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En Dash Versus Em Dash—What's the Difference?



What is an En Dash?


The en dash (–) is a punctuation mark that is the approximate length of the capital letter "N." It's used to mark ranges, tallies, and relationships.

How to Use:


Ranges & Tallies

Page numbers: Our homework problems are on pages 20–25.

Time limits: My work week ranges from 30–40 hours.

Sports scores: The home team won 3–1.

Years: The years 1929–1939 were very hard for Americans.

Months: I read through the May–September issue of the catalog.

Days: We rode the Monday–Friday train to Atlanta.


Relationships

We looked at media coverage of the Iran–Iraq War.

Tight security is maintained at the US–Canada border.


An important note is to refrain from using an en dash if using the word from or between:

❌ Incorrect: She works from Monday–Friday.

✅ Correct: She works from Monday to Friday.


❌ Incorrect: We use between 10–20 rolls of paper towels a week.

✅ Correct: We use between 10 and 20 rolls of paper towels a week.


The key binding for the en dash on Windows is holding down the Alt key while typing 0150, and on MacOS it's holding down option and clicking the dash key.


What is an Em Dash?


The em dash (—) is a punctuation mark that is the approximate length of the letter "M." The em dash is thought of to be more striking than other punctuation, often used stylistically to draw a reader’s attention to a particular bit of information. The em dash can also be used to indicate interrupted speech or a speaker’s confusion or hesitation.


How to Use:


The em dash can be used to replace commas, parentheses, colons, and semicolons. Examples include:


Commas:

Mary has been acting unusual lately, do you think something is wrong?

Mary has been acting unusual lately—do you think something is wrong?


Parentheses:

I love reading (who doesn't?) and I will do whatever it takes to make time for reading.

I love reading—who doesn't?—and I will do whatever it takes to make time for reading.


Colons

Chad made a checklist for camping: food, clothing, and shelter.

Chad made a checklist for camping—food, clothing, and shelter.


Semicolons

Justin had a terrible secret; a secret he would share with no one.

Justin had a terrible secret—a secret he would share with no one.


The key binding for the em dash on Windows is holding down the Alt key while typing 0151, and on MacOS it's holding down option and shift and clicking the dash key.


What is a Hyphen?


A hyphen is most often used to compound words. Examples include:


  • Spelled out numbers, such as twenty-one and ninety-eight.

  • Nouns like city-state and mother-in-law.

  • Verbs, such as cold-shoulder and back-paddle.

  • Adjectives like wishy-washy and fat-free.


Last of all, here's what they look like together (for no particular reason):


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