Is there a way to change the programming on my iPhone to have it put two spaces following a period at the end of the sentence instead of one. I don’t like that and it ruins the flow of what I’m writing.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
Original Title: Two spaces after sentence period
iPhone 13 Pro Max, iOS 18
I'm not aware of any way other than to tap the space bar yourself to add spaces after a period. You can program the keyboard to add a period with two taps, but not to add an extra space after the period.
Just an FYI, but the double space after a period dates back to typewriter days, but in modern times with modern keyboards, it's not considered normal to have two spaces after a period. This is from an AI Search:
"In modern typing, there should be only one space after a period, question mark, or exclamation point. This standard is supported by major style guides, including the Chicago Manual of Style, the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. The practice of using two spaces originated with manual typewriters, which used monospaced fonts where each character occupied the same amount of horizontal space, making it difficult to distinguish sentence breaks. To improve readability, an extra space was added after periods. However, computers and digital text use proportionally spaced fonts, where the width of each character is adjusted to its actual size, making the extra space unnecessary. As a result, using two spaces is now considered outdated and is discouraged in formal writing. Microsoft has even updated its Word software to flag two spaces as an error. While some individuals or institutions may still require two spaces due to tradition or personal preference, the accepted standard for contemporary writing is one space."
Since I'm of an older generation, who learned to type on a typewriter, I have personally retrained my typing to no longer add an extra space after a period. That doesn't mean "you" have to retrain yourself. Just know that it is no longer considered necessary or even normal to add the extra space.
I'm not aware of any way other than to tap the space bar yourself to add spaces after a period. You can program the keyboard to add a period with two taps, but not to add an extra space after the period.
Just an FYI, but the double space after a period dates back to typewriter days, but in modern times with modern keyboards, it's not considered normal to have two spaces after a period. This is from an AI Search:
"In modern typing, there should be only one space after a period, question mark, or exclamation point. This standard is supported by major style guides, including the Chicago Manual of Style, the Modern Language Association (MLA), the American Psychological Association (APA), and the Associated Press (AP) Stylebook. The practice of using two spaces originated with manual typewriters, which used monospaced fonts where each character occupied the same amount of horizontal space, making it difficult to distinguish sentence breaks. To improve readability, an extra space was added after periods. However, computers and digital text use proportionally spaced fonts, where the width of each character is adjusted to its actual size, making the extra space unnecessary. As a result, using two spaces is now considered outdated and is discouraged in formal writing. Microsoft has even updated its Word software to flag two spaces as an error. While some individuals or institutions may still require two spaces due to tradition or personal preference, the accepted standard for contemporary writing is one space."
Since I'm of an older generation, who learned to type on a typewriter, I have personally retrained my typing to no longer add an extra space after a period. That doesn't mean "you" have to retrain yourself. Just know that it is no longer considered necessary or even normal to add the extra space.
How to set up two spaces after sentence period instead of one on iPhone?
