Unfortunately, since word isn't a full-blown desktop publishing software, it doesn't provide an easy option to modify word spacing. However, you can simulate this property with a quick workaround:. Select the empty space that you want to expand. Click the square button in the lower-right corner of Font section of Home tab in the Ribbon. Go to Character Spacing tab.
![2010 2010](http://www.gmayor.com/Images_2012/changi24.jpg)
I closed Word and opened it again with a new document, and the default spacing was the new setting — single spaced with 0 spacings after the paragraphs. In other words, it did *not* revert to the original default of 1.15, etc. Looks like I fixed it permanently.
Set Spacing to Expanded and play with the number to the right of it. You might have to do this a few times until you get the desired amount of empty space because there is no live preview available.
Highlight the space you want to enlarge. Access the font style and try various fonts. Typically 'CONSOLAS' and 'chi-boot' have particularly wide spaces between words, the alphabet of your text will remain unchanged. Once you have done one space to your satisfaction, others can be done by simply copy and paste of the first. Since it is a single space, albeit by an alternative font, this method even fools the spell checker. I've used this method in Headings, never in a whole document, but it MAY even work with the 'Search & Replace' function, in lieu Copy & Paste.
When you upgrade to Word 2007 or 2010, you might notice that the line spacing is just a tad roomier. That's because the default line spacing setting in ribbon versions is 1.15, not 1, as it was in 2003. If you haven't noticed, go ahead and check it out: on the Home tab, click the Line and Paragraph Spacing option in the Paragraph group. It probably shows 1.15 checked. (If not, you might be working with an alternated template.) The official word from Word is that 1.15 generates more readable online documents-there's a huge push from Microsoft to use the new collaborative features. If this option doesn't suit your needs, you're not stuck. You can turn by the clock, so to speak, and have all Word 2007 or 2010 documents use 1, instead of 1.15.
Just complete the following steps to do so:. Click the Home tab.
In the Styles group, click Change Styles and choose Style Set. Choose Word 2003. To make this setting the default, choose Set As Default from the Change Styles dropdown. Perhaps the easiest way to change the default line spacing is to adjust the style(s) you use. For instance, if you use Normal the most, change the line spacing in Normal, as follows:. Click the Home tab.
![2010 2010](/uploads/1/2/5/4/125447377/851540838.png)
Right-click Normal in the Styles Quick gallery and choose Modify. Choose Paragraph from the Format list. In the Spacing section, change the At setting from 1.15 to 1. The default is to change just the current document. If you want this change saved at the template level-meaning, all new documents will reflect this change-click the New Documents Based On This Template option at the bottom of the dialog box.
Make this change carefully because Word will also change all styles based on Normal. That may or may not be what you want.