The en dash was originally named for being the width of the letter “n,” though in many fonts today, this may not be entirely accurate. The en dash (–) is slightly longer than a hyphen and is used to indicate a range, a tally, or a connection between two things, such as “November 9–12,” “the vote was 48–52,” or “the New York–London flight.” For example, “short-term,” or “hard-and fast.” Key TakeawaysĪ hyphen (-) is a short punctuation mark used to connect two or more words together, creating compound words. In this article, we explain ‘em all - hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes - with examples of each. And did you know that there are two kinds of dash? That’s right, there are en dashes and em dashes. You can even send us your first document for free.The hyphen and the dash are commonly confused and misunderstood punctuation marks. If you’d like a punctuation pro to check any of your writing for errors, our proofreaders would love to help. Now you know how to use en and em dashes, so you’ll have no problem including them in your work-even though they don’t appear on your keyboard! You can then click Insert to enter it into your document. If unsure, clicking on the symbol will reveal its name. Scroll down until you see the correct symbol. To do this, click on Symbol in the Insert tab. A third option is to use the Symbols menu.On a numeric keypad, you can use the shortcut ctrl + alt + minus sign (-).Remember to remove the spaces afterwards if you use this method. word–word) will autocorrect to an em dash. In Microsoft Word, two hyphens between two words without spaces (e.g.With Windows, there are three ways to type an em dash: On a Mac, you type an em dash by holding down the shift and option keys while pressing hyphen (-). “Don’t be silly! There’s no such thing as gho-” And then he froze. In addition, em dashes are used in dialog to indicate interrupted speech: Em dashes are mainly used to set off parenthetical information in American English:īaldwin’s first novel-Go Tell it on the Mountain-is set in 1930s Harlem. What Is an Em Dash?Īn em dash is called this because it’s the same length as the letter m. The third method is to is to use the Symbols menu. Remember to delete the spaces afterwards, though (unless the en dash is being used for parenthetical information).Īlternatively, if you have a numeric keypad, you can produce an en dash by using the keyboard shortcut ctrl + minus sign (-). So, you can insert an en dash by typing the required words or numbers with a spaced hyphen in between. First, Microsoft Word automatically corrects a hyphen to an en dash if it has spaces on either side. In Windows, there are three ways to produce an en dash. You simply hold down the option key while pressing hyphen (-). If you’re working on a Mac, it’s very straightforward to insert an en dash. I have to make a choice – hybrid or electric. Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! I visited Niagara Falls – in Ontario – last summer. In addition, in British and Australian dialects, you can use en dashes with spaces on either side instead of parentheses or a colon:

Niagara Falls is on the Canada–America border. Will the hybrid–electric argument ever be settled? The Rams won 34–11 against the Cardinals. Zhu Zhanji, Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, 1425–1435 En dashes are mainly used in four situations: ranges of numbers or dates, scores, conflicts, and connections. Watch the video below or keep reading to find out more.Īn en dash (–) looks similar to a hyphen (-), but it’s slightly longer-the same length as the letter n. In this post, we’ll show you how to produce these dashes on Windows and Apple devices so that you can easily use them in your writing. The en dash (–) and em dash (-) are useful punctuation marks, but unfortunately, you won’t find either of them on your keyboard. How to Type an En Dash and Em Dash on Windows and Mac Devices

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