Both are used, yes. I'd use the second one because two adjectives are being put together to be used as one adjective, thus the hyphen.
Hyphens have other uses
~ creating compound words, particularly modifiers before nouns (the well-known actor, my six-year-old daughter, the out-of-date curriculum
~ writing numbers twenty-one to ninety-nine and fractions (five-eighths, one-fourth)
~ creating compounds on-the-fly for fly-by-night organizations
adding certain prefixes to words: When a prefix comes before a capitalized word or the prefix is capitalized, use a hyphen (non-English, A-frame, I-formation). The prefixes self-, all-, and ex- nearly always require a hyphen (ex-husband, all-inclusive, self-control), and when the prefix ends with the same letter that begins the word, you will often use a hyphen (anti-intellectual, de-emphasize), but not always (unnatural, coordinate, cooperate). By all means, use a good dictionary when in doubt! For further information about compound nouns and compound modifiers, see the separate section on Compound Words.
from http://guidetogrammar.org/grammar/marks/hyphen.htm
1. Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany.
2. Hamburg is the second-largest city in Germany.
Which one is correct? Do we have to use "-" or not? Are both acceptable?
1 answer