Dashes and hyphens. Hyphen: The prize-winning entry caused quite a stir in the intelligentsia. Most writers recognize the hyphen, but not everyone is familiar with the en dash or em dash. Knowing the difference between hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes isn’t just about punctuation—it improves clarity and polish in your writing. There is one kind of hyphen. Find out the difference between them, when to use them, and how to avoid common mistakes. The Hyphen (-): Short and straightforward, it connects words or parts of words. The em dash (—) is typically about as wide as a capital H. Learn the differences and functions of em dashes (—), en dashes (–), and hyphens (-) in punctuation. Tips for Usage. Each serves a unique purpose in your writing toolbox: 1. When you use these punctuation marks, do you know whether you’re using them as dashes or hyphens? May 22, 2023 · That concludes this article on the use of hyphens and dashes. Hyphens are not separated by spaces, while a dash has a space on either side. The Hyphen (-) What is a Hyphen? The hyphen (-) is the shortest of the three marks and is…. See examples of how to use them in sentences, lists, quotations, and more. Mar 28, 2024 · While hyphens are used to join words, dashes serve a different purpose. I hope you found it helpful. The Purdue OWL maintains a number of resources on punctuation you can visit to learn more: Apostrophes; Commas; Conquering the Comma ; Grammar and ESL Exercises; Hyphens; Punctuation A hyphen joins two or more words together while a dash separates words into parenthetical statements. The two are sometimes confused because they look so similar, but their usage is different. Dashes come in two sizes—the en dash and the em dash. Don’t do that—it’s another typewriter habit. Let's summarize what we've learned: Hyphens and dashes are forms of punctuation that look like a line. Find out more in a Bitesize KS2 English guide. Aug 17, 2024 · The Three Players: Hyphen, En Dash, and Em Dash. Hyphens are shorter than dashes and are used to connect words. Dashes are used as punctuation in sentences. Find out the functions, types, and examples of hyphens, em dashes, en dashes, and minus signs. Hyphens are the shortest line, followed by en dashes, then em dashes. kastatic. The en dash separate ranges, dates or numbers, whereas hyphens connect phrasal adjectives or compound modifiers. Note that dashes are double the length of hyphens. This guide explains their functions, formatting, and when to use each. En-dash: The Nobel Prize–winning scientist was overwhelmed by winning yet another award. While hyphens, em dashes, and en dashes look similar, they have distinct uses in British English. When you type two hyphens together (--), most word processors automatically combine them into a single dash. However, if you have a two-word adjective phrase that must be connected to a In the category of “dashes” most style manuals, including APA and the Chicago Style Guide talk about 3 glyphs: Hyphen: This is the shortest dash and is used for compound words and non-sequential numbers, like a phone number e. However, they are technically two completely different punctuation marks. These are known as special characters because they do not appear on most standard keyboards. Jan 16, 2024 · Learn how to use hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes correctly in your writing. It’s like the glue that holds compound words and prefixes together. Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes: Differences, Similarities, and Uses, Fall 2022. 2. Jun 2, 2025 · Dashes vs. Here are a few final tips to apply what you’ve learned: Think function first: Mar 14, 2022 · The 3 types of dashes—hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes—often get mixed up. En dashes and em dashes are the two kinds of dashes. En and em dashes are often approximated by typing two or three hyphens in a row (--or ---). They can emphasize parenthetical information much like parentheses. 3 of 5 En Dashes The en dash is longer than a hyphen, but shorter than an em dash (–). kasandbox. org and *. Apr 8, 2021 · Many people use dashes and hyphens interchangeably, which is understandable, since most of us use the exact same keyboard character for both dashes and hyphens. Use real dashes. Feb 12, 2025 · Introduction[1] Punctuation plays a crucial role in clarity and readability. Learn how to use each type in a sentence with these examples and best practices. 555-1212 En Dash: Basically the width of the letter “n” and used for series, e. See full list on writer. To start, let’s introduce the punctuation trio. There are two main kinds of dashes: the en dash ( –), and the em dash ( —). org are unblocked. The en dash (–) is about half as wide. Tip: On most word processors, two hyphens typed together automatically turn into an em dash. The Hyphen (-) Hyphens, the shortest of the dashes, are used to connect words in compound nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Learn the difference between a hyphen and a dash, and how to use them correctly in writing. We use the em dash much like we would a semicolon or colon. If you're behind a web filter, please make sure that the domains *. hyphens. g. Hyphens Generally, hyphens are used to join two words or parts of words together while avoiding confusion or How to Use Hyphens (-), En Dashes (–), and Em Dashes (—) In this section, we will be discussing the hyphen, the en dash, and the em dash. Dashes are longer than hyphens, and there are two commonly used dash types: En dash (–): About the width of an uppercase ‘N,’ en dashes are typically used to indicate ranges, connect multi-word elements, or create compound modifiers. The En Dash (–): If you're seeing this message, it means we're having trouble loading external resources on our website. com Aug 6, 2021 · En-dash: She was a scholar of the post–World War II novel. It is mainly used between dates to mark a span of time. zntxu jrpo srew sbehf fbhsaxx jxnyl exaoj dbqyd ildb wqz