A reader has some questions about what constitutes a single space.
“I have 3 Word programs (Open Office, Microsoft Works and LibreOffice). I lost the Word program I used to have a while back (which I loved) and when I typed a document, it was single-spaced (unlike this and with my Word programs). They say they’re single-spaced but they’re not. This is a space and a half. I was a secretary for 36 years, so I know. The documents I typed at work, didn’t have this much space between lines.”
The default space for LibreOffice is actually 1.15 spaces. Here’s what the different spacing options look like in Microsoft Word.
The reason is to increase readability on screens. Back in the days of typewriters and printed documents, saving space was key. But these days, most documents are actually viewed online and the changes were made to make them easier to the eye when viewed on a screen. Also, there’s no one rule for how much space a single space represents. It can vary from program to program.
To change the default setting in LibreOffice to single-space, press F11. The Style menu will open on the right. Right-click on Default Paragraph Style
Choose Modify.
Choose Indents & Spacing and select your preferred spacing under Line Spacing.
