Dash & Hyphen

The en dash (–) is primarily used to indicate ranges (e.g., 1990–1995).

Em dashes are used to set off parenthetical information for emphasis.

The em dash is the longest (length of an 'm'), the en dash is shorter (length of an 'n'), and the hyphen is the shortest.

Hyphens are used to form compound nouns such as kinship terms.

An en dash indicates a range of dates.

An em dash at the end of a sentence can function similarly to a colon, introducing a summary or explanation.

A compound adjective (well-known) before a noun requires a hyphen.

'Very' is an adverb ending in -ly; compound adjectives formed with these do not require hyphens.

Em dashes (—) and hyphens (-) have different lengths and grammatical functions.

'Blue-eyed' is a compound adjective modifying 'girl'.

An en dash is used to indicate a connection or distance between two distinct items.

Em dashes are used to set off parenthetical thoughts.