The dash is a punctuation mark that is usually written in the middle of a line of text.[1] A hyphen is sometimes called a dash, but it is used differently.
| — | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dash | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Dashes are used to add more drama to writing. The two main forms of dashes are:
- The en dash (–) is the shorter of the two. It is longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em dash.[2] In normal text it is about the width of the letter "n".[3] An en dash is used to connect two numbers that make up a range (for example pages 3–6).[3] It is also used to show a range of dates (2010–2011) or of time (11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.).[2]
- The em dash (—) is so-named because it is about the length of an uppercase M.[3] They are best used to show emphasis or for an interruption in thought.[3] They can also be used in place of a comma, parentheses, or a colon.[4] But they are less formal than the punctuation marks they replace.[4]
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
