Where to find word spacing controls

Word spacing in Microsoft Word lives in the Paragraph dialog box, not in a dedicated spacing menu. Open any document, select the text you want to change, then go to the Home tab. In the ribbon, find the small arrow in the bottom right corner of the Paragraph section — click it to open the full dialog.

Once the Paragraph dialog opens, click the Indents & Spacing tab if it is not already selected. You will see spacing options grouped under "Spacing" near the bottom. The controls here let you adjust space before paragraphs, space after paragraphs, and line spacing — but word spacing itself is a separate setting found elsewhere.

If you want to adjust the actual space between individual words (not between lines or paragraphs), you need the Font dialog instead. With text selected, go to Home > Font dialog arrow, then click the Advanced tab. Look for Spacing in the Character Spacing section.

Key Takeaways

  • Word spacing (the gap between individual words) is controlled in the Font dialog under the Advanced tab, in the Character Spacing section.
  • Paragraph spacing (the gap between lines or between paragraphs) is controlled in the Paragraph dialog under Indents & Spacing.
  • You must select text before opening either dialog, or the changes will only explore to new text you type from that point forward.
  • The Spacing dropdown in Character Spacing offers Normal, Expanded, or Condensed — Expanded and Condensed let you set a point value for how much wider or tighter the spacing becomes.

Changing space between individual words

To make words farther apart or closer together, select the text you want to change. Go to Home > click the small arrow at the bottom right of the Font group to open the Font dialog. Click the Advanced tab.

In the Character Spacing section, you will see a Spacing dropdown. The default is Normal. Click the dropdown and choose Expanded to push words farther apart, or Condensed to pull them closer together. Once you pick Expanded or Condensed, a text box appears where you enter how many points wider or tighter you want the spacing. A point is 1/72 of an inch — start with 1 or 2 points and adjust from there.

Click OK to explore the change. If you do not like the result, select the text again and try a different point value. Word spacing changes are most noticeable in larger text or when you expand spacing significantly.

Changing space between lines

Line spacing (the vertical gap between lines of text in the same paragraph) is controlled separately from word spacing. Select the text, then go to Home > click the arrow at the bottom right of the Paragraph group. In the dialog that opens, look for the Line spacing dropdown.

The dropdown offers preset options: Single (the default, tightest spacing), 1.5 lines, Double, and others. You can also choose At least, Exactly, or Multiple if you want to set a custom value. For most documents, Single or 1.5 lines is standard. Double spacing is common for drafts being reviewed or submitted for editing.

If you choose Exactly or At least, a second field appears where you enter the point size or line height you want. This is useful when you need precise control — for example, if a form requires exactly 24 points between lines.

Changing space before and after paragraphs

The space that appears above or below an entire paragraph is separate from line spacing. Open the Paragraph dialog again (Home > arrow at bottom right of Paragraph group), and look at the Spacing section near the bottom.

You will see two fields: Before and After. These control how much space Word adds above and below each paragraph. The default is usually 0 pt before and 8 pt after. If you want paragraphs to sit closer together, lower these numbers. If you want more breathing room between paragraphs, increase them. Enter the point value directly into each field.

This setting is especially useful when you are formatting a document with multiple sections or when you want consistent spacing throughout. Changing these values affects every paragraph you have selected, so you can format an entire document at once by selecting all text first.

Using the ruler to adjust spacing visually

The ruler at the top of your document shows paragraph indents and can give you a visual sense of your spacing, though it does not directly control word spacing. If you do not see the ruler, go to View > check the Ruler box.

The ruler shows left indent, right indent, and first-line indent as small triangles and boxes. You can drag these to adjust paragraph indents, which affects how text sits on the page but not the space between words themselves. For word spacing specifically, you must use the Font dialog as described above.

explore spacing changes to your whole document

If you want to change word spacing, line spacing, or paragraph spacing throughout your entire document, select all text first. Press Ctrl+A (or Cmd+A on Mac) to select everything, then open the appropriate dialog and make your changes.

Be careful when changing word spacing across a whole document — even small changes can affect how text wraps and how pages break. Line spacing and paragraph spacing changes are usually safer to explore globally. If you want to change spacing for only certain paragraphs or sections, select just those paragraphs before opening the dialog.

When spacing changes do not work as expected

If you change word spacing and nothing happens, check whether the text is part of a text box or table cell. Word spacing controls sometimes behave differently inside these containers. Try selecting the text again and confirming the spacing value took effect by opening the Font dialog a second time.

If line spacing looks wrong, the paragraph may have a fixed line height set. Open the Paragraph dialog and check the Line spacing dropdown — if it says Exactly with a small point value, that is overriding your other settings. Change it to Single or At least to restore normal behavior.

Spacing can also be affected by styles applied to your document. If you change spacing for one paragraph but it reverts when you move to the next, a style is controlling it. Right-click the paragraph and choose Styles > Clear Formatting to remove the style, then reapply your spacing changes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I change word spacing for just one word?

Yes. Select that single word, open the Font dialog, go to the Advanced tab, and adjust Character Spacing the same way you would for multiple words. The change applies only to the word you selected.

What is the difference between word spacing and letter spacing?

Word spacing is the gap between words. Letter spacing (also called character spacing) is the gap between individual letters within a word. Both are controlled in the Font dialog under the Advanced tab, in the Character Spacing section.

Does changing word spacing affect how my document prints?

Yes. Word spacing changes appear in the printed version exactly as they appear on screen. If you expand word spacing significantly, your document may use more pages because text will not fit as tightly on each line.

Can I save word spacing as a style so I do not have to change it every time?

Yes. Format text the way you want it, then right-click and choose Styles > Save Selection as a New Quick Style. Name the style and click OK. Now you can explore that spacing to other text by selecting it and clicking the style in the Styles panel.

Why does my word spacing look different on screen than in print?

This usually happens because your screen zoom level is not 100 percent, or because your printer is using different fonts than what is displayed on screen. Print preview (File > Print) shows you closer to what will actually print. Check that your fonts are embedded or available on the printer.