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If words look too far apart in Word, click in the affected paragraph and select Home > Align Left. Justified alignment is a common cause: Word stretches spaces between words so both paragraph edges line up. If left alignment does not help, show formatting marks to check for extra spaces or tabs.
First, check the paragraph alignment
Click anywhere in the paragraph with the wide gaps, then choose Home > Align Left. When text is justified, Word adds space between words to align both edges of each line with the margins. The last line of a justified paragraph remains left-aligned, so the spacing may be most noticeable on the lines above it. Microsoft explains how alignment and justification work in Word.
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If the gaps close after you select Align Left, the paragraph’s alignment—not extra typed spaces—was the cause. You can leave it left-aligned or choose another alignment that suits the document.
Check whether the gaps are actual characters
If the spaces still look wrong, turn on Show/Hide from the Home tab. Word displays spaces as dots, tabs as arrows, and paragraph endings as paragraph marks. These marks are formatting aids; they do not print. Delete confirmed extra spaces or tabs, not the marks that represent them. See Microsoft’s guidance on showing or hiding tab marks and displaying formatting marks.
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On Windows, formatting-mark preferences are available under File > Options > Display. On Mac, Microsoft documents them under Word > Preferences > View. The exact options can vary by Word version.
Remove repeated spaces with Find and Replace
For repeated literal spaces, use Find and Replace rather than editing every occurrence by hand. Open the Find and Replace controls, search for the repeated space, and review matches before replacing them. Microsoft recommends using Replace when you want to confirm each match; use Replace All only when you have checked the results and can recover the original document if needed.
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Word also supports special-character and wildcard searches, but options can differ by platform and search settings. Avoid relying on a wildcard pattern unless you have verified it for your version. Microsoft’s Find and Replace instructions cover the available search and replacement controls.
If the letters inside words are spread out
Wide gaps between letters are a different issue from wide gaps between words. Select the affected text, open the Font dialog, choose Advanced, and inspect Spacing. The Expanded and Condensed settings change spacing across selected characters. Kerning adjusts particular letter pairs, while scaling changes character shapes horizontally. These controls affect character appearance, not paragraph justification. See Microsoft’s instructions for changing spaces between text in Word.
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When the extra space is between lines or paragraphs
If the problem is vertical—extra room between lines or paragraphs—adjust line spacing or paragraph spacing instead. Use the Home tab’s line-spacing controls or change the paragraph’s before-and-after spacing. Word also provides document-wide paragraph-spacing presets under Design > Paragraph Spacing. These settings change vertical spacing; they do not directly fix horizontal gaps between words. Microsoft documents line and paragraph spacing and spacing between paragraphs.
If the spacing changed after pasting or deleting text
When the issue starts after a paste or deletion, check Word’s smart cut-and-paste settings. Microsoft documents an option named Adjust sentence and word spacing automatically, which can remove extra spaces when deleting text or add spaces when pasting from the clipboard. The setting’s location can vary by Word version. See Microsoft’s paste-formatting options.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Quick diagnosis by where the gap appears
| What looks too far apart | First thing to check | Relevant Word control |
|---|---|---|
| Words across a line | Whether the paragraph is justified | Home > Align Left |
| Specific word gaps that remain after changing alignment | Visible extra spaces or tabs | Show/Hide, then careful editing or Find and Replace |
| Letters within words | Expanded or condensed character spacing | Font dialog > Advanced > Spacing |
| Space above, below, or between lines | Line or paragraph spacing | Home line-spacing controls or paragraph settings |
Word’s ribbon labels and settings paths differ across Windows, Mac, and web versions. If a named option is not in the same place, look for its equivalent in your version’s alignment, font, display, or paragraph controls.
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