> </i> − italic text;
• <u> </u> − underlined text;
• <br> − line break;
• <li> − list item;
• &nbsp; − non-breaking space;
• <wbr> − optional line break, used only when necessary.

Although web content is formatted somewhat differently from text saved in files or prepared for print, it is still important to consider its visual appeal and ensure that it does not contain widows, orphans, runt lines or hanging conjunctions.