See double? Two spaces between sentences now officially an error according to Microsoft Word

It's one space too many, says the software giant

Double spacing harks back to the typewriter era, so it's about time the rule was changed. Getty

Single-spacers can rejoice, as Microsoft Word has finally decreed that two spaces between sentences is wrong.

So anyone hitting the space bar twice after any full stop will be met with a squiggly line from now on.

Although, you may not notice the change on your programme until your software updates.

Right click on the line, and Word will suggest you change it to one space. Of course, you can always choose to ignore the suggestion, but this will now be classified as an official typographical error.

The change was first noticed by University of Denver law professor Alan Chen.

It's something that's bound to ruffle some feathers. One Twitter user replied to Chen's message with this: "Never submit. There should always be two spaces unless you need to cut down to fit in the 280 limit. Readability improves with two spaces."

While another chimed in with this: "For years I was a proponent of two spaces after a period. When I wrote for David Petraeus he was militant about it. Today I'm proud I was convinced (about two years ago) by the excellent arguments of the one-spacers."

Why does anyone use double spaces?

It's an issue that enrages many a copy editor. Yet, surprisingly, quite a few still do it.

The habit harks back to yesteryear, when typists using typewriters, which relied on monospaced type, needed to define the space between sentences more clearly.

With the advent of computers and online news sites, the need for this has clearly been eradicated. Yet some insist on continuing to hit that space bar twice, arguing that it improves readability (something studies have not been able to categorically prove right or wrong).

We know this is a stylistic choice that may not be the preference for all writers

The debate has raged between writers for decades, even though very few editorial style guides actually advise using two spaces.

Thankfully, Microsoft Word has now issued their final word on the argument. Or the team has at least provided us with a strong suggestion.

Kirk Gregersen, Microsoft's partner director of programme management, explained in a statement to technology website The Verge: "As the crux of the great spacing debate, we know this is a stylistic choice that may not be the preference for all writers, which is why we continue to test with users and enable these suggestions to be easily accepted, ignored or flat out dismissed in Editor."

So, basically, anyone unable to move on from their double-spacing ways can choose to ignore it once or remove it from the programme's list of errors.