A lot of folks struggle with the difference between the hyphen (-), the slightly longer en dash (–), and the even longer em dash (—). And they can be confusing!
Here’s a quick overview:
Hyphen (-)
A hyphen is used to create a simple compound (Kayleigh is a cake-loving woman) or when a word is broken between lines.
En Dash (–)
The en dash is used in ranges of numbers or time (she read pages 89–202) in formal print, while in informal situations we often default to the hyphen. It is also used for direction, conflicts, and connections (the Boston–Miami flight), and may also be used for more complicated compound situations.
Em Dash (—)
The em dash, love of many of our lives, can be used as a stronger replacement for a colon, parentheses, or commas. It’s not as strong as a semicolon or period, but works great to draw the reader to important or surprising info. It’s also used to indicate when dialogue has been interrupted.
- When she finally arrived—three hours late—she rushed right to her room without a hello to anyone.
- It was exactly as she thought it would be—all shine, no substance.
- “I think—no, I know that I’d like to see you again.”
- “And then I just—” Her voice caught.
And just to keep you on your toes: there may be variations in the exact usage of each of these marks depending on which style guide you’re following. This is why having a solid copy editor to work with is so important.
Keyboard shortcuts
While the everyday hyphen has its own key on our keyboards, the en and en dashes require a bit more knowledge: keyboard shortcuts. Thankfully, once you know them and keep using them, they become muscle memory like anything part of typing.
En Dash –
- Mac: option + hyphen
- PC: alt+0150
Em Dash —
- Mac: option+shift+hyphen
- PC: alt+0151
An even shorter cut? Word processors and many apps today will automatically change two hyphens (–) into an em dash.
