Setting Prime Height Spacing in the Equation Editor

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated January 14, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


A prime is a mathematical symbol that looks similar to an apostrophe. When using the Equation Editor, you can control how far above the equation baseline a prime symbol is placed. You do this as follows:

  1. Choose Spacing from the Format menu. The Equation Editor displays the Spacing dialog box.
  2. Click on the Prime Height box (it is at the bottom of the list of spacing settings). The Equation Editor changes the Spacing dialog box. (See Figure 1.)
  3. Figure 1. The Spacing dialog box.

  4. Enter a value signifying what percentage of the font size above the baseline the prime should appear.
  5. Click on OK.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (948) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

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