Em Dash / En Dash

Dash

A dash is a little horizontal line in the middle of a line of text. 

In this post, I will explain how to use dashes — em dashes and en dashes.

In this post, I will explain how to use dashes—em dashes and en dashes.

I worked on this post for five hours — from 6 to 11 this morning.

Sections 1–2 are a kind of introduction.

Sections 3–4 explain the uses of dashes.

Read sections 1–4; they’re all important.

Dash versus Underscore

Note that I said “in the middle” and not at the bottom. The line that goes at the bottom is called an underscore. 

A dash looks like – or —, but an underscore looks like _. 

Dash versus Hyphen

A dash is longer than a hyphen, which is used to separate parts of a word. 

A dash looks like – or —, but a hyphen looks like -.

Types of Dashes

There are two forms of dashes commonly used — em dash and en dash.

Note that I used an em dash in my sentence, between the words used and em dash.

First, I want you to pay attention to the way I put space between my words “used” and “em” and the em dash. That’s one way of writing it. Many people prefer to write this same sentence like this: 

There are two forms of dashes commonly used—em dash and en dash. 

Whether or not you use space around your em dash depends on your style guide and your choice. Both are correct. Whichever you choose, make sure you’re consistent throughout your text.

Second, I want you to know that I could have used a colon in this sentence instead of an em dash.

There are two forms of dashes commonly used: em dash and en dash. 

Both are correct. I personally prefer to use an em dash instead of a colon unless I’m writing an academic paper.

The em dash has the same length as the letter M (—), and the en dash has the same length as the letter N (–). These dashes don’t just differ in length, though; they also serve different functions in a sentence.

Em Dash 

Em dashes can replace commas or parentheses that separate information that is not essential to understand the sentence. 

She asked her instructor, Noosha Ravaghi, to explain this grammar feature.

She asked her instructor (Noosha Ravaghi) to explain this grammar feature.

She asked her instructor — Noosha Ravaghi — to explain this grammar feature.

Once he finally gathered enough money to buy the laptop (four months after he first saw it) he no longer needed it.

Once he finally gathered enough money to buy the laptop — four months after he first saw it — he no longer needed it.

When she found the errors in the text (all thirty of them) the editor decided to proofread the manuscript once again.

When she found the errors in the text — all thirty of them — the editor decided to proofread the manuscript once again.

Em dashes can replace a colon before an item or a list of items.

There are two forms of dashes commonly used: em dash and en dash. 

There are two forms of dashes commonly used — em dash and en dash. 

Em dashes are often used in pairs, unless they separate information that is at the end of a sentence; in that case the punctuation mark at the end of the sentence will signal the end of that piece of information.

I like to go swimming in the summer — my favorite season.

In the winter — my least favorite season — I stay at home and read.

When em dashes are used to mark a break in a sentence instead of a colon or even a semi-colon, they are often used for emphasis or to signal a change in tone. Keep in mind that using dashes is less formal that using other punctuation marks, so em dashes should not replace other punctuation marks in academic writing or any other formal text.

In a conversation, an em dash can be used to show an abrupt break whereas an ellipsis might indicate trailing off.

My dogs are little monst—

Some may use an em dash before an author’s name in a quote.

"You should never have more than two em dashes in one sentence."

— Noosha Ravaghi

En Dash

En dashes are slightly shorter in length than em dashes. Also, en dashes have an entirely different function. The en dash is used between numbers (dates, page numbers, etc.) and means to or through.

Albert Camus (1913–1960) was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1957.

I told my students to do exercises 2–6 for tomorrow.

Make sure to use en dashes, not hyphens, for numerical ranges like these.

Also, in phrases such as from… to… and between… and…, it’s important to keep the word “to” or “and” instead of using an en dash, because it will affect the parallel structure in the sentence.

She lived in this town from 1995 to 1998.

Between 5 and 7, I was watching a movie.

The en dash is also used in the meaning of to or and to show relationships, scores, or directions.

The teacher–student connection is important.

They won the game 4–1.

The Paris–Rome train leaves in 30 minutes.

Typing the Dashes

Typing the dashes can be a little tricky.

Here are two simple options:

1 - Copy them from here and paste them where you need them:

em dash = —    en dash = – 

2 - Type your text in a Google doc. 

Google doc makes typing en and em dashes easy:

Use two hyphens back to back for an en dash.

Use three hyphens back to back for an em dash.