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This is for use within context of electrical current.

Mel Ija
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  • Related if not duplicate: https://english.stackexchange.com/questions/889/when-should-compound-words-be-written-as-one-word-with-hyphens-or-with-spac – livresque May 24 '22 at 00:29

1 Answers1

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Because “current” and “controlling” together form a compound adjective that modifies the word “device,” there should be a hyphen between them. So: a “current-controlling device.”

Otherwise, in some contexts, the phrase could be misread. “This is new. It’s the current controlling device.” In this example it seems that what is being referred to is a “controlling device” that’s up-to-date, and thus “current.” But if what the device does is control currents, the hyphen makes this clear. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/compound-adjectives/

TheBernhardvH
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