def spacing(space, IPA):
    """
    Assign space based on its location

    Parameters
    ----------
    IPA : bool
        A flag used to determine the type of alphabet
    space : str
        The type of space chosen by user

    Returns
    -------
    list
        a list of spaces for prefixes, suffixes, and words
    """
    if IPA:
        return ['', '', ' ']
    elif space == ' ' or space == '\u200c':
        return [space, space, space]
    elif space == '':
        return ['', '\u200c', '\u200c']