Template:Soft hyphen/doc

Function
This template inserts &shy;, which is a. A soft hyphen is an "optional" hyphen– a point at which a word may be broken over the end of a line, with a visible hyphen inserted at line end. The ultimate decision as to whether a particular word will be broken is made by the browser, and depends on a combination of text-layout heuristics, user preferences set in the browser, and hyphenation options embedded in the page being displayed. (Different browsers apply different heuristics, and some browsers ignore soft hyphens completely.)

Individual insertions
Soft hyphens have been inserted in the following text, like this:

The effect will usually be visible when zooming your browser and/or adjusting the width of its window. Most browser configurations will cause this long string to be broken, using hyphens, over multiple lines: Pac-Man goes wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka&shy;wocka.

Many or most browser configurations will break long words in the passage below using hyphens—‌whether and where will vary from browser to browser, and may depend on local settings and preferences: Mary Poppins, religious officials, and epidemiologists say super-califrag-ilistic-expiali-docious antidis-establish-mentarian-ism pneumono-ultra-micro-scopic-silico-volcano-conioses super-califrag-ilistic-expiali-docious antidis-establish-mentarian-ism pneumono-ultra-micro-scopic-silico-volcano-conioses super-califrag-ilistic-expiali-docious antidis-establish-mentarian-ism pneumono-ultra-micro-scopic-silico-volcano-conioses super-califrag-ilistic-expiali-docious antidis-establish-mentarian-ism pneumono-ultra-micro-scopic-silico-volcano-conioses super-califrag-ilistic-expiali-docious antidis-establish-mentarian-ism pneumono-ultra-micro-scopic-silico-volcano-conioses.

Alternative syntax
A word, phrase, sentence, or entire passage is enclosed within a single "shy", with each  being a potential hyphenation point: