The reason is quite simple—the generally accepted rule is that a compound word is always treated as a single word. ... So, once compound words are closed or hyphenated, they are counted as one word. If the compound word is open, e.g., "post office," it is counted as two words.

Are hyphens two words?

Hyphens connect two words to make a single word. Hyphens are also used to attach a prefix to a word. In some situations, hyphens connect adverbs and adjectives to describe a noun. This can be avoided by rewording the sentence.

What does a hyphen mean between two words?

A hyphen is a bit of punctuation used to join together two (or more) different words. When you use two words together as a single thought describing or modifying a noun and you put them before the noun, you should hyphenate them. For example: there's off-street parking here.