title: Smart Punctuation
description: Automatic punctuation attachment and spacing behavior
category: Typing
difficulty: beginner
related_spec: ../specs/typing/smart-punctuation-spec.md
Smart Punctuation
Smart punctuation automatically attaches punctuation marks to the end of words, removing unnecessary spaces. This creates cleaner text without manual editing.
Quick Summary
| What | Description |
|---|
| Purpose | Attach punctuation to words automatically |
| Access | Settings > Input Behavior > Smart Punctuation |
| Works with | Swipe typing and suggestion taps |
How It Works
When you type punctuation after a word, smart punctuation checks whether the preceding space was auto-inserted (by swipe or suggestion) or manually typed.
Auto-Inserted Spaces
If the space was auto-inserted (from swipe completion or tapping a suggestion), punctuation attaches to the previous word:
Swipe "hello" → type "!" → Result: "hello!"Manually Typed Spaces
If you explicitly pressed the spacebar, the punctuation stays where you typed it:
Type "hello" → press space → type ":" → Result: "hello :"This respects your intent when you deliberately add a space before punctuation.
Punctuation Characters
Smart punctuation affects these characters:
| Character | Name | Behavior |
. | Period | Attaches to word |
, | Comma | Attaches to word |
! | Exclamation | Attaches to word |
? | Question mark | Attaches to word |
; | Semicolon | Attaches to word |
: | Colon | Attaches to word |
) | Close parenthesis | Attaches to word |
] | Close bracket | Attaches to word |
} | Close brace | Attaches to word |
Quote Handling
Quotes have special handling:
- • Closing quotes (
"after odd count): Attach to word - • Opening quotes (
"after even count): Keep space before - • Apostrophes (
'after letter): Never removed (contractions)
Examples
Swipe Typing Flow
| Action | Result | Explanation |
| Swipe "The" → swipe "quick" → type "." | The quick. | Period attaches + space added for autocap |
| Swipe "Hello" → type "," → swipe "world" | Hello, world | Comma attaches to "Hello" |
| Swipe "Hello" → type "." → swipe "world" | Hello. World | Period adds space, next word capitalized |
Touch Typing Flow
| Action | Result | Explanation |
| Type "Note" → space → type ":" → space → type "text" | Note : text | Manual space preserved |
| Type "It" → type "'" → type "s" | It's | Apostrophe handled as contraction |
Mixed Flow
| Action | Result | Explanation |
| Swipe "hello" → manual space → type "!" | hello ! | Manual space overrides auto behavior |
| Type "hello" → tap suggestion "world" → type "." | hello world. | Suggestion's auto-space is removed |
Configuration
| Setting | Location | Default | Description |
| Smart Punctuation | Settings > Input Behavior | On | Enable/disable punctuation attachment |
Double-Space to Period
A related feature: pressing space twice quickly converts to period + space:
Type "Hello" → space → space → Result: "Hello. "| Setting | Location | Default | Description |
| Double Space to Period | Settings > Gesture Tuning | On | Enable double-space shortcut |
| Threshold | Settings > Gesture Tuning | 500ms | Max time between spaces |
Tips and Tricks
[!TIP]
If you need a space before punctuation (like : in some languages), just press spacebar manually before typing the punctuation.
[!TIP]
Smart punctuation only activates after auto-inserted spaces. Touch-typed text always keeps your exact spacing.
[!NOTE]
Apostrophes in contractions (like "don't", "it's") are never affected by smart punctuation.
[!TIP]
Sentence-ending punctuation (. ! ?) automatically adds a space after attachment, enabling autocapitalization for the next word you type or swipe.
Common Questions
Q: Why does my colon sometimes have a space before it?
A: If you manually pressed spacebar before the colon, CleverKeys respects your intent and keeps the space. This is useful for formatting like Note : important.
Q: Can I disable this for specific punctuation?
A: Currently, smart punctuation is all-or-nothing. You can disable it entirely in Settings > Input Behavior.
Q: Does this work in all apps?
A: Yes, smart punctuation works in any text field. However, some apps may have their own auto-formatting that could interact with it.
Related Features
- • Autocorrect - Automatic spelling corrections
- • Swipe Typing - Gesture-based word input
- • Special Characters - Symbols and accents