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How To Fix Weird Spacing Between Words On Google Docs (4+ Methods)

fix weird spacing between words google docs

Spacing issues such as uneven spacing, inconsistent alignment, or excessive gaps can make any document appear inconsistent and mostly unreadable to many and this can be quite annoying for both you, the owner of the document, and your readers alike.

If you’re frustrated with weird spacing between words on your Google Docs document, you’re not alone as these issues are quite common amongst many Google Docs users.

In this article, you will learn how to fix the weird spacing between words on Google Docs using multiple methods. 

Using any of these methods, you should be able to fix the Google Docs word spacing problem and regain control over your document’s spacing while ensuring your text appears legible and visually appealing to your readers.

How To Fix Weird Spacing Between Words On Google Docs Quickly Using Multiple Methods

There are several reasons why your document on Google Docs may be having spacing issues and fixing it will depend on what caused the problem in the first place.

The first reason why you may be getting weird spacing issues on your document on Google Docs is that you pasted a text on Google Docs without clearing the existing formatting. 

Whenever you copy and paste content from another source into your document on Google Docs, it usually carries the same formatting from the source and this might cause spacing issues on your document.

Another reason why you might be seeing weird spaces in between text on your document in Google Docs is that you adjusted the line spacing to a higher value from the default value.

Other reasons why weird spaces may appear on your document on Google Docs include justified text, increased font size, and font style amongst others.

Below are some fixes to try out if you’re having issues with weird spacing appearing on your document in Google Docs.

1) Change alignment to Left alignment.

If the text on your document currently has the justified alignment, then that could be the cause of the weird spacing between text issues on your document in Google Docs.

The justify alignment feature on Google Docs, also known as full justification or full alignment is a type of text alignment where the spaces between words and characters are adjusted dynamically to ensure that each line of text reaches both left and right margins on the document.

While this helps create a uniform appearance with straight margins on both sides, it messes up the spacing on documents in some cases.

Fixing this issue will require changing the alignment from Justify to Left align on the Google Docs menu bar.

To change the alignment on Google Docs, first, highlight the text with the weird spacing with Justify alignment.

highlight text to change alignment

Next, go to the Google Docs menu bar then click on the Align icon and select the Left align icon as shown in the screenshot below.

change alignment to left align

After that, the weird spacing on the text you highlighted should be cleared if the issue was caused by the justify alignment which is the result in most cases we have seen so far.

2) Paste content without formatting.

When you copy text from another source say a website or another document and paste it into your document, Google Docs automatically retains the text formatting from the source including font size, line spacing, text alignment, and more.

In some cases, the text you copied may have some spacing issues, and pasting on Google Docs will also carry these issues along. If you want to fix this, you will have to paste your text but this time without formatting

There are two ways to remove all existing formatting on text when pasting on Google Docs. The first method is by right-clicking on where you want to paste the text on your document and then selecting “Paste without formatting” from the options on the dialog.

select paste without formatting

The second method is by using a special shortcut for pasting without formatting.

The normal way to paste on Google Docs is by holding Ctrl + V (or command + V) but to paste without formatting, you would have to hold Ctrl + Shift + V (or command + shift + V on Mac).

Alternatively, you can simply highlight the text with the weird spacing issue, right-click on the highlighted text then select “Clear formatting” from the options to remove all formatting from the highlighted text.

select clear formatting

3) Change line spacing to the default value.

Another issue that may cause weird spacing on text in your document on Google Docs is improper line spacing.

Line spacing on Google Docs is the vertical space between lines of text within a document. The set line spacing value determines the amount of space that appears between each line and this affects the readability and general appearance of text on your document.

If you set a line spacing value that is too high for the font size of texts on your document, you may start noticing some weird spacing between texts on the document and those pesky spacing problems could reduce the overall readability of your document.

Fixing this issue is simple, all you have to do is set the Line spacing value back to the default value. 

On Google Docs, there are 4 Line spacing options – Single, 1.15, 1.5, and Double – and these are listed in ascending order. Single is the lowest line spacing option/value while Double is the highest.

To change the line spacing of texts on your document, simply highlight the text whose alignment you want to change then go to the Google Docs menu bar, click on the “Line & paragraph” icon then select “1.15” if it is not selected.

set line spacing default value

By default, the Line spacing used on new documents in Google Docs is “1.15” and this works fine in most cases. If you use a font with more spacing, you can try setting the Line spacing to “Single” to remove weird spaces on your document.

4) Switch fonts.

Although in most cases, your weird spacing issues should be fixed after trying the above methods, if you’re still seeing weird spaces on your document on Google Docs even after trying all 3 fixes we outlined above, then we recommend changing the font used on the document.

In some cases, you might have unknowingly selected a font that is designed to take up more space on documents. These big fonts on Google Docs may come with some weird spacing issues in some cases especially when paired with slightly bigger font sizes than the default.

If you suspect that the font selected may be the culprit for your weird spacing issue on Google Docs, then you can change it to a more moderate font like Arial, or Roboto, amongst others.

To change fonts on Google Docs, simply highlight the text whose font you want to change then go to the menu bar, click on the font selector dropdown, and choose a font style of your choice.

changing font google docs

Wrapping Up

Weird spaces between words on your document can be a very frustrating issue especially when you have no idea of what caused the issue in the first instance.

In this article, we have explored various methods including changing alignment, pasting content without formatting, adjusting line spacing, and switching fonts amongst others to eliminate those weird spacing issues on documents on Google Docs.

By trying out these fixes which were discussed in detail earlier in the article, you can achieve a clean and visually appealing spacing between words on your documents ensuring that your texts always appear evenly spaced and easy to read.

If you were searching for a way to remove blank spaces and fix weird spacing issues on your document in Google Docs, we hope you found this article helpful.

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Adam Dilworth

Adam Dilworth

Adam is is a tech enthusiast and Google Workspace aficionado. With a wealth of experience in using Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and other apps in the Google Workspace lineup, Adam is dedicated to sharing his knowledge and expertise to help readers maximize their productivity. From basic how to guides to advanced tips & tricks and creative application ideas, Adam's articles provide practical insights to navigate the world of Google Workspace apps.View Author posts