hyphen

library0.5.0jsnpmunverified

The `hyphen` library provides robust text hyphenation capabilities in JavaScript, based on Franklin M. Liang's widely adopted hyphenation algorithm. It leverages pre-compiled hyphenation patterns sourced from ctan.org for various languages. Currently stable at version 1.14.1, the package is primarily feature-driven with an irregular release cadence. Key differentiators include its extensive language support via separate pattern imports (e.g., `hyphen/en`, `hyphen/de`), automatic skipping of HTML tags during hyphenation, and the provision of both asynchronous (`hyphenate`) and synchronous (`hyphenateSync`) functions to suit different application contexts. Users can configure hyphenation with options for exceptions, the soft hyphen character, and minimum word length for processing.

serialization

npm install hyphen

github ↗package ↗homepage ↗

INSTALL

IMPORT

SIG · HYPHEN

hyphen

serializationjavascriptv0.5.0

Install

—

Import

—

Disk

—

Pass rate

0/ 6

Env Coverage0 / 6

glibc

18–22

musl

18–22

Install & Compatibility

Where this runs

tested against v? · npm install

Install × environment matrix

Each cell = how many times install + import succeeded across repeated harness runs. Partial = flaky.
glibc = Debian/Ubuntu slim · musl = Alpine Linux

musl

node 18–226 runs

build_error

glibc

node 18–226 runs

build_error

Code

Verified usage

Verified import paths — ran on the pinned version, not inferred.

hyphenate

✓ import { hyphenate } from 'hyphen/en';

✗ const { hyphenate } = require('hyphen/en');

Hyphenation functions are imported from language-specific paths (e.g., 'hyphen/en', 'hyphen/de'). CommonJS `require` is not directly supported; use dynamic import or an ESM-aware bundler.

hyphenateSync

✓ import { hyphenateSync } from 'hyphen/de';

✗ import { hyphenate } from 'hyphen/de'; // for sync

Use `hyphenateSync` for synchronous operations. The default `hyphenate` function is asynchronous.

* as hyphenEn

✓ import * as hyphenEn from 'hyphen/en';

✗ import hyphenEn from 'hyphen/en';

Language modules export named functions (`hyphenate`, `hyphenateSync`), not a default export. Use `* as` for grouping or named imports directly.

Demonstrates asynchronous and synchronous hyphenation for English and German text, including custom options like exceptions and hyphenation character.

import { hyphenate } from "hyphen/en"; (async () => { const text = "A certain king had a beautiful garden that needed careful tending and regular watering."; // Example with custom options const options = { exceptions: ["beautiful"], // Don't hyphenate 'beautiful' hyphenChar: '·', // Use a middle dot instead of soft hyphen minWordLength: 6 // Only hyphenate words 6 characters or longer }; const result = await hyphenate(text, options); console.log(result); // Expected output (approx): "A cer·tain king had a beautiful gar·den that need·ed care·ful tend·ing and reg·u·lar wa·ter·ing." // Using the synchronous version for a different language const { hyphenateSync } = await import('hyphen/de'); const germanText = "Ein gewisser König hatte einen wunderschönen Garten, der sorgfältige Pflege und regelmäßiges Gießen benötigte."; const germanResult = hyphenateSync(germanText); console.log(germanResult); // Expected output (approx): "Ein ge·wis·ser Kö·nig hat·te einen wun·der·schö·nen Gar·ten, der sorg·fäl·ti·ge Pfle·ge und re·gel·mä·ßi·ges Gie·ßen be·nö·tig·te." })();

Debug

Known issues

gotchaThe library exports distinct asynchronous (`hyphenate`) and synchronous (`hyphenateSync`) functions. Mixing them up or attempting to `await` the synchronous version will not work as expected.

fix

Always import and use the correct function for your desired behavior: `import { hyphenate } from 'hyphen/en'` for async, and `import { hyphenateSync } from 'hyphen/en'` for sync.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaHyphenation patterns are loaded per language via specific import paths (e.g., `hyphen/en`, `hyphen/de`). Importing directly from `hyphen` (e.g., `import { hyphenate } from 'hyphen'`) will not provide the hyphenation function and will likely result in an undefined or module not found error.

fix

Ensure you import from the correct language-specific module, e.g., `import { hyphenate } from 'hyphen/en';`.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaThe default hyphenation character (`hyphenChar`) is `\u00AD` (soft hyphen), which is often invisible but indicates a potential line break. If you need a visible hyphen or a different character, you must explicitly configure it.

fix

Pass an `options` object with `hyphenChar` set to your desired character, e.g., `{ hyphenChar: '-' }` or `{ hyphenChar: '·' }`.

affects: >=1.0.0

gotchaWhen hyphenating HTML, the library attempts to skip HTML tags. However, malformed HTML or extremely complex structures might not be parsed correctly, potentially leading to hyphenation within tag attributes or unexpected places.

fix

Ensure HTML input is well-formed. For very complex or untrusted HTML, consider pre-processing the text to extract plain text segments, hyphenate them, and then re-insert into the HTML structure, or use a dedicated HTML parsing library in conjunction.

affects: >=1.0.0

Errors

Common errors & fixes

TypeError: hyphenate is not a function

Attempting to import `hyphenate` from the root `hyphen` package instead of a language-specific module, or trying to use a `require` statement in an ESM-only context.

fix

Change the import path to a language-specific module, e.g., `import { hyphenate } from 'hyphen/en';`. If using CommonJS, ensure your environment supports dynamic `import()` or switch to an ESM-aware setup.

Module not found: Can't resolve 'hyphen/en'

The package `hyphen` or its language-specific modules are not correctly installed or the build environment does not resolve ESM paths correctly.

fix

Run `npm install hyphen` or `yarn add hyphen`. Ensure your bundler (Webpack, Rollup, etc.) is configured to handle ES Modules and module resolution correctly. Check for typos in the import path.

Words are not hyphenated as expected, or too many words are hyphenated.

Misconfiguration of `exceptions`, `minWordLength`, or an incorrect language module being used.

fix

Verify the `exceptions` array contains the correct words to exclude. Adjust `minWordLength` to control the shortest words hyphenated. Ensure the correct language module (e.g., `hyphen/de` for German) is imported for the given text.

Upgrade

Version history

0.5.0latest on npm

Audit

Dependencies

No dependency data recorded yet.

Agent activity

6 hits · last 30 days

node

Resources

githubhttps://github.com/ytiurin/hyphen ↗

packagehttps://www.npmjs.com/package/hyphen ↗

homepagehttps://ytiurin.github.io/hyphen ↗