In early writing, words were not separated by spaces, a format known as scriptura continua. Scribes wrote without breaks between words, reflecting the way language was originally spoken. Just as we don’t pause between every word when we speak, early writers didn’t think to insert spaces between words when writing. They were simply transcribing what they heard, with no established rules for word separation or word order. Similarly, young children today often write words together when they begin to write, following a natural inclination to mimic speech.