View source for Dash

{{Short description|Punctuation mark}}
{{Distinguish|Hyphen|Minus sign|Hyphen-minus}}
{{Redirect|Dashed|the food delivery service|DASHED}}
{{Other uses|Dash (disambiguation)}}
{{Pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox punctuation mark
| mark     = —
| variant1 = ‒
| caption1 = Figure dash
| variant2 = –
| caption2 = En dash
| variant3 = —
| caption3 = Em dash
}}

The '''dash''' is a [[punctuation]] mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the [[hyphen]] but is longer and sometimes higher from the [[baseline (typography)|baseline]]. The most common versions are the '''en{{nbsp}}dash''' {{char|–}}, generally longer than the hyphen but shorter than the [[minus sign]]; the '''em{{nbsp}}dash''' {{char|—}}, longer than either the en dash or the minus sign; and the '''horizontal{{nbsp}}bar''' {{char|―}}, whose length varies across [[typeface]]s but tends to be between those of the [[en (typography)|en]] and [[em (typography)|em]] dashes.{{efn|In [[Cambria (typeface)|Cambria]] and many other typefaces, the length of the horizontal bar is equal to three quarters of an em dash or one and a half times an en dash.}}

Typical uses of dashes are to mark a break in a sentence, to set off an explanatory remark (similar to parenthesis), or to show spans of time or ranges of values.

The em dash is sometimes used as a leading character to identify the source of a quoted text.

== History ==
[[File:P15878coll17 5783 large.jpg|thumb|1622 [[Nicholas Okes|Okes]]-print of ''[[Othello]]'', p. [https://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15878coll17/id/5783 19]. Note use of dashes.]]

In the early 17th century, in [[Nicholas Okes|Okes]]-printed [[play (theatre)|plays]] of [[William Shakespeare]], dashes are attested that indicate a thinking pause, interruption, mid-speech realization, or change of subject.<ref name=mcmillin>{{cite book |editor-last=McMillin |editor-first=Scott |title=The First Quarto of Othello |date=2001 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=United Kingdom |isbn=978-0-521-56257-7 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/firstquartoofoth0000shak/page/21 21]–[https://archive.org/details/firstquartoofoth0000shak/page/23 23] |url=https://archive.org/details/firstquartoofoth0000shak}}</ref> The dashes are variously longer {{char|⸺}} (as in ''[[King Lear]]'' reprinted 1619) or composed of hyphens {{char|---}} (as in ''[[Othello]]'' printed 1622); moreover, the dashes are often, but not always, prefixed by a comma, colon, or semicolon.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Shakespeare |first1=William |title=M. VVilliam Shake-speare, his true chronicle history of the life and death of King Lear, and his three daughters : with the unfortunate life of Edgar, sonne and heire to the Earle of Glocester, and his sullen and assumed humour of Tom of Bedlam : as it was plaid before the Kings Majesty <!-- Maiesty original spelling?--> at White-hall, vppon S. Stephens night, in Christmas hollidaies, by his Maiesties seruants, playing vsually at the Globe on the banck-side.; True chronicle history of the life and death of King Lear and his three daughters; History of King Lear; Mr. William Shakespeare, his true chronicle history of the life and death of King Lear, and his three daughters |date=1619 |publisher=Printed for Nathaniel Butter. |page=[https://images.is.ed.ac.uk/luna/servlet/s/16t3w4 12r] |url=https://discovered.ed.ac.uk/permalink/44UOE_INST/7g3mt6/alma9910611093502466}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Shakespeare |first1=William |title=The tragœdy of Othello, the Moore of Venice. As it hath beene diuerse times acted at the Globe, and at the Black-Friers, by his Maiesties Seruants.<!--
Written by VVilliam Shakespeare.--> |date=1622 |publisher=Nicholas Okes |location=London |pages=[https://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15878coll17/id/5783 19] |url=https://search.lib.utexas.edu/permalink/01UTAU_INST/be14ds/alma991025287699706011 |language=en}}</ref>{{r|mcmillin}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Blayney |first1=Peter W. M. |title=The texts of King Lear and their origins |date=1982 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=United Kingdom |isbn=978-0-521-22634-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/textsofkingleart0001blay/page/5 5] |url=https://archive.org/details/textsofkingleart0001blay}}</ref>

In 1733, in [[Jonathan Swift]]'s ''On Poetry'', the terms ''break'' and ''dash'' are attested for {{char|⸺}} and {{char|—}} marks:<ref>{{cite book |last1=Swift |first1=Jonathan |title=On Poetry; a rapsody. |date=1733 |publisher=Printed at Dublin, reprinted at London |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=aKtYAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA8 8] |url=http://explore.bl.uk/BLVU1:LSCOP-ALL:BLL01002942289 |language=en}}</ref>

<blockquote><poem>
Blot out, correct, insert, refine,
Enlarge, diminish, interline;
Be mindful, when Invention fails;
To scratch your Head, and bite your Nails.

Your poem finish'd, next your Care
Is needful, to transcribe it fair.
In modern Wit all printed Trash, is
Set off with num'rous ''Breaks''⸺and ''Dashes''—
</poem></blockquote>

== Types of dash ==
Usage varies both within English and within other languages, but the usual conventions for the most common dashes in printed English text are these:

* An (unspaced) em dash or a [[#Typography|spaced en dash]] can be used to mark a break in a sentence, and a pair can be used to set off a [[parenthesis (rhetoric)|parenthetical phrase]]. For example:
{{blockquote|Glitter, felt, yarn, and buttons—his kitchen looked as if a clown had exploded.<br />A flock of sparrows—some of them juveniles—alighted and sang.}}  <!-- Same phrases are used in both examples to permit readers to compare and contrast. -->

{{blockquote|Glitter, felt, yarn, and buttons{{snd}}his kitchen looked as if a clown had exploded.<br />A flock of sparrows{{snd}}some of them juveniles{{snd}}alighted and sang.}}  <!-- Same phrases are used in both examples to permit readers to compare and contrast. -->

* An en dash, but not an em dash, indicates spans or differentiation, where it may replace "and", "to", or "through".<ref>{{cite book | chapter-url= http://www.mhra.org.uk/style/5.2 | title= MHRA Style Guide: A Handbook for Authors, Editors, and Writers of Theses | edition= 3rd | chapter= Dashes | at = §&nbsp;5.2 | publisher = Modern Humanities Research Association | place = London | date = 2020 | access-date= 2 April 2021 | archive-date= 2 April 2021 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210402032606/http://www.mhra.org.uk/style/5.2 | url-status= live}}</ref> For example:

{{blockquote|The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was fought in western Pennsylvania and along the present US–Canada border | Edwards, pp. 81–101.}}
* An em dash or horizontal bar, but not an en dash, is used to set off the source of a direct [[quotation]]. For example:

{{blockquote|Seven social sins: politics without principles, wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, and worship without sacrifice.| source= [[Mahatma Gandhi]]}}

* A horizontal bar (also called ''quotation dash'')<ref>{{cite book | url = https://unicode.org/charts/#symbols | title = Unicode 13.0 Character Code Charts | publisher = Unicode, Inc. | date = 2000 | chapter = General Punctuation, Range: 2000–206F | chapter-url = https://unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2000.pdf | page = 3 # 2015 | access-date = 2 April 2021 | archive-date = 3 April 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210403130850/http://unicode.org/charts/#symbols | url-status = live }}</ref> or the em dash, but not the en dash, introduces quoted text.
* In informal contexts, a [[hyphen-minus]] ({{char|-}}) is often used as a substitute for an en{{nbsp}}dash, as is a pair of hyphen-minuses ({{char|--}}) for an em{{nbsp}}dash, because the hyphen-minus symbol is readily available on most keyboards.<ref name=Bringhurst /> The [[autocorrection]] facility of word-processing software often corrects these to the typographically correct form of dash.

== Figure dash ==
The '''figure dash''' {{char|‒}} ({{unichar|2012|figure dash}}) has the same width as a numerical digit. (Many [[computer font]]s have digits of equal width.<ref>{{Cite book |chapter=Alternate figures |title=Butterick's Practical Typography |chapter-url=https://practicaltypography.com/alternate-figures.html |access-date=2024-06-25 |via=practicaltypography.com |language=en}}</ref>) It is used within numbers, such as the phone number 555‒0199, especially in columns so as to maintain alignment. In contrast, the en dash {{char|–}} ({{unichar|2013|en dash}}) is generally used for a range of values.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Korpela|first1=Jukka|title=Unicode Explained|date=2006|publisher=O'Reilly Media|isbn=978-0-59610121-3|page=433|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lxndiWaFMvMC&pg=PA433|access-date=19 October 2017|archive-date=8 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108152531/https://books.google.com/books?id=lxndiWaFMvMC&pg=PA433#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[minus sign]] {{char|−}} ({{unichar|2212|minus sign}}) [[glyph]] is generally set a little higher, so as to be level with the horizontal bar of the [[plus sign]]. In informal usage, the [[hyphen-minus]] {{char|-}} ({{unichar|002D|hyphen-minus}}), provided as standard on most keyboards, is often used instead of the figure dash.

In [[TeX]], the standard fonts have no figure dash; however, the digits normally all have the same width as the en dash, so an en dash can be a substitution for the figure dash. In [[XeLaTeX]], one can use <code>\char"2012</code>.<ref>{{Cite web | work = BPI |url= http://b-p-i.blogspot.ro/2011/08/figure-dash-in-xelatex.html |title=Figure dash in XeLaTeX |date= 9 August 2011 |access-date=28 March 2013 |archive-date=21 February 2014 | publisher = Google Blog spot |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140221184511/http://b-p-i.blogspot.ro/2011/08/figure-dash-in-xelatex.html |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Linux Libertine]] font also has the figure dash glyph.

== En dash ==
The '''en dash''', '''en rule''', or '''nut dash'''<ref name="Stewart1919">{{Cite book |last=Stewart |first=A. A. |title=Typesetting: A Primer of Information About Working at the Case, Justifying, Spacing, Correcting, Making-up, and Other Operations Employed in Setting Type by Hand |series=Typographic Technical Series for Apprentices |volume=Part II, No. 16 |location=Chicago |publisher=Committee on Education, United Typothetae of America |date=1919 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FZTgAAAAMAAJ&q=%22nut%20dash%22%20%22mutton%20dash%22&pg=PA91 |page=91 |access-date=10 November 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324070752/https://books.google.com/books?id=FZTgAAAAMAAJ&q=%22nut+dash%22+%22mutton+dash%22&pg=PA91 |url-status=live }}</ref> '''{{char|–}}''' is traditionally half the width of an [[#Em dash|em dash]].<ref>
{{cite book
 | title = Practical printing: a handbook of the art of typography
 | edition = 2nd
 | first = John | last = Southward
 | author-link = John Southward
 | publisher = J.M. Powell & Son
 | year = 1884
 | page = [https://archive.org/details/practicalprinti00powegoog/page/n26 7]
 | url = https://archive.org/details/practicalprinti00powegoog
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 | title = The joy of TEX: a gourmet guide to typesetting with the AMS-TEX macro package
 | edition = 2nd
 | first = Michael
 | last = Spivak
 | publisher = AMS Bookstore
 | year = 1980
 | isbn = 978-0-8218-2997-4
 | page = 8
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=UgxjqoQgUncC&pg=PA8
 | access-date = 1 July 2020
 | archive-date = 31 July 2020
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200731133135/https://books.google.com/books?id=UgxjqoQgUncC&pg=PA8
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref>
In modern fonts, the length of the en dash is not standardized, and the en dash is often more than half the width of the em dash.<ref name=strizver>{{cite book
 | title = Type Rules: The Designer's Guide to Professional Typography
 | edition = 3rd
 | first = Ilene
 | last = Strizver
 | publisher = [[Wiley (publisher)|John Wiley & Sons]]
 | year = 2010
 | isbn = 978-0-470-54251-4
 | page = 200
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=SkM9llXtNAkC&pg=PA200
 | access-date = 1 July 2020
 | archive-date = 29 July 2020
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200729223046/https://books.google.com/books?id=SkM9llXtNAkC&pg=PA200
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref> The widths of en and em dashes have also been specified as being equal to those of the uppercase letters N and M, respectively,<ref>{{cite book
 | title = Digital Multimedia: The Business of Technology
 | edition = 2nd
 | author = Susan E. L. Lake
 | author2 = Karen Bean
 | name-list-style = amp
 | publisher = Cengage Learning
 | year = 2007
 | isbn = 978-0-538-44527-6
 | page = 128
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=S2OgxFuGYpcC&pg=PT138
 | access-date = 1 July 2020
 | archive-date = 25 February 2021
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210225181151/https://books.google.com/books?id=S2OgxFuGYpcC&pg=PT138
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 | title = InDesign type: professional typography with Adobe InDesign CS2
 | first = Nigel
 | last = French
 | publisher = Adobe Press
 | year = 2006
 | isbn = 978-0-321-38544-4
 | page = 72
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=l_YJY3JalQgC&pg=PA72
 | access-date = 1 July 2020
 | archive-date = 31 July 2020
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200731140655/https://books.google.com/books?id=l_YJY3JalQgC&pg=PA72
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref>
and at other times to the widths of the lower-case letters.<ref name=strizver/><ref>{{cite book
 | title = The handbook of good English
 | author = Edward D. Johnson
 | publisher = [[Simon & Schuster]]
 | year = 1991
 | isbn = 978-0-671-70797-2
 | page = 335
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IJ8GcdJ6IC&pg=PA335
 | access-date = 1 July 2020
 | archive-date = 31 July 2020
 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200731145421/https://books.google.com/books?id=n0IJ8GcdJ6IC&pg=PA335
 | url-status = live
 }}</ref>

=== Usage ===
The three main uses of the en dash are:

# to connect symmetric items, such as the two ends of a range or two competitors or alternatives
# to contrast values or illustrate a relationship between two things
# to compound attributes, where one of the connected items is itself a compound

==== Ranges of values ====
The en dash is commonly used to indicate a closed range of values{{snd}}a range with clearly defined and finite upper and lower boundaries{{snd}}roughly signifying what might otherwise be communicated by the word "through" in American English, or "to" in International English.<ref>Lamb, David. "[https://web.archive.org/web/20131103150905/http://www.academicwritingtutor.com/hyphens-en-dashes-and-em-dashes-correct-usage/ Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes: Correct Usage]". Academic Writing Tutor. Retrieved 2 September 2013.</ref> This may include ranges such as those between dates, times, or numbers.<ref name = "barronsgrammar">{{cite book |last = Griffith |first = Benjamin W |title = Pocket Guide to Correct Grammar |series = Barron's Pocket Guides |publisher = Barron's Educational Series |location = Woodbury, NY |year = 2004 |isbn = 0-7641-2690-3 |display-authors = etal }}</ref><ref name="copyeditguide">{{cite book |last = Judd |first = Karen |title = Copyediting: A Practical Guide |publisher = Crisp Publications | location = Menlo Park, CA |year = 2001 |isbn = 1-56052-608-4 }}</ref><ref name="webstersgrammar">{{cite book |first1 = Gordon |last1 = Loberger |first2 = Kate Shoup |last2 = Welsh |title = Webster's new world English grammar handbook |url = https://archive.org/details/webstersnewworld00lobe |url-access = registration |publisher = Hungry Minds |location = New York, NY |year = 2001 |isbn = 0-7645-6488-9 }}</ref><ref name ="texttypestyle">{{cite book|title = Text, type and style: A compendium of Atlantic usage|first = George Burnham |last = Ives|publisher = [[Atlantic Monthly Press]]|page = [https://archive.org/details/texttypeandstyl00bostgoog/page/n136 125]|year = 1921|url = https://archive.org/details/texttypeandstyl00bostgoog|quote = The en-dash ... may stand for the word "and" or "to" in such phrases as "the Radical–Unionist Coalition", "the Boston–Hartford Air Line"; "the period of Republican supremacy, 1860–84"; "pp. 224–30".}}</ref> Various [[style guide]]s restrict this range indication style to only parenthetical or tabular matter, requiring "to" or "through" in running text. Preference for hyphen vs. en dash in ranges varies. For example, the [[APA style]] (named after the American Psychological Association) uses an en dash in ranges, but the [[AMA Manual of Style|AMA style]] (named after the American Medical Association) uses a hyphen:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! En dash range style (e.g., [[APA style|APA]]{{efn|Other style differences (e.g., APA "p.m." and "pp." vs. AMA "<small>PM</small>" and "pp") are ignored for the purpose of this comparison.|name="apaAmaStyle"}}) !! [[Hyphen]] range style (e.g., [[AMA Manual of Style|AMA]]{{efn|name=apaAmaStyle}}) || Running text spell-out
|-
| June–July 1967 || June{{notatypo|-}}July 1967 || June and July 1967
|-
| 1:15–2:15&nbsp;p.m. || 1:15{{notatypo|-}}2:15&nbsp;<small>PM</small> || 1:15 to 2:15&nbsp;p.m.
|-
| For ages 3–5 || For ages 3{{notatypo|-}}5 || For ages 3 through 5
|-
| pp.&nbsp;38–55 || pp&nbsp;38{{notatypo|-}}55 || pages&nbsp;38 through 55
|-
| President Jimmy Carter (1977–81) || President Jimmy Carter (1977{{notatypo|-}}81) || President Jimmy Carter, in office from 1977 to 1981
|-
|}

Some style guides (including the ''Guide for the Use of the International System of Units ([[SI]])'' and the ''[[AMA Manual of Style]]'') recommend that, when a number range might be misconstrued as subtraction, the word "to" should be used instead of an en dash. For example, "a voltage of 50&nbsp;V to 100&nbsp;V" is preferable to using "a voltage of 50–100&nbsp;V". Relatedly, in ranges that include negative numbers, "to" is used to avoid ambiguity or awkwardness (for example, "temperatures ranged from −18{{nbsp}}°C to −34{{nbsp}}°C"). It is also considered poor style (best avoided) to use the en dash in place of the words "to" or "and" in phrases that follow the forms ''from&nbsp;X to&nbsp;Y'' and ''between&nbsp;X and&nbsp;Y''.<ref name="copyeditguide" /><ref name="webstersgrammar" />

==== Relationships and connections ====
The en dash is used to contrast values or illustrate a relationship between two things.<ref name="barronsgrammar" /><ref name="texttypestyle" /> Examples of this usage include:

* Australia beat American Samoa 31–0.
* Radical–Unionist coalition
* Boston–Hartford route
* New York–London flight (however, it may be argued that ''New York–to-London flight'' is more appropriate because New York is a single name composed of two valid words; with a single en dash, the phrase is ambiguous and could mean either ''Flight from New York to London'' or ''New flight from York to London''; such ambiguity is assuaged when used mid-sentence, though, because of the capital N in "New" indicating it is a special noun). If dash–hyphen use becomes too unwieldy or difficult to understand, the sentence can be rephrased for clarity and readability; for example, "The flight from New York to London was a pleasant experience".<ref name="texttypestyle" />
* Mother–daughter relationship
* The [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]] voted 5–4 to uphold the decision.

A distinction is often made between "simple" attributive compounds (written with a hyphen) and other subtypes (written with an en dash); at least one authority considers name pairs, where the paired elements carry equal weight, as in the [[Taft–Hartley Act]] to be "simple",<ref name="copyeditguide" /> while others consider an en dash appropriate in instances such as these<ref>{{cite book |last=Garner |first=Bryan A. |author-link = Bryan A. Garner |title=Garner's Modern American Usage |url=https://archive.org/details/garnersmodername00garn |url-access=registration |edition=2nd |page=[https://archive.org/details/garnersmodername00garn/page/657 657] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year = 2003 |isbn=978-0-19-516191-5 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Legal Writing in Plain English: A Text with Exercises |first=Bryan A. |last=Garner |series=Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing |edition=illustrated, reprinted |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-226-28418-7 |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=reZf9nzoiSQC |via=Google Books |quote=Use an en-dash as an equivalent of ''to'' (as when showing a span of pages), to express tension or difference, or to denote a pairing in which the elements carry equal weight. |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-date=1 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801094349/https://books.google.com/books?id=reZf9nzoiSQC |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Bugs in Writing |edition=Revised |first=Lynn |last=Dupré |publisher=Addison Wesley Longman |date=1998 |isbn=978-0-201-37921-1 |page=221 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X-J4AAAAIAAJ&q=%22equal-weighted+pair%22+%22love-hate+relationship%22 |via=Google Books |quote=use en dashes when you have an equal-weighted pair serving as an adjective, such as love–hate relationship. |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324070732/https://books.google.com/books?id=X-J4AAAAIAAJ&q=%22equal-weighted+pair%22+%22love-hate+relationship%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> to represent the parallel relationship, as in the [[Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act|McCain–Feingold bill]] or [[Bose–Einstein statistics]]. When an act of the U.S. Congress is named using the surnames of the senator and representative who sponsored it, the hyphen-minus is used in the [[short title]]; thus, the short title of [[Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act|Public Law 111–203]] is "The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act", with a [[hyphen-minus]] rather than an en dash between "Dodd" and "Frank".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ203/pdf/PLAW-111publ203.pdf|publisher=U.S. Government Publishing Office|title=Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act|date=21 July 2010|access-date=12 August 2019|archive-date=24 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324070731/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PLAW-111publ203/pdf/PLAW-111publ203.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> However, there is a difference between something named for a parallel/coordinate relationship between two people{{snd}} for example, [[Satyendra Nath Bose]] and [[Albert Einstein]]{{snd}} and something named for a single person who had a [[compound surname]], which may be written with a hyphen or a space but not an en dash{{snd}}for example, the [[Lennard-Jones potential]] [hyphen] is named after one person ([[John Lennard-Jones]]), as are [[Bence Jones protein]]s and [[John Hughlings Jackson|Hughlings Jackson syndrome]]. Copyeditors use dictionaries (general, medical, biographical, and geographical) to confirm the [[eponym]]ity (and thus the styling) for specific terms, given that no one can know them all offhand.

Preference for an en dash instead of a hyphen in these coordinate/relationship/connection types of terms is a matter of style, not inherent orthographic "correctness"; both are equally "correct", and each is the preferred style in some style guides. For example, ''[[the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language]]'', the ''[[AMA Manual of Style]]'', and [[Dorland's medical reference works]] use hyphens, not en dashes, in coordinate terms (such as "[[blood–brain barrier|blood-brain barrier]]"), in [[eponym]]s (such as "[[Cheyne–Stokes respiration|Cheyne-Stokes respiration]]", "[[Kaplan–Meier estimator|Kaplan-Meier method]]"), and so on. In other styles, AP Style or Chicago Style, the en dash is used to describe two closely related entities in a formal manner.

==== Attributive compounds ====
In English, the en dash is usually used instead of a [[hyphen]] in [[Adjectival phrase|compound (phrasal) attributives]] in which one or both elements is itself a compound, especially when the compound element is an [[wikt:open compound|open compound]], meaning it is not itself hyphenated. This manner of usage may include such examples as:<ref name="copyeditguide" /><ref name="webstersgrammar" /><ref name="Company2005">{{cite book |title=The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style |url = https://archive.org/details/americanheritage0000unse_e4c4 |url-access=registration |year = 2005 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |isbn=978-0-618-60499-9 |page = [https://archive.org/details/americanheritage0000unse_e4c4/page/129 129] }}</ref><ref name="LutzStevenson2005">{{cite book |first1=Gary |last1=Lutz |first2=Diane |last2=Stevenson |title=The Writer's Digest Grammar Desk Reference |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SsQ9ugnMcpUC&pg=PA296 |via=Google Books |date=2005 |publisher=Writer's Digest Books |isbn=978-1-58297-335-7 |page=296 |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-date=16 January 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116235437/https://books.google.com/books?id=SsQ9ugnMcpUC&pg=PA296 |url-status=live }}</ref>

* The hospital–nursing home connection (the connection between the ''hospital'' and the ''nursing home'', not a ''home connection'' between the ''hospital'' and ''nursing'')
* A nursing home–home care policy (a policy about the ''nursing home'' and ''home care'')
* Pre–Civil War era
* [[Pulitzer Prize for Fiction|Pulitzer Prize]]–winning novel
* [[New York-style pizza|New York–style pizza]]
* The non–San Francisco part of the world
* The post–World War II era
** (Compare ''[[post-war]] era'', which, if not fully compounded (''postwar''), takes a hyphen, not an en dash. The difference is that ''war'' is not an open compound, whereas ''World War II'' is.)
* [[Trans–New Guinea languages]]
* The ex–prime minister
* a long–focal length camera
* water ice–based bedrock
* The pro-conscription–anti-conscription debate
* Public-school–private-school rivalries

The disambiguating value of the en dash in these patterns was illustrated by Strunk and White in ''[[The Elements of Style]]'' with the following example: When ''Chattanooga News'' and ''Chattanooga Free Press'' merged, the joint company was inaptly named ''[[Chattanooga News-Free Press]]'' (using a hyphen), which could be interpreted as meaning that their newspapers were news-free.<ref name="Einsohn2000" />

An exception to the use of en dashes is usually made when [[prefix]]ing an already-[[wikt:hyphenated compound|hyphenated compound]]; an en dash is generally avoided as a distraction in this case. Examples of this include:<ref name="Einsohn2000">{{cite book |first=Amy |last=Einsohn |title=The Copyeditor's Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications, with Exercises and Answer Keys |url= https://archive.org/details/copyeditorshandb00eins |url-access=registration |date=2000 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-21834-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/copyeditorshandb00eins/page/108 108]–109}}</ref>

* non-English-speaking air traffic controllers
* semi-labor-intensive industries
* [[Proto-Indo-European language]]
* The post-[[MS-DOS]] era
* non-government-owned corporations

An en dash can be retained to avoid ambiguity, but whether any ambiguity is plausible is a judgment call. [[AMA Manual of Style|AMA style]] retains the en dashes in the following examples:<ref name="AMA10_8.3.1">{{Citation |editor1-last=Iverson |editor1-first=Cheryl |display-editors=etal |title=AMA Manual of Style |edition=10th |publisher=[[American Medical Association]] / Oxford University Press |date=2007 |isbn=978-0-19-517633-9 |chapter=8.3.1 Hyphen|title-link=AMA Manual of Style }}</ref>

* non–self-governing
* non–English-language journals
* non–group-specific blood
* non–Q-wave myocardial infarction
* non–brain-injured subjects

==== Differing recommendations ====
As discussed above, the en dash is sometimes recommended instead of a hyphen in [[compound adjectives]] where neither part of the adjective modifies the other—that is, when each modifies the noun, as in ''[[love–hate relationship]]''.

''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'' (''CMOS''), however, limits the use of the en dash to two main purposes:
* First, use it to indicate ranges of time, money, or other amounts, or in certain other cases where it replaces the word "to".
* Second, use it in place of a hyphen in a compound adjective when one of the elements of the adjective is an open compound, or when two or more of its elements are compounds, open or hyphenated.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chicago Manual of Style |edition=15th |publisher=University of Chicago Press |date=2003 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/chicagomanualofs00univ_0/page/261 261–265] |isbn=0-226-10403-6 |title-link=The Chicago Manual of Style }}</ref>

That is, the ''CMOS'' favors hyphens in instances where some other guides suggest en dashes, with the 16th edition explaining that "Chicago's sense of the en dash does not extend to ''between''", to rule out its use in "US–Canadian relations".<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chicago Manual of Style |edition=16th [online] |publisher=University of Chicago Press |date=2010 |at=§6.80 }}</ref>

In these two uses, en dashes normally do not have spaces around them. Some make an exception when they believe avoiding spaces may cause confusion or look odd. For example, compare {{nowrap|"12 June – 3 July"}} with {{nowrap|"12 June–3 July"}}.<ref name="harry shaw">{{cite book |last=Shaw |first=Harry |title=Errors in English and Ways to Correct Them |publisher=Harper & Row |date=1986 |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/errorsinenglishw00shaw_0/page/185 185] |isbn=0-06-097047-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/errorsinenglishw00shaw_0/page/185 }}</ref> However, other authorities disagree and state there should be no space between an en dash and adjacent text. These authorities would not use a space in, for example, {{nowrap|"11:00 a.m.⁠–⁠1:00 p.m."}}<ref>The Punctuation Guide, [https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/en-dash.html "En dash"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190721003359/https://www.thepunctuationguide.com/en-dash.html |date=21 July 2019 }}.</ref> or {{nowrap|"July 9–August 17"}}.<ref>Nancy Tuten, [https://getitwriteonline.com/articles/en-dashes-em-dashes "Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes: When to Use Them and How to Type Them"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190730181955/https://getitwriteonline.com/articles/en-dashes-em-dashes |date=30 July 2019 }}, Get It Write, 26 June 2019.</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CK5dkloDceIC&pg=PA97|title=Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing|author=Mignon Fogarty|publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company|Holt Paperbacks]]|year=2008|page=97|author-link=Mignon Fogarty|isbn=9781429977494|access-date=30 July 2019|archive-date=21 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221164118/https://books.google.com/books?id=CK5dkloDceIC&pg=PA97|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Parenthetic and other uses at the sentence level ====
{{See also|#En dash versus em dash}}

En dashes can be used instead of pairs of commas that mark off a nested clause or phrase. They can also be used around parenthetical expressions{{snd}} such as this one{{snd}} rather than the em dashes preferred by some publishers.<ref name="Complete Typographer"/><ref name=Bringhurst />

The en dash can also signify a rhetorical pause. For example, an [[opinion piece]] from ''[[The Guardian]]'' is entitled:

<blockquote>Who is to blame for the sweltering weather? My kids say it's boomers{{snd}}and me<ref>{{cite news |title=Who is to blame for the sweltering weather? My kids say it's boomers{{snd}}and me |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/20/who-is-to-blame-for-the-sweltering-weather-my-kids-say-its-boomers-and-me |author=Zoe Williams |date=20 July 2021 |access-date=21 July 2021 |archive-date=22 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210722065353/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/20/who-is-to-blame-for-the-sweltering-weather-my-kids-say-its-boomers-and-me |url-status=live }}</ref></blockquote>

In these situations, en dashes must have a single space on each side.<ref name=Bringhurst />

=== Typography ===
==== Spacing ====
In most uses of en dashes, such as when used in indicating ranges, they are typeset closed up to the adjacent words or numbers. Examples include "the 1914{{ndash}}18{{nbsp}}war" or "the Dover{{ndash}}Calais crossing". It is only when en dashes are used in setting off parenthetical expressions{{snd}}such as this one{{snd}}that they take spaces around them.<ref name="OUP_New_Hart_4.11.1">{{Citation |publisher=Oxford University Press |title=The Oxford Style Guide: New Hart's Rules |chapter=4.11.1 En rule |chapter-url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/secondary/harts_rules/4-11-dashes?q=en+dash#en_dash |chapter-url-access=subscription |title-link=New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide |page=[https://archive.org/details/newoxfordstylema0000unse_k5i2/page/86/mode/1up 86] |edition=Second |date=2016 |isbn=978-0-19-876725-1}}</ref> For more on the choice of em versus en in this context, see [[#En dash versus em dash|En dash versus em dash]].

==== <span class="anchor" id="Encoding, substitution, and keyboard shortcuts"></span>Encoding and substitution ====
When an en dash is unavailable in a particular [[character encoding]] environment—as in the [[ASCII]] character set—there are some conventional substitutions. Often two consecutive hyphens are the substitute.

The en dash is encoded in [[Unicode]] as U+2013 (decimal 8211) and represented in HTML by the [[character entity|named character entity]] <code>&amp;ndash;</code>.

The en dash is sometimes used as a substitute for the [[minus sign]], when the minus sign character is not available since the en dash is usually the same width as a plus sign and is often available when the minus sign is not; see [[Dash#Typing the characters|below]]. For example, the original 8-bit [[Macintosh Character Set]] had an en dash, useful for the minus sign, years before Unicode with a dedicated minus sign was available. The hyphen-minus is usually too narrow to make a typographically acceptable minus sign. However, the en dash cannot be used for a minus sign in [[programming language]]s because the syntax usually requires a hyphen-minus.

==== Itemization mark ====
Either the en dash or the em dash may be used as a [[Bullet (typography)|bullet]] at the start of each item in a bulleted list.

== Em dash ==
The '''em dash''', '''em rule''', or '''mutton dash'''<ref name="Stewart1919" /> '''{{char|—}}''' is longer than an [[#En dash|en dash]]. The character is called an ''em dash'' because it is one [[em (typography)|em]] wide, a length that varies depending on the font size. One em is the same length as the font's height (which is typically measured in [[point (typography)|points]]). So in 9-point type, an em dash is nine points wide, while in 24-point type the em dash is 24 points wide. By comparison, the en dash, with its {{nowrap|1 [[en (typography)|en]]}} width, is in most [[typeface|fonts]] either a half-em wide<ref>{{cite book |last=Ritter |first=Robert M. |title=The Oxford Guide to Style |publisher=Oxford University Press |date=2002 |isbn=0-19-869175-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordguidetosty00ritt/page/n155 140] |quote=The en rule is, as its name indicates, an en in length, which makes it longer than a hyphen and half the length of an em rule.|title-link=The Oxford Guide to Style }}</ref>
or the width of an upper-case "N".<ref>{{cite book |title=Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design |first1=Bryony |last1=Gomez-Palacio |first2=Armin |last2=Vit |publisher=Rockport |date=2009 |isbn=978-1-59253-447-0 |page=[https://archive.org/details/graphicdesignref0000gome/page/75 75] |url= https://archive.org/details/graphicdesignref0000gome |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive }}</ref>

The em dash is encoded in Unicode as U+2014 (decimal 8212) and represented in HTML by the named character entity <code>&amp;mdash;</code>.

=== Usage ===
The em dash is used in several ways. It is primarily used in places where a set of [[Bracket#Parentheses|parentheses]] or a [[colon (punctuation)|colon]] might otherwise be used,<ref name="OUP_New_Hart_4.11.2">{{Citation |publisher=Oxford University Press |title=New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide |chapter=4.11.2 Em rule |chapter-url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/secondary/harts_rules/4-11-dashes?q=em+dash#em_dash |chapter-url-access=subscription |access-date=21 February 2015 |archive-date=21 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150221120722/http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/secondary/harts_rules/4-11-dashes?q=em+dash#em_dash |url-status=live }}</ref>{{full citation needed|reason=Year and edition missing; there are numerous versions of this, and they differ.|date=December 2017}} and it can also show an abrupt change in thought (or an interruption in speech) or be used where a [[full stop]] (period) is too strong and a [[comma (punctuation)|comma]] is too weak (similar to that of a semicolon). Em dashes are also used to set off summaries or definitions.<ref>{{cite book |title=Webster's New World Punctuation: Simplified and Applied |first=Geraldine |last=Woods |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt |date=2005 |isbn=978-0-7645-9916-3 |page=114 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YyMoNCZlUAwC&pg=PA114 |via=Google Books |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-date=13 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200713034349/https://books.google.com/books?id=YyMoNCZlUAwC&pg=PA114 |url-status=live }}</ref> Common uses and definitions are cited below with examples.

==== Colon-like use ====
===== Simple equivalence (or near-equivalence) of colon and em dash =====
* ''Three alkali metals are the usual substituents: sodium, potassium, and lithium.''
* ''Three alkali metals are the usual substituents—sodium, potassium, and lithium.''

===== Inversion of the function of a colon =====
* These are the colors of the flag: red, white, and blue.
* Red, white, and blue—these are the colors of the flag.

==== Parenthesis-like use ====
===== Simple equivalence (or near-equivalence) of paired parenthetical marks =====
* Compare parentheses with em dashes:
** ''Three alkali metals (sodium, potassium, and lithium) are the usual substituents.''
** ''Three alkali metals—sodium, potassium, and lithium—are the usual substituents.''
* Compare commas, em dashes and parentheses (respectively) when no internal commas intervene:
** ''The food, which was delicious, reminded me of home.''
** ''The food—which was delicious—reminded me of home.''
** ''The food (which was delicious) reminded me of home.''

===== Subtle differences in punctuation =====
It may indicate an interpolation stronger than that demarcated by parentheses, as in the following from [[Nicholson Baker]]'s ''[[The Mezzanine]]'' (the degree of difference is subjective).

* "At that age I once stabbed my best friend, Fred, with a pair of pinking shears in the base of the neck, enraged because he had been given the comprehensive sixty-four-crayon Crayola box—including the gold and silver crayons—and would not let me look closely at the box to see how Crayola had stabilized the built-in crayon sharpener under the tiers of crayons."

==== Interruption of a speaker ====
===== Interruption by someone else =====
* "But I'm trying to explain that I—" <br />"I'm aware of your mitigating circumstances, but your negative attitude was excessive."

In a related use, it may visually indicate the shift between speakers when they overlap in speech. For example, the em dash is used this way in [[Joseph Heller]]'s ''[[Catch-22]]'':
* He was Cain, Ulysses, the Flying Dutchman; he was Lot in Sodom, Deirdre of the Sorrows, Sweeney in the nightingales among trees. He was the miracle ingredient Z-147. He was— <br />"Crazy!" Clevinger interrupted, shrieking. "That's what you are! Crazy!"<br />"—immense. I'm a real, slam-bang, honest-to-goodness, three-fisted humdinger. I'm a bona fide supraman."

===== Self-interruption =====
* Simple revision of a statement as one's thoughts evolve on the fly:
** "I believe I shall—''no'', I'm going to do it."
* Contemplative or emotional trailing off (usually in [[dialogue]] or in [[first person narrative]]):
** "I sense something; a presence I've not felt since—" in ''[[Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title = ''Star Wars: Episode{{nbsp}}IV{{snd}}A New Hope'' |publisher = IMDb |access-date = 10 August 2011 |url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/quotes?qt=qt0440693 |archive-date = 24 March 2021 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210324070738/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076759/quotes/qt0440693 |url-status = live }}</ref>
** "Get out or else—"
: Either an [[ellipsis]] or an em dash can indicate [[aposiopesis]], the [[rhetorical device]] by which a sentence is stopped short not because of interruption, but because the speaker is too emotional or pensive to continue. Because the ellipsis is the more common choice, an em dash for this purpose may be ambiguous in expository text, as many readers would assume interruption, although it may be used to indicate great emotion in dramatic [[monologue]].
* Long pause:
** In [[Early Modern English]] texts and afterward, em dashes have been used to add long pauses (as noted in Joseph Robertson's 1785 ''An Essay on Punctuation''):
:: {{Blockquote|''Lord Cardinal! if thou think'st on heaven's bliss, <br />Hold up thy hand, make signal of that hope.— <br />He dies, and makes no sign!''|source= [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]], ''[[Henry VI, Part 2]]''}}

==== Quotation ====
===== Quotation mark–like use =====
This is a [[quotation dash]]. It may be distinct from an em dash in its coding (see [[#Horizontal bar|horizontal bar]]). It may be used to indicate turns in a dialogue, in which case each dash starts a paragraph.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Chicago Manual of Style |edition=16th |at=§6.88, p. 335 |publisher=Chicago University Press}}</ref> It replaces other quotation marks and was preferred by authors such as [[James Joyce]]:<ref>{{cite book|last=Joyce|first=James|author-link=James Joyce |title=Ulysses |date=1922 |publisher=The Bodley Head |location=London |at=p. 335, lines 7–11}}</ref>
: —O saints above! miss Douce said, sighed above her jumping rose. I wished I hadn't laughed so much. I feel all wet.
: —O, miss Douce! miss Kennedy protested. You horrid thing!

===== Attribution of quote source =====
* Inline quotes:
** ''A penny saved is a penny earned.'' —[[Benjamin Franklin]]
* Block quotes:

{{Blockquote|''<poem>
[[The Walrus and the Carpenter]]
Were walking close at hand;
They wept like anything to see
Such quantities of sand:
"If this were only cleared away,"
They said, "it would be grand!"</poem>''|[[Lewis Carroll]]}}

==== Redaction ====
{{See also|Fillet (redaction)}}

An em dash may be used to indicate omitted letters in a word redacted to an initial or single letter or to [[Fillet (redaction)|fillet]] a word, by leaving the start and end letters whilst replacing the middle letters with a dash or dashes (for [[sanitization (classified information)|censorship]] or simply [[data anonymization]]). It may also censor the end letter. In this use, it is sometimes doubled.

* ''It was alleged that D—— had been threatened with blackmail.''

Three em dashes might be used to indicate a completely missing word.<ref name="trouble" />

==== Itemization mark ====
Either the en dash or the em dash may be used as a [[Bullet (typography)|bullet]] at the start of each item in a bulleted list, but a plain hyphen is more commonly used.

==== Repetition ====
Three em dashes one after another can be used in a footnote, endnote, or another form of bibliographic entry to indicate repetition of the same author's name as that of the previous work,<ref name="trouble">{{cite web |last1=Sheerin |first1=Peter K |title=The Trouble With EM 'n EN (and Other Shady Characters) |url=https://alistapart.com/article/emen |work=[[A List Apart]] |access-date=4 June 2018 |language=en |date=19 October 2001 |quote=Three adjacent em dashes (a 3-em dash) are used to substitute for the author's name when a repeated series of works are presented in a bibliography, as well as to indicate an entire missing word in the text. |archive-date=7 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180607213342/http://alistapart.com/article/emen/ |url-status=live }} His ''Pete's Guide'' website has an updated version: [http://petesguide.com/perspective/001-emanden/ Version 2.0—May 27, 2002] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180819121639/http://petesguide.com/perspective/001-emanden/ |date=19 August 2018 }}.</ref> which is similar to the use of {{lang|la|[[Idem|id.]]}}

=== Typographic details ===
==== Spacing and substitution ====
According to most American sources (such as ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'') and some British sources (such as ''[[Hart's Rules|The Oxford Guide to Style]]''), an em dash should always be set closed, meaning it should not be surrounded by spaces. But the practice in some parts of the English-speaking world, including the style recommended by ''[[The New York Times Manual of Style and Usage]]'' for printed newspapers and the ''[[AP Stylebook]]'', sets it open, separating it from its surrounding words by using spaces or [[hair space]]s (U+200A) when it is being used parenthetically.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.apvschicago.com/2011/05/em-dashes-and-ellipses-closed-or-spaced.html |title=Em Dashes and Ellipses: Closed or Spaced Out? |last=Yin |first=Karen |work=AP vs. Chicago |date=31 May 2016 |access-date=13 August 2014 |archive-date=7 July 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140707100204/http://www.apvschicago.com/2011/05/em-dashes-and-ellipses-closed-or-spaced.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Yagoda, Ben. "[http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/mad-dash/ Mad Dash] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115025506/http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/22/mad-dash/ |date=15 January 2013 }}". ''The New York Times''. 22 October 2012. Accessed 31 May 2016.</ref> The ''AP Stylebook'' rejects the use of the open em dash to set off introductory items in lists. However, the "space, en dash, space" sequence is the predominant style in German and French [[typography]]. (See [[#En dash versus em dash|En dash versus em dash]] below.)

In Canada, ''The Canadian Style: A Guide to Writing and Editing'', ''The Oxford Canadian A to Z of Grammar, Spelling & Punctuation: Guide to Canadian English Usage'' (2nd ed.), ''Editing Canadian English'', and the ''Canadian Oxford Dictionary'' all specify that an em dash should be set closed when used between words, a word and numeral, or two numerals.

The Australian government's ''Style Manual for Authors, Editors and Printers'' (6th ed.), also specifies that em dashes inserted between words, a word and numeral, or two numerals, should be set closed. A section on the 2-em rule (⸺) also explains that the 2-em can be used to mark an abrupt break in direct or reported speech, but a space is used before the 2-em if a complete word is missing, while no space is used if part of a word exists before the sudden break. Two examples of this are as follows:

* I distinctly heard him say, "Go away or I'll ——".
* It was alleged that D—— had been threatened with blackmail.

==== Approximating the em dash with two or three hyphens ====
When an em dash is unavailable in a particular [[character encoding]] environment—as in the [[ASCII]] character set—it has usually been [[typographic approximation|approximated]] as consecutive double&nbsp;(--) or triple&nbsp;(---) hyphen-minuses. The two-hyphen em dash proxy is perhaps more common, being a widespread convention in the [[typewriter|typewriting]] era. (It is still described for hard copy manuscript preparation in ''The Chicago Manual of Style'' as of the 16th edition, although the manual conveys that typewritten manuscript and copyediting on paper are now dated practices.) The three-hyphen em dash proxy was popular with various publishers because the sequence of one, two, or three hyphens could then correspond to the hyphen, en dash, and em dash, respectively.

Because early comic book [[letterer]]s were not aware of the typographic convention of replacing a typewritten double hyphen with an em dash, the double hyphen became traditional in American comics. This practice has continued despite the development of computer lettering.<ref name=NatePiekos2012>{{cite web |last=Piekos |first=Nate |title=Comic Book Grammar & Tradition |url=http://www.blambot.com/grammar.shtml |access-date=29 December 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221085635/http://www.blambot.com/grammar.shtml |archive-date=21 December 2012 |df=dmy }}</ref><ref name=ToddKlein2008>{{cite web |last=Klein |first=Todd |title=Punctuating Comics: Dots and Dashes |url=http://kleinletters.com/Blog/?p=1946 |access-date=29 December 2012 |date=23 September 2008 |archive-date=19 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119054812/http://kleinletters.com/Blog/?p=1946 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Usage in AI-generated text ===
In April 2025, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' reported on the growing perception that the em dash is a hallmark of AI-generated writing, particularly by [[ChatGPT]]. The article noted how this idea spread through social media, where users began referring to it as the "ChatGPT hyphen" and how these users advised avoiding it to appear more human. However, several writers and educators defended the em dash as a legitimate and expressive punctuation mark with a long history in human writing. An [[OpenAI]] spokesperson stated that while ChatGPT may favor the em dash, its style depends on prompts and is not a reliable indicator of machine authorship.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Why the Em Dash Became the ChatGPT Tell |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/chatgpt-hypen-em-dash-ai-writing-1235314945/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=April 18, 2025 |access-date=10 June 2025}}</ref><ref>https://www.telegraphindia.com/science-tech/dash-it-have-chatbots-fallen-for-em-dash-writers-scholars-debate-ais-telltale-signs-prnt/cid/2097498</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ft.com/content/5ed46ace-b0dc-45b9-9569-a614fcd994b2 | title=Are you AI, or simply a grammar pedant? | work=Financial Times | date=19 April 2025 | last1=Tunzelmann | first1=Alex von }}</ref>

== En dash versus em dash <span class="anchor" id="En dash versus em dash"></span>== <!-- anchor for incoming links in case someone changes the section title -->
[[File:Dash font comparison.png|thumb|right|These comparisons of the {{nowrap|hyphen (-)}}, n, {{nowrap|en dash (–)}}, m, and {{nowrap|em dash (—)}}, in various 12-point fonts, illustrate the typical relationship between lengths ("- n – m —"). In some fonts, the en dash is not much longer than the hyphen, and in [[Lucida Grande]], the en dash is actually shorter than the hyphen.]]

The en dash is wider than the [[hyphen]] but not as wide as the em dash. An [[em (typography)#Incorrect and alternate definitions|em width]] is defined as the point size of the currently used font, since the M character is not always the width of the point size.<ref>{{cite web |title=A glossary of typographic terms |publisher=Adobe |access-date=18 October 2007 |url=https://www.adobe.com/uk/type/topics/glossary.html#ememspaceemquad |archive-date=30 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071030210629/http://www.adobe.com/uk/type/topics/glossary.html#ememspaceemquad |url-status=live }}</ref> In running text, various dash conventions are employed: an em dash—like so—or a spaced em dash — like so — or a spaced en dash{{snd}}like so{{snd}}can be seen in contemporary publications.

Various style guides and national varieties of languages prescribe different guidance on dashes. Dashes have been cited as being treated differently in the US and the UK, with the former preferring the use of an em dash with no additional spacing and the latter preferring a spaced en dash.<ref name="Complete Typographer">{{Cite book |first=Hill |last=Will |title = The Complete Typographer: A Foundation Course for Graphic Designers Working With Type |edition=3rd |year=2010 |publisher=Thames and Hudson |isbn = 978-0-500-28894-8 }}</ref> As examples of the US style, ''The Chicago Manual of Style'' and ''[[APA style|The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association]]'' recommend unspaced em dashes. Style guides outside the US are more variable. For example, ''[[The Elements of Typographic Style]]'' by Canadian typographer [[Robert Bringhurst]] recommends the spaced en dash{{snd}}like so{{snd}}and argues that the length and visual magnitude of an em dash "belongs to the padded and corseted aesthetic of Victorian typography".<ref name=Bringhurst>{{cite book |title = The elements of typographic style |edition = third |first = Robert |last = Bringhurst |author-link=Robert Bringhurst |publisher = Hartley & Marks, Publishers |year = 2004 |isbn = 978-0-88179-206-5 |page = 80  |access-date = 10 November 2020  |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780881791327/page/80/mode/1up  }}</ref> In the United Kingdom, the spaced en dash is the house style for certain major publishers, including the [[Penguin Group]], the [[Cambridge University Press]], and [[Routledge]]. However, this convention is not universal. The ''Oxford Guide to Style'' (2002, section 5.10.10) acknowledges that the spaced en dash is used by "other British publishers" but states that the [[Oxford University Press]], like "most US publishers", uses the unspaced em dash. [[A Dictionary of Modern English Usage|Fowler's Modern English Usage]], saying that it is summarising the [[New Hart's Rules]], describes the principal uses of the em dash as "a single dash used to introduce an explanation or expansion" and "a pair of dashes used to indicate asides and parentheses", without stipulating whether it should be spaced but giving only unspaced examples.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Fowler |first1=H. W. |title=Fowler's dictionary of modern English usage |last2=Butterfield |first2=Jeremy |date=2015 | pages=201–202 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-966135-0 |edition=4th |location=Oxford; New York, NY}}</ref>

The en dash{{snd}}always with spaces in running text when, as discussed in this section, indicating a parenthesis or pause{{snd}}and the spaced em dash both have a certain technical advantage over the unspaced em dash. Most typesetting and word processing expects word spacing to vary to support [[Justification (typesetting)|full justification]]. Alone among punctuation that marks pauses or logical relations in text, the unspaced em dash disables this for the words it falls between. This can cause uneven spacing in the text, but can be mitigated by the use of [[thin space]]s, [[hair space]]s, or even [[zero-width space]]s on the sides of the em dash. This provides the appearance of an unspaced em dash, but allows the words and dashes to break between lines. The spaced em dash risks introducing excessive separation of words. In full justification, the adjacent spaces may be stretched, and the separation of words further exaggerated. En dashes may also be preferred to em dashes when text is set in narrow columns, such as in newspapers and similar publications, since the en dash is smaller. In such cases, its use is based purely on space considerations and is not necessarily related to other typographical concerns.

On the other hand, a spaced en dash may be ambiguous when it is also used for ranges, for example, in dates or between geographical locations with internal spaces.

== Horizontal bar<!-- This section is linked from [[Horizontal bar]] --> ==
{{Main|Quotation mark#Quotation dash}}

The '''horizontal bar''' ({{unichar|2015|ulink=Unicode}}), also known as a '''quotation dash''', is used to introduce quoted text. This is the standard method of printing [[dialogue]] in some languages. The em dash is equally suitable if the quotation dash is unavailable or is contrary to the house style being used.

There is no support in the standard TeX fonts, but one can use {{code|\hbox{---}\kern-.5em---|tex}} or an em dash.

== Swung dash<!-- This section is linked from Dash --> ==
{{Main|Tilde#Punctuation}}

The '''swung dash''' ({{unichar|2053|ulink=Unicode}}) resembles a lengthened [[tilde]] and is used to separate alternatives or approximates. In [[dictionary|dictionaries]], it is frequently used to stand in for the term being defined. A dictionary entry providing an example for the term ''henceforth'' might employ the swung dash as follows:

:''henceforth'' (adv.) from this time forth; from now on; "⁓ she will be known as Mrs. Wales"
<!--
Suspended section. Wikipedia is not a manual. See talk page
== Typing the characters ==
Typewriters and computers often have no key that produces a dash. In consequence, it became common to use the hyphen. It is common for a single hyphen surrounded by spaces to represent an en dash, and for two hyphens to represent an em dash.<ref name= Bringhurst /> (A hyphen surrounded by other characters is a hyphen, with a space before it or with digits it is a minus sign.)

Modern text systems typically has support for many more characters and is usually capable of rendering both the en and em dashes correctly—albeit sometimes with an inconvenient input method. Techniques for generating em and en dashes in various [[operating system]]s, [[word processor]]s and [[markup language]]s are provided in the following table:

{| class="wikitable"
! !! Em dash (—) !! En dash (–) !! Notes
|-
|[[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]
|{{keypress|[[Alt code|Alt]]|0}}{{key press|1|5|1|chain=}}<ref name="LibreOffice 6.0">{{cite book |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=d3ZvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |title=LibreOffice 6.0 Writer Guide | publisher = LibreOffice Documentation Team |page=52 |isbn= 978-1-92132053-8 |date=31 July 2018 |access-date= 10 November 2020 |archive-date=24 March 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210324070745/https://books.google.com/books?id=d3ZvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA52 |url-status=live }}</ref>
|{{keypress|[[Alt code|Alt]]|0}}{{key press|1|5|0|chain=}}
|Must use digits on the [[numeric keypad]].
|-
|[[Microsoft Word]]
|{{key press|Ctrl|Alt|-}}
|{{key press|Ctrl|-}}
|Must use the hyphen on the numeric keypad
|-
|[[Autocorrection|Autocorrect]]
|{{key press|-|-|chain=}}
|{{key press|space|-|space|chain=}}
|Microsoft Word's default Autocorrect. Word may insert the dash in a different [[font]] than that of the surrounding text.
|-
|[[macOS]]
|{{keypress|Opt|Shift|-}}
|{{keypress|Opt|-}}
|Works when using the Australian, British, Canadian, Finnish, French, German, Irish, Irish Extended, Italian, Pro Italian, Russian, US, US Extended, or Welsh keyboard layouts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Typing Special Characters on a Macintosh Keyboard|url= http://www.forlang.wsu.edu/help/keyboards2.asp |publisher=Washington State University|access-date=11 February 2014|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140222042043/http://www.forlang.wsu.edu/help/keyboards2.asp |url-status= live}}</ref>
|-
|[[Linux]]
|{{key press|[[compose key|Compose]]|-|-|-|chain=}}
|{{key press|[[compose key|Compose]]|-|-|.|chain=}}
|Depends on selected layout. In some layouts {{keypress|[[AltGr]]|-}} produces en dash and {{keypress|[[AltGr]]|Shift|-}} em dash.
|-
|[[Plan 9 from Bell Labs|Plan 9]]
|{{key press|[[compose key|Compose]]|E|M|chain=}}
|{{key press|[[compose key|Compose]]|E|N|chain=}}
|
|-
|[[iOS]]
|rowspan="2" colspan="2"|Hold the {{key press|-}} (hyphen) on the on-screen keyboard until a popup appears with choices, then slide the finger or thumb upwards to the desired option, then release.
|The en dash is the second option while the em dash is third. A double-tap of the hyphen key {{key press|-}} also produces en and em dashes, depending on whether the preceding character is a digit or a letter.
|-
|[[Android (operating system)|Android]]||The em dash is first and the en dash third.
|-
|[[HTML]]
|{{tt|&amp;mdash;}}
|{{tt|&amp;ndash;}}
|
|-
|[[LaTeX]]
|{{tt|---}} or {{tt|\textemdash}}
|{{tt|--}} or {{tt|\textendash}}
|These options also work in [[TeX]].<ref>{{Citation |url = http://www.cs.sfu.ca/~ggbaker/reference/characters/#dash |location = CA |publisher = SFI |last = Baker |first = GG |title = Characters |type = reference |contribution = Dash |access-date = 22 February 2006 |archive-date = 3 March 2006 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060303124932/http://www.cs.sfu.ca/~ggbaker/reference/characters/#dash |url-status = live }}</ref>
|}
{{Hatnote|For insertion of dashes using their Unicode code points (U+2013 for en dash and U+2014 for em dash), see {{slink|Unicode_input#Hexadecimal_input}}. It may also be possible to input dashes directly from the keyboard, using an [[QWERTY#Multilingual variants|"extended" keyboard setting]].}}
  Suspended section. Wikipedia is not a manual. See talk page. -->

== Unicode ==
{{See also|Unicode input|Em (typography) }}

In the following tables, the "Em and 5×" column uses a capital M as a standard comparison to demonstrate the vertical position of different Unicode dash characters. "5×" means that there are five copies of this type of dash.

===Unicode dash characters===
This table lists characters with property {{mono|1=Dash=yes}} in Unicode.<ref>"Dashes and Hyphens" in {{cite book |title=The Unicode Standard Version 15.0 – Core Specification |publisher=[[The Unicode Consortium]] |date=September 2022 |isbn=978-1-936213-32-0 |page=269 |chapter-url=https://www.unicode.org/versions/Unicode15.0.0/ch06.pdf#G6120 |chapter=Writing Systems and Punctuation}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! [[Unicode#Upluslink|Code]] !! !! Em and 5× !! Name !! Remark
|-
 | {{mono|U+002D}}
 | {{large|-}}
 | M-----
 | {{unichar/name|na=hyphen-minus|nlink=hyphen-minus}}
 | The [[ASCII]] hyphen. Sometimes this is used in groups to indicate different types of dash. In [[programming language]]s it is used as the [[minus sign]].
|-
| {{mono|U+058A}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x058A;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Armenian hyphen|nlink=Armenian alphabet}}
|-
| {{mono|U+05BE}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x05BE;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Hebrew punctuation maqaf|nlink=Hebrew punctuation#Hyphen and maqaf}}
|-
| {{mono|U+1400}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1400;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Canadian syllabics hyphen|nlink=Canadian syllabics}}
|-
| {{mono|U+1806}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1806;}} || {{unichar/name|na=MONGOLIAN TODO SOFT HYPHEN|nlink=Clear script}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+2010}}
 | {{large|‐}}
 | M‐‐‐‐‐
 | {{unichar/name|na=hyphen|nlink=hyphen}}
 | The character that can be used to unambiguously represent a hyphen.
|-
 |{{mono|U+2011}}
 | {{large|‑}}
 | M‑‑‑‑‑
 | {{unichar/name|na=non-breaking hyphen|nlink=Hyphen#Non-breaking hyphens}}
 | Also called "hard hyphen",{{Citation needed|reason=Consistency with "Hyphen" article that also flags the claim with "citation needed"|date=January 2023}}  denotes a hyphen after which no [[word wrap]]ping may apply. This is the case where the hyphen is part of a [[trigraph (orthography)|trigraph]] or [[tetragraph]] denoting a specific sound (like in the Swiss placename {{nowrap|"[[S-chanf]]"}}), or where specific orthographic rules prevent a line break (like in German [[compound noun|compounds]] of single-letter abbreviations and full nouns, as "E-Mail").
|-
 |{{mono|U+2012}}
 | {{large|‒}}
 | M‒‒‒‒‒
 | {{unichar/name|na=figure dash|nlink=#Figure_dash}}
 | Similar to an en dash, but with exactly the width of a digit in the chosen typeface. The vertical position may also be centered on the zero digit, and thus higher than the en dash and em dash, which are appropriate for use with lowercase text in a vertical position similar to the hyphen. The figure dash may therefore be preferred to the en dash for indicating a closed range of values.<ref>{{cite web |title=Figure dash |url=http://www.technicalauthoring.com/wiki/index.php/Figure_dash |website=TechWriter Wiki |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071439/http://www.technicalauthoring.com/wiki/index.php/Figure_dash |archive-date=21 January 2018 |access-date=28 January 2018}}</ref>
|-
 |{{mono|U+2013}}
 | {{large|–}}
 | M–––––
 | {{unichar/name|na=en dash|nlink=#En_dash}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+2014}}
 | {{large|—}}
 | M—————
 | {{unichar/name|na=em dash|nlink=#Em_dash}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+2015}}
 | {{large|―}}
 | M―――――
 | {{unichar/name|na=horizontal bar|nlink=#Horizontal_bar}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+2053}}
 | {{large|⁓}}
 | M⁓⁓⁓⁓⁓
 | {{unichar/name|na=swung dash|nlink=#Swung_dash}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+207B}}
 | {{large|⁻}}
 | M⁻⁻⁻⁻⁻
 | {{unichar/name|na=superscript minus}}
 | Usually is used together with [[Subscript and superscript|superscripted]] numbers.
|-
 |{{mono|U+208B}}
 | {{large|{{not a typo|₋}}}}
 | M{{not a typo|₋₋₋₋₋}}
 | {{unichar/name|na=subscript minus}}
 | Usually is used together with [[Subscript and superscript|subscripted]] numbers.
|-
 |{{mono|U+2212}}
 | {{large|−}}
 | M−−−−−
 | {{unichar/name|na=minus sign|nlink=minus sign}}
 | An [[arithmetic]] [[operation (mathematics)|operation]] used in [[mathematics]] to represent [[subtraction]] or [[negative number]]s. Its glyph is consistent with the glyph of the plus sign, and it is centred on the zero digit, unlike the ASCII hyphen-minus and {{unichar|2010|hyphen}}, that (especially the latter) are designed to match lowercase letters and are inconsistent with arithmetic operators.
|-
| {{mono|U+2E17}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x2E17;}} || {{unichar/name|na=DOUBLE OBLIQUE HYPHEN|nlink=Double hyphen}} || Used in ancient Near-Eastern linguistics.
|-
| {{mono|U+2E1A}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x2E1A;}} || {{unichar/name|na=HYPHEN WITH DIAERESIS}} || Used mostly in German dictionaries and indicates [[Diaeresis (diacritic)|umlaut]] of the stem vowel of a plural form.
|-
 |{{mono|U+2E3A}}
 |colspan=2|{{large|⸺}} || {{unichar/name|na=two-em dash}}
 |rowspan=2|[[Supplemental Punctuation]].
|-
 |{{mono|U+2E3B}}
 |colspan=2|{{large|⸻}} || {{unichar/name|na=three-em dash}}
|-
| {{mono|U+2E40}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x2E40;}} || {{unichar/name|na=DOUBLE HYPHEN|nlink=Double hyphen}} || Used in the transcription of old German manuscripts.
|-
| {{mono|U+2E5D}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x2E5D;}} || {{unichar/name|na=OBLIQUE HYPHEN}} || Used in medieval European manuscripts.<ref>{{Cite web|title=L2/21-036: Proposal to add the OBLIQUE HYPHEN|date=2021-01-12|first=Michael|last=Everson|url=https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n5152-oblique-hyphen.pdf|access-date=21 September 2021|archive-date=20 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120124751/https://www.unicode.org/wg2/docs/n5152-oblique-hyphen.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
| {{mono|U+301C}}
| {{large|&#x301C;}}
| M〜〜〜〜〜
| {{unichar/name|na=WAVE DASH}} || rowspan=2 | Wavy lines found in some East Asian [[character set]]s. Typographically, they have the width of one [[CJK characters|CJK]] character frame ([[fullwidth form]]), and follow the direction of the text, being horizontal for horizontal text, and vertical for columnar. They are used as dashes, and occasionally as emphatic variants of the [[katakana]] vowel extender mark.
|-
| {{mono|U+3030}}
| {{large|&#x3030;}}
| M〰〰〰〰〰
| {{unichar/name|na=wavy dash}}
|-
| {{mono|U+30A0}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x30A0;}} || {{nowrap|{{unichar/name|na=KATAKANA-HIRAGANA DOUBLE HYPHEN}}}}
|-
| {{mono|U+FE31}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#xFE31;}} || {{unichar/name|na=PRESENTATION FORM FOR VERTICAL EM DASH}} || rowspan=5 | Compatibility characters used in [[List of CJK fonts|East Asian typography]].
|-
| {{mono|U+FE32}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#xFE32;}} || {{unichar/name|na=PRESENTATION FORM FOR VERTICAL EN DASH}}
|-
| {{mono|U+FE58}}
| {{large|&#xFE58;}}
| M﹘﹘﹘﹘﹘
| {{unichar/name|na=SMALL EM DASH}}
|-
| {{mono|U+FE63}}
| {{large|&#xFE63;}}
| M﹣﹣﹣﹣﹣
| {{unichar/name|na=SMALL HYPHEN-MINUS}}
|-
| {{mono|U+FF0D}}
| {{large|&#xFF0D;}}
| M－－－－－
| {{unichar/name|na=FULLWIDTH HYPHEN-MINUS|nlink=Halfwidth and fullwidth forms}}
|-
| {{mono|U+10D6E}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x10D6E;}} || {{unichar/name|na=GARAY HYPHEN|nlink=Garay alphabet}}
|-
| {{mono|U+10EAD}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x10EAD;}} || {{unichar/name|na=YEZIDI HYPHENATION MARK|nlink=Kurdish alphabets#Yezidi}}
|}

===Related characters===
This table lists characters similar to dashes, but with property {{mono|1=Dash=no}} in Unicode.

{| class="wikitable"
! [[Unicode#Upluslink|Code]] !! !! M and 5× !! Name !! Remark
|-
 | {{mono|U+005F}}
 | {{large|_}}
 | M_____
 | {{unichar/name|na=low line|nlink=underscore}}
 | ASCII underscore, usually a horizontal line below the [[Baseline (typography)|baseline]] (i.e. a spacing underscore). It is commonly used within [[URL]]s and [[Identifier (computer science)|identifiers]] in programming languages, where a space-like separation between parts is desired but a real space is not appropriate. As usual for ASCII characters, this character shows a considerable range of [[Glyph|glyphic variation]]; therefore, whether sequences of this character connect depends on the [[font]] used. See also {{unichar|ff3f|FULLWIDTH LOW LINE}}
|-
 | {{mono|U+007E}}
 | {{large|~}}
 | M<nowiki>~~~~~</nowiki>
 | {{unichar/name|na=tilde|nlink=tilde}}
 |Used in programming languages (e.g. for the [[Bitwise operation|bitwise NOT]] operator in [[Operators in C and C++|C and C++]]). Its [[Glyph|glyphic representation]] varies, therefore for punctuation in running text the use of more specific characters is preferred, see [[#Swung dash|above]].
|-
 | {{mono|U+00AD}}
 |
 |
 | {{unichar/name|na=soft hyphen|nlink=soft hyphen}}
 | Used to indicate where a line ''may'' break, as in a [[Compound (linguistics)|compound word]] or between syllables.
|-
 | {{mono|U+00AF}}
 | {{large|¯}}
 | M¯¯¯¯¯
 | {{unichar/name|na=macron}}
 | A horizontal line positioned at [[cap height]] usually having the same length as {{unichar|005F|low line}}. It is a spacing character, related to the diacritic mark "[[Macron (diacritic)|macron]]". A sequence of such characters is not expected to connect, unlike {{unichar|203E|overline}}.
|-
 |{{mono|U+02C9}}
 | {{large|ˉ}}
 | Mˉˉˉˉˉ
 | {{unichar/name|na=modifier letter macron|nlink=Macron (diacritic)}}
 | A [[Phonetic symbols in Unicode|phonetic symbol]] (a line applied above the base letter).
|-
 |{{mono|U+02CD}}
 | {{large|ˍ}}
 | Mˍˍˍˍˍ
 | {{unichar/name|na=modifier letter low macron}}
 | A phonetic symbol (a line applied below the base letter).
|-
 |{{mono|U+02D7}}
 | {{large|˗}}
 | M˗˗˗˗˗
 | {{unichar/name|na=modifier letter minus sign}}
 | A variant of the [[minus sign]] used in phonetics to mark a [[retracted (phonetics)|retracted]] or backed articulation. It may show small end-[[serif]]s.
|-
 |{{mono|U+02DC}}
 | {{large|˜}}
 | M<nowiki>˜˜˜˜˜</nowiki>
 | {{unichar/name|na=small tilde}}
 | A spacing clone of [[tilde#Diacritical use|tilde diacritic mark]].
|-
| {{mono|U+06D4}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x06D4;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Arabic full stop}}
|-
| {{mono|U+1428}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1428;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Canadian syllabics final short horizontal stroke}}
|-
| {{mono|U+1B78}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1B78;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Balinese musical symbol left-hand open pang|nlink=Balinese script}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+203E}}
 | {{large|‾}}
 | M‾‾‾‾‾
 | {{unichar/name|na=overline|nlink=overline}}
 | A character similar to {{unichar|00AF|macron}}, but a sequence of such characters usually connects.
|-
 |{{mono|U+2043}}
 | {{large|⁃}}
 | M⁃⁃⁃⁃⁃
 | {{unichar/name|na=hyphen bullet}}
 | A short horizontal line used as a list [[bullet (typography)|bullet]].
|-
 | {{mono|U+223C}}
 | {{large|{{not a typo|∼}}}}
 | M{{not a typo|∼∼∼∼∼}}
 | {{unichar/name|na=tilde operator}}
 | Used in mathematics. Ends not curved as much regular tilde. In [[TeX]] and [[LaTeX]], this character can be expressed using the math mode command <code>$\sim$</code>.
|-
 | {{mono|U+23AF}}
 | {{large|⎯}}
 | M⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯
 | {{unichar/name|na=horizontal line extension}}
 | [[Miscellaneous Technical (Unicode block)]]. "Used for extension of arrows".<ref name="U2300">[https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2300.pdf Miscellaneous Technical]</ref> Can be used in sequences to generate long connected horizontal lines.
|-
 |{{mono|U+23BA}}
 |{{large|⎺}}
 | M⎺⎺⎺⎺⎺
 | {{unichar/name|na=horizontal scan line-1}}
 | rowspan=4 | "Refer to old, low-resolution technology for terminals, with only 9 scan lines per fixed-size character glyph". The scan line-5 is unified with {{unichar|2500|box drawings light horizontal}}.<ref name="U2300"/>
|-
 |{{mono|U+23BB}}
 |{{large|⎻}}
 | M⎻⎻⎻⎻⎻
 | {{unichar/name|na=horizontal scan line-3}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+23BC}}
 |{{large|⎼}}
 | M⎼⎼⎼⎼⎼
 | {{unichar/name|na=horizontal scan line-7}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+23BD}}
 |{{large|⎽}}
 | M⎽⎽⎽⎽⎽
 | {{unichar/name|na=horizontal scan line-9}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+23E4}}
 | {{large|⏤}}
 | M⏤⏤⏤⏤⏤
 | {{unichar/name|na=straightness}}
 | [[Miscellaneous Technical (Unicode block)]]. Represents line [[straightness]] in technical context.
|-
 |{{mono|U+2500}}
 | {{large|&#x2500;}}
 | M─────
 | {{unichar/name|na=box drawings light horizontal}}
 | rowspan=2 | [[Box-drawing character]]s. Several similar characters from one Unicode block used to draw horizontal lines.
|-
 |{{mono|U+2501}}
 | {{large|&#x2501;}}
 | M━━━━━
 | {{unichar/name|na=box drawings heavy horizontal}}
|-
 | {{mono|U+268A}}
 | colspan=2|{{large|&#x268A;}}
 | {{unichar/name|na=monogram for yang}}
 | rowspan=2 | [[I Ching]] monogram symbols, often used to form [[Bagua|trigrams]] or hexagrams.
|-
 | {{mono|U+268B}}
 | colspan=2|{{large|&#x268B;}}
 | {{unichar/name|na=monogram for yin}}
|-
 |{{mono|U+2796}}
 | {{large|➖}}
 | M➖➖➖➖➖
 | {{unichar/name|na=heavy minus sign}}
 | [[Unicode symbols]].
|-
| {{mono|U+2E0F}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x2E0F;}} || {{unichar/name|na=paragraphos|nlink=paragraphos}} || [[Ancient Greek]] textual symbol, usually displayed by a long low line.
|-
| {{mono|U+3161}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x3161;}} || {{unichar/name|na=HANGUL LETTER EU}} || rowspan=3 | [[Hangul]] letters used in [[Korean language|Korean]] to denote the sound {{IPA|[ɯ]}}. The halfwidth form is a compatibility character used in [[List of CJK fonts|East Asian typography]].
|-
| {{mono|U+1173}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1173;}} || {{unichar/name|na=HANGUL JUNGSEONG EU}}
|-
| {{mono|U+FFDA}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#xFFDA;}} || {{unichar/name|na=HALFWIDTH HANGUL LETTER EU}}
|-
| {{mono|U+30FC}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x30FC;}} || {{unichar/name|na=KATAKANA-HIRAGANA PROLONGED SOUND MARK}} || rowspan=2 | Japanese [[chōonpu]], used in Japanese to indicate a long vowel. The halfwidth form is a compatibility character used in East Asian typography.
|-
| {{mono|U+FF70}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#xFF70;}} || {{unichar/name|na=HALFWIDTH KATAKANA-HIRAGANA PROLONGED SOUND MARK}}
|-
| {{mono|U+4E00}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x4E00;}} || {{unichar/name|na=CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E00|nlink=wikt:一}} || [[Chinese character]] for "[[1|one]]", used in various [[East Asian languages]].
|-
| {{mono|U+A4FE}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#xA4FE;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Lisu punctuation comma|nlink=Fraser Alphabet}} || Looks like a sequence of a hyphen and a [[full stop]] (period).
|-
| {{mono|U+FF5E}}
| {{large|&#xFF5E;}}
| M～～～～～ || {{unichar/name|na=Fullwidth tilde|nlink=Halfwidth and fullwidth forms}}
| Compatibility character used in East Asian typography.
|-
| {{mono|U+10110}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x10110;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Aegean number ten|nlink=Aegean numerals}}
|-
| {{mono|U+10191}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x10191;}} || {{unichar/name|na=roman uncia sign|nlink=Uncia (unit)}} || A symbol for an [[Ancient Rome|ancient Roman]] unit of length.
|-
| {{mono|U+1104B}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1104B;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Brahmi punctuation line}} || Symbols for [[Brahmi script]]
|-
| {{mono|U+11052}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x11052;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Brahmi number one}} || [[Brahmi numerals|Brahmi digit]] for "one".
|-
| {{mono|U+110BE}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x110BE;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Kaithi section mark}} || A symbol for [[Kaithi]] that indicates the end of a sentence.
|-
| {{mono|U+1CE1F}} || {{large|𜸟}} || M𜸟𜸟𜸟𜸟𜸟 || {{unichar/name|na=Large type piece crossbar}} || Used to form a large text character in legacy computing.
|-
| {{mono|U+1D360}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1D360;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Counting rod unit digit one}} || [[Counting rod]] digit for "one", used in calculation in ancient East Asia.
|-
| {{mono|U+1D372}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1D372;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Ideographic tally mark one}} || A [[tally mark]] based on segments from the Chinese character "正".
|-
| {{mono|U+1D2E5}} || colspan=2|{{large|&#x1D2E5;}} || {{unichar/name|na=Mayan numeral five}} || [[Maya numerals|Mayan number]] for "[[5|five]]".
|}

== In other languages ==
In many languages, such as [[Polish language|Polish]], the em dash is used as an opening [[Quotation mark#Quotation dash|quotation mark]]. There is no matching closing quotation mark; typically a new paragraph will be started, introduced by a dash, for each turn in the dialogue.{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}

[[Corpus linguistics|Corpus]] studies indicate that em dashes are more commonly used in Russian than in English.<ref name= "AngelelliJacobson2009">{{cite book |first1=Claudia V. |last1=Angelelli |first2=Holly E. |last2=Jacobson |title=Testing and assessment in translation and interpreting studies: A call for dialogue between research and practice |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3dzk1a7gOnAC&pg=PA174 |date=2009 |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing |isbn=978-90-272-3190-1 |page=174 |access-date=1 July 2020}}</ref> In Russian, the em dash is used for the present [[Copula (linguistics)|copula]] (meaning 'am/is/are'), which is unpronounced in spoken Russian.

In [[French language|French]] and [[Italian language|Italian]], em or en dashes can be used as [[parentheses]] (brackets), but the use of a second dash as a closing parenthesis is optional. When a closing dash is not used, the sentence is ended with a period (full-stop) as usual. Dashes are, however, much less common than parentheses.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}}

In [[Spanish language|Spanish]], em dashes can be used to mark off parenthetical phrases. Unlike in English, the em dashes are spaced like brackets, i.e., there is a space between main sentence and dash, but not between parenthetical phrase and dash.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.rae.es/dpd/raya |title=Raya |language=es |work=Diccionario panhispánico de dudas |edition=2nd |location=Madrid |publisher=Fundación [[Real Academia Española]] |date=2005}}</ref> For example: "{{lang|es|Llevaba la fidelidad a su maestro {{nowrap|—un}} buen {{nowrap|profesor—}} hasta extremos insospechados.}}" (In English: 'He took his loyalty to his teacher – a good teacher – to unsuspected extremes.')<ref>{{Cite web |work=UAM en linea |url= http://www.uamenlinea.uam.mx/materiales/lengua/puntuacion/html/raya.htm |title=Uso de la raya (o guión largo) |language=es |date=2007 |location=Mexico City |publisher=[[Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana]] |access-date=18 October 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181025151230/http://www.uamenlinea.uam.mx/materiales/lengua/puntuacion/html/raya.htm |archive-date=25 October 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Compound point]] – dashes preceded by colons, semicolons, commas or full stops
* [[Leiden Conventions]] – rules to indicate conditions in texts (usage of "[— — —]")
* [[Signature dashes]] – signature delimiter in emails (usage of "--&nbsp;" in a single line)
* [[Whitespace characters]] – spaces of equivalent sizes to dashes

== Explanatory notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project links
|c = Category:Dashes
|d = Q187819
|m = Help:Special characters
|mw = no
|b = Typography
|v = no
|voy = no
|wikt = dash
|s = no
|species = no
|n = no
|q = no
}}
* [[wikt:Category:English terms spelled with —|Wiktionary list of English phrases with em dash]]
* [https://www.dashhyphen.com Dashes and Hyphens]
* [https://www.cs.sfu.ca/~ggbaker/reference/characters/ Commonly confused characters]

{{Typography terms}}
{{Navbox punctuation}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Punctuation]]
[[Category:Typography]]