Is it between, in between or in-between?

Photo by Jonny Clow on Unsplash

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.