1.2.1-15 Inter-Word Spacing

Consistent spacing between the words of displayed text should be maintained, with left justification of lines and ragged right margins. A minimum of one character width (capital N for proportional spacing) should be used between words.

Additional Information:
Reading is easier with constant spacing, which outweighs the advantage of an even right margin achieved at the cost of uneven (nonproportional) spacing. Uneven spacing is a greater problem with narrow column formats than with wide columns. Uneven spacing handicaps poor readers more than good readers. Full justification slows reading time and should only be employed if it can be achieved by variable spacing, maintaining constant proportional differences in spacing between and within words, and consistent spacing between words in a line.