Here are some common uses of the hyphen:
* Joining words to form compound words: Examples: *long-term*, *well-being*, *self-made*.
* Indicating a range of numbers or dates: *1990-1995*, *pages 10-20*.
* Creating compound adjectives: *state-of-the-art*, *easy-to-use*, *two-sided*.
* Creating compound nouns: *mother-in-law*, *brother-in-law*, *passer-by*.
* Splitting words at the end of a line: This is usually done when a word is too long to fit on the line.
Note: The hyphen is not the same as the dash. The en dash is longer than a hyphen and is used to indicate a range of numbers or dates, and to separate related words. The em dash is even longer and is used to indicate a break in thought or a pause in the sentence.