Dashes and Hyphens

Dashes and hyphens are marks of punctuation with differing lengths and separate uses.

  • Hyphen   -

  • En Dash  –

  • Em Dash  — 

  • 2-Em Dash ——

  • 3-Em Dash ———

Hyphens

The hyphen can be found on the lower half of the key located between the zero and the equal sign on the keyboard.  
A hyphen is used between two words when they are used as an adjective, but not when used as a verb. 

Examples: 

Adjectives: sign-up sheet, pop-up menu 
Verbs: sign up, pop up 

Correct:

  • Sign up for a time slot.

  • Pop up a menu.

  • Read the sign-up sheet.

                   Incorrect: 

  • Sign-up for a time slot.

  • Pop-up a menu.

  • Read the sign up sheet.

For compound words used as nouns, it’s best to check Merriam-Webster Online to determine whether a compound word is hyphenated or presented as a single word. 

When the second half of the compound is capitalized, use a hyphen. Example: non-American.


No spaces are used between the hyphen and the words unless the hyphen is a hanging hyphen, e.g., “nineteenth- and twentieth-century literature.” A hanging hyphen will have a space after it, but not before.


Always hyphenate works beginning with self and ex (when ex means former).

En Dash

The en dash can be found in Word 2007 by clicking INSERT, SYMBOL, MORE SYMBOLS, SPECIAL CHARACTERS, or it can be created by holding down the Alt key and pressing 0150 on the number keypad. 

The en dash is used to indicate continuing or inclusive numbers (times, dates, or references), geographical references, and distance. No spaces surround the en dash. Exceptions: Use spaces in time ranges and in lists.


Examples: 

Correct:

  • June 12–14

  • Pages 36–39

  • 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.  (For time ranges, RMA institutional style uses spaces.)

  • 1015 – 1100 hrs.

  • 20005–08; 2008–2009

  • May–June 2008

  • Philadelphia–Baltimore commuter line

  • Mason–Dixon line

It also is used:

  • To hyphenate compounds of compounds, where at least one pair is already hyphenated (e.g., “Netscape 6.1 is an Open-Source–based browser.”). The Chicago Manual of Style states that it should be used instead of a hyphen “where one of the components of a compound adjective contains more than one word.”

  • When referring to joint authors, as in the “Bose–Einstein” paper.

  • In lists, to separate distinct information within points. In this case, en dashes are always spaced.

Em Dash

The em dash can be found in Word 2007 by clicking INSERT, SYMBOL, MORE SYMBOLS, SPECIAL CHARACTER,  or it can be created by holding down the Alt key and pressing 0151 on the number keypad.  

Use the em dash to give emphasis or explanation.  Em dashes can be used in pairs like parentheses—that is, to enclose a word, or a phrase, or a clause—or they can be used alone to detach one end of a sentence from the main body.


An em dash:

  • Sets aside a parenthetical thought that requires more emphasis than parentheses will give.

  • Denotes a sudden break in thought that causes an abrupt change in sentence structure or sets aside a parenthetical thought.

  • Indicates an open range, such as from a given date with no end yet.

Examples 

  • The anticipated result of this effort—and it is already proving to be correct—is that local students who take these courses will be in a stronger position to find meaningful employment.

  • Be sure to keep your mailing list as current as possible—continually screen the list for individuals who might want to join RMA.

  • I was thinking about writing a—what time did you say the movie started?

  • MTC missionaries consume 167,000 gallons of milk—the entire production of a three-hundred-cow dairy.

  • Elizabeth Hunter [1960—] authored this book.

An em dash can also be used to separate a subordinate, modifying element from the main element in a name, e.g., Brigham Young University—Hawaii.

2-Em Dash/2-Em Dash


Two adjacent em dashes (a 2-em dash) are used to indicate missing letters in a word.

Three adjacent em dashes (a 3-em dash) indicate an entire missing word in the text