Is it 'between', 'in between' or 'in-between'?

Photo by Jonny Clow on Unsplash

Do you know when to use 'between', 'in between' and 'in-between'? Do they all exist?

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 real 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.

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Whether you’re working on a blog post, a business report or an academic paper, small details like punctuation and word choice can make a big difference to your writing. If you found this post helpful, you’ll find more practical tips on grammar, punctuation and writing in my other blogs. Or feel free to get in touch if you need professional support.