Is it between, in between or in-between?

Updated: 3 days ago

We all know it's <Between a rock and a hard place>.

❌ Not, <In between, in-between or inbetween a rock and a hard place>.

The first – and possibly most important – thing to note is that <between> and <in-between> are words, but <inbetween> (one word, no hyphens) is not.

Here are some example uses of <between> and <in-between>:

✳ When we use <between> as a preposition that means <in the time, space or interval that separates things>, it is <between>, not <in between>.

↪ Example: The cat sat between her owner and the door 🐈

✳ But there might be instances where <in>, as part of a phrasal verb (e.g. pulled in), naturally falls before <between>.

↪ Example: She pulled in between the Mini and the bicycle 🚗 🚲

✳ You can use <in between> when it is a preposition without an object.

↪ Example: She has tattoos on her back, her legs and everywhere in between 🎨

✳ <In-between> is correct when used as a compound adjective.

↪ Example: She was growing her fringe out and it was at that awkward in-between stage where she had to clip it back 👱‍♀️

✳ <In-between> is also correct when you are using it as a noun meaning intermediate.

↪ Example: It is a tournament for professionals, amateurs and in-betweens 🎾

Don't want to worry about <between> or other words that could trip you up?

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