Users of the Word program may sooner or later encounter a problem such as a large gap between words. This problem is quite well studied and there are many ways to solve it. But in this article we will talk about only one way - how to make an inextricable space in Word 2007. This function is very useful, especially if the problem quite often bothers you.
Non-breaking space: hot keys and their purpose
As mentioned above, in order to save yourself from the problem when long spaces are entered when printing text in Word, you need to use a special space. We’ll talk about how to make an inextricable space in Word.
In order not to beat around the bush, you should immediately say that for entering such a space there is a special key combination - CTRL + SHIFT + SPACEBAR. You can try to press it yourself. Of course, if you did not have a problem with long spaces, then you will not notice the difference (between regular and inextricable spaces). However, you can use this method everywhere to protect yourself from incorrect document formatting.
Now you know how to make an inextricable space in the Word, however, not everyone can remember such a combination, or it will just be inconvenient to enter it every time. To make life easier, you can use the reassignment of these hot keys. We’ll talk about this now.
You need to get to the "Special Characters" menu. To do this, go to the "Insert" tab, select "Symbols" and click "Other". Now in the window go to the tab we need - “Special characters”. Now in the list, find the line "Non-breaking space". Double-click on the "Keyboard Shortcut" field and enter your preferred combination.
Now you know not only how to make an inextricable space in Word, but also how to assign a key to it yourself. But this is not all that I would like to talk about.
Setting AutoCorrect
If you still feel uncomfortable when you press a combination of the given keys, then there is another way of making an inextricable space in Word. It consists in the appointment of AutoCorrect. This is a very useful option not only for printing an inextricable space.
To begin with, you will need to put on the clipboard (in simple words, copy) the desired element, in our case, an inextricable space. After that, you need to go to the already familiar menu "Special characters". In this window, click on the "AutoCorrect" button, which is located below.
Now in front of you is the AutoCorrect window. You need to enter in the field "Replace" those characters that will be replaced by an inextricable space, and in the field "On" insert the same space. Be sure to check the "Plain text" box. After that, click the "Add" button.
So you have learned how to make an inextricable gap in the Word, how to use it, it's up to you. Now let's talk about a special space.
Special space
The principle of how to make an inextricable space in Word is very similar to creating a special character. At least the essence is practically the same. Use a special character if you want to specify a specific distance between letters or words. This symbol, by the way, is called Narrow non-break space.
So, to set this symbol, you need to open the table of all symbols. Now in the "Font" drop-down list, select "Plain Text", and in the "Set" list, select "Punctuation Marks". Now, among all the many different characters, find the one you need - Narrow non-break space. If anything, its name is displayed above the "AutoCorrect" button.
Having found the symbol, click the "Insert" button, after which the symbol will be inserted into the location you specified. If you are wondering why this function can be useful, then it is great for entering dates. Thus, the numbers "2017" will be written next to the word "Year", and they cannot be pushed back.
View non-printable characters
Everything we talked about in this article was about non-printable characters. As their name implies, they are invisible in the text. But there is a special option in the program that allows you to display them. This is the corresponding button on the top panel of the program. In the image you can see its location and the icon itself.
After clicking this button, all non-printable characters will be displayed in the text , and if you need to interact with them, then only this way you can do it.
By the way, the article gave examples for the 2007 version of the Word, but if you are wondering how to make an inextricable space in the Word 2010, then this instruction should also suit you.