diff --git a/collects/scribble/base.rkt b/collects/scribble/base.rkt
index f81dc1cd29..0f4a7f8ede 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/base.rkt
+++ b/collects/scribble/base.rkt
@@ -262,10 +262,12 @@
 
 ;; ----------------------------------------
 
-(provide ._ .__)
+(provide ._ .__ ~ -~-)
 
 (define ._ (make-element (make-style "Sendabbrev" null) "."))
 (define .__ (make-element (make-style "Sendsentence" null) "."))
+(define ~ "\uA0")
+(define -~- "\u2011")
 
 ;; ----------------------------------------
 
diff --git a/collects/scribble/latex-render.rkt b/collects/scribble/latex-render.rkt
index e1f006bb00..8dc4b046f0 100644
--- a/collects/scribble/latex-render.rkt
+++ b/collects/scribble/latex-render.rkt
@@ -625,11 +625,12 @@
                                         "{\\SCloseSq}")
                                     c)]
                      [(#\# #\% #\& #\$) (format "\\~a" c)]
-                     [(#\uA0) "~"]
+                     [(#\uA0) "~"] ; non-breaking space
                      [(#\uDF) "{\\ss}"]
                      [else
                       (if ((char->integer c) . > . 127)
                           (case c
+                            [(#\u2011) "\\mbox{-}"] ; non-breaking hyphen
                             [(#\uB0) "$^{\\circ}$"] ; degree
                             [(#\uB2) "$^2$"]
                             [(#\u039A) "K"] ; kappa
diff --git a/collects/scribblings/scribble/base.scrbl b/collects/scribblings/scribble/base.scrbl
index 829e32f30d..a9bc655190 100644
--- a/collects/scribblings/scribble/base.scrbl
+++ b/collects/scribblings/scribble/base.scrbl
@@ -288,14 +288,6 @@ gets progressively larger.}
 @defproc[(emph [pre-content pre-content?] ...) element?]{
 The same as @racket[italic].}
 
-@defproc[(linebreak) element?]{
-Produces an element that forces a line break.}
-
-@defproc[(hspace [n exact-nonnegative-integer?]) element?]{
-
-Produces an element containing @racket[n] spaces and style
-@racket['hspace].}
-
 @defproc[(literal [str string?] ...+) element?]{
 
 Produces an element containing literally @racket[str]s with no
@@ -347,6 +339,29 @@ See also @racket[verbatim].}
  the @racket[path] argument should not have a suffix.
  }
 
+@; ------------------------------------------------------------------------
+@section[#:tag "spacing"]{Spacing}
+
+@defproc[(linebreak) element?]{
+Produces an element that forces a line break.}
+
+
+@defproc[(hspace [n exact-nonnegative-integer?]) element?]{
+
+Produces an element containing @racket[n] spaces and style
+@racket['hspace].}
+
+
+@defthing[~ string?]{
+
+A string containing the non-breaking space character,
+which is equivalent to @racket['nbsp] as an element.}
+
+
+@defthing[-~- string?]{
+
+A string containing the non-breaking hyphen character.}
+
 
 @defthing[._ element?]{