MD064 - No Multiple Consecutive Spaces¶

Aliases: no-multiple-consecutive-spaces

Rule Details¶

This rule is triggered when multiple consecutive spaces (2 or more) are found in markdown content. Multiple spaces between words serve no purpose in markdown and typically indicate formatting issues or copy-paste artifacts.

Rationale¶

Multiple consecutive spaces in markdown:

1. Render as single space: Most markdown renderers collapse multiple spaces into a single space, so extra spaces have no visual effect
2. Indicate potential issues: Often result from copy-paste errors or accidental keystrokes
3. Reduce readability: Make the source markdown harder to read

Examples¶

Incorrect¶

This is   a sentence with extra spaces.

- List   item with extra spaces

> Quote   with extra spaces

Correct¶

This is a sentence with single spaces.

- List item with single spaces

> Quote with single spaces

Exceptions¶

This rule does NOT flag spaces in the following contexts:

1. Inline Code Spans¶

Spaces inside inline code are intentional and preserved:

Use `code   with   spaces` for formatting.

2. Fenced/Indented Code Blocks¶

Code block content is not processed:

```
code   with   intentional   spaces
```

3. Leading Indentation¶

Leading whitespace for structure is preserved:

    Indented paragraph (4 spaces)

4. Trailing Spaces¶

All trailing spaces are handled by MD009 and are not flagged by this rule:

Line with trailing spaces
Another line with trailing spaces

Use MD009 to control trailing space behavior.

5. Front Matter¶

YAML/TOML/JSON front matter is not processed:

---
title:   Document Title
author:   John Doe
---

6. HTML Comments¶

Content inside HTML comments is not processed:

<!-- comment   with   spaces -->

7. HTML Blocks¶

Content inside HTML block elements is not processed.

8. Table Rows¶

Table rows with alignment padding are not flagged:

| Header 1 | Header 2 |
| -------- | -------- |
| Cell 1   | Cell 2   |

GFM-style tables without leading/trailing pipes are also skipped:

Header 1  | Header 2  | Header 3
--------- | --------- | ---------
Cell 1    | Cell 2    | Cell 3

The spaces used for visual alignment in tables are intentional.

9. List Marker Spacing¶

Spaces after list markers are handled by MD030, not MD064:

*   Item with extra space after marker
1.  Numbered item with extra space

10. Blockquote Marker Spacing¶

Spaces after blockquote markers are handled by MD027:

>  Quote with extra space after marker
>>  Nested blockquote

11. Reference Link Definitions¶

Spaces after the colon in reference link definitions:

[ref]:  https://example.com
[link]:   https://example.com "Title"

12. Footnote Markers¶

Spaces after footnote markers:

[^1]:  Footnote text
[^note]:   Extended footnote

13. Definition List Markers¶

Spaces after definition list markers (PHP Markdown Extra / Pandoc):

Term
:   Definition text

14. Task List Checkboxes¶

Spaces after task list checkboxes:

- [ ]  Unchecked task
- [x]  Checked task

Fix¶

The automatic fix collapses multiple consecutive spaces to a single space.

Before:

This is   a sentence   with extra   spaces.

After:

This is a sentence with extra spaces.

When allow-sentence-double-space is enabled, the fix preserves exactly 2 spaces after sentence boundaries while collapsing other multiple spaces to 1.

Configuration¶

allow-sentence-double-space¶

The allow-sentence-double-space option enables the traditional typographical convention of using two spaces after sentence-ending punctuation (., !, ?) while still flagging multiple spaces elsewhere:

[MD064]
allow-sentence-double-space = true

With this configuration:

End of sentence.  Start of next sentence.       <- OK (2 spaces after period)
Multiple  spaces  in middle of sentence.        <- Flagged (not after sentence)
What a question!  Here's the answer.            <- OK (2 spaces after !)
Really?  Yes, really.                           <- OK (2 spaces after ?)

Recognized Sentence Boundaries¶

The rule recognizes sentences ending with:

• Period (.) followed by spaces (not part of ellipsis or abbreviation)
• Exclamation mark (!)
• Question mark (?)

Closing punctuation after the sentence-ending punctuation is handled correctly:

"End quote."  Next sentence.                    <- OK (period inside quotes)
She said "Hello!"  He replied.                  <- OK (! inside quotes)
(See appendix.)  More content.                  <- OK (period inside parens)
The book [2024].  Next reference.               <- OK (period inside brackets)

Ellipsis Handling¶

Ellipsis (...) is treated as a sentence boundary, allowing double space after:

And so it goes...  The story continues.         <- OK (after ellipsis)

Disabling the Rule¶

To disable this rule entirely:

[global]
disable = ["MD064"]

Related Rules¶

• MD009 - Trailing spaces (handles trailing whitespace)
• MD010 - Hard tabs (handles tab characters)
• MD012 - Multiple consecutive blank lines
• MD027 - Multiple spaces after blockquote symbol
• MD030 - Spaces after list markers

Version¶

Added in rumdl v0.0.196.