Punctuation · U+2014
Copy and paste the em dash (—), then find its Unicode value, HTML entities, CSS escape, Windows Alt code, and device shortcuts. The comparison below explains when an em dash fits and when an en dash or hyphen is the honest choice.
Em dash · U+2014
| Format | Value |
|---|---|
| Unicode | |
| HTML entity | |
| HTML decimal | |
| Hex | |
| CSS | |
| Alt code |
| Dash | Name | Unicode | Use | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Em dash | U+2014 | break / emphasis / attribution | |
| – | En dash | U+2013 | ranges (10–20), spans (NY–LA) | |
| ‐ | Hyphen | U+2010 | compound words (well-known) | |
| ‒ | Figure dash | U+2012 | aligned numeric ranges (phone) | |
| ⸺ | Two-em dashTwo-em dash (long pause) | U+2E3A | long pause / omitted span | |
| —— | Double em dashTwo em dashes (——) | U+2014 × 2 | Two consecutive em dashes — interrupted quotation or deliberate omission (house-style dependent) | |
| ⸻ | Three-em dash | U+2E3B | repeated whole word omitted | |
| ― | Horizontal bar | U+2015 | quotation dash (dialogue) |
Use the shortcut for the app and device you have open, then copy the character when you need it elsewhere.
These marks look related, but each has a distinct job in writing.
| Use | Mark | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Break in thought | — | “It was — at last — over.” |
| A range | – | “pages 10–20” · “NY–LA” |
| Joining words | ‐ | “well-known” |
the keyboard "-" is U+002D (hyphen-minus); the math minus is U+2212. Neither is an em dash.
Chicago typically sets the mark closed (word—word). AP typically puts a space on both sides (word — word). Other houses pick one and stay consistent inside a document. This board will not insert spaces for you; copy the character, then follow the guide you were given. A double hyphen -- is a typewriter substitute, not U+2014. Three hyphens in TeX are a different pipeline. Word on Windows can turn two hyphens into the mark depending on AutoCorrect; that setting is not this page.
The name comes from the em, a width equal to the current type size. An en is nominally half of that. Those are measuring units in metal type, not instructions to draw a letter M. In a given font the glyph may be shorter or longer than a capital M. That is why a screenshot is a poor way to identify the character: look at the code point U+2014, the HTML entity —, or Alt+0151 on a Windows keypad. Mac users press Option+Shift+Hyphen. Phones often long-press the hyphen key. Word can accept 2014 then Alt+X.
An en dash (U+2013) marks ranges and some compounds: 10–20, the New York–London flight. A hyphen (U+2010) or the keyboard hyphen-minus (U+002D) joins ordinary compounds: well-known. A figure dash (U+2012) is for lining figures in older fonts. A horizontal bar (U+2015) is a quotation dash in some traditions. Two-em and three-em dashes have specialized omission uses and weak font coverage. The comparison table on this page is the short version of that list. Pick one mark per job; mixing them in a single sentence looks accidental.
Writers overuse the long dash as a substitute for commas, colons, and parentheses. That is a style argument, not a Unicode argument. This page copies the character. It does not score your prose. If a teacher wants fewer dashes, delete some; do not replace them with en dashes as a disguise. If a programmer wants a YAML minus, they want a hyphen-minus, not a punctuation dash that will break a parser. Paste a sample into the actual compiler or CMS.
HTML, XML, and Markdown accept the literal character in UTF-8 files. Some Markdown processors also treat --- as a thematic break, which is another reason not to type three hyphens when you meant one punctuation dash. CSS can use the escape in the table. JSON must use the literal UTF-8 character or an escape; it will not expand —. Email subjects usually accept the character. Some SMS gateways still replace it with a hyphen. Test.
Screen readers typically say “em dash” or “dash,” which is enough for a break in thought. They will not reconstruct the nuance you hoped a triple dash would carry. For accessibility, prefer shorter sentences over a thicket of asides. Search engines index the character; replacing it with a hyphen can still rank and will look sloppier in a title. Keep titles honest: if the title contains the mark, use the mark, not two hyphens that later auto-convert inconsistently.
Related LiteralKit boards include the degree sign and other punctuation-sized symbols. They are not dashes. A minus sign in math (U+2212) aligns as an operator and is still not a punctuation dash. A tilde is not a dash. An arrow is not a dash. If you landed here from a “how to type a long hyphen” search, you want U+2014 for interruption or emphasis, U+2013 for a range, and U+002D for a compound word.
When you publish a shortcut card, mention keypad versus no keypad and Mac versus Word Alt+X. Chromebooks and many laptops copy faster than they Alt-code. The board on this page keeps variants together so you can see why a range should not use the long punctuation dash. Copy once, paste into the destination, and look at the code point if two marks look similar in a condensed font. Glyph width is not identity.
Plain-text email, source code, and YAML still prefer a hyphen-minus when a parser is downstream. A punctuation dash in a command-line flag is a bug. A punctuation dash in a date range inside prose is usually an en dash, not the longer interruption mark. If you are unsure, write the sentence with commas and skip the dash. When you do want the interruption, copy U+2014 once and keep using that same character through the document so AutoCorrect does not mix two hyphens, a figure dash, and a horizontal bar in the same essay. Consistency is the style guide; the board is only the glyph.
The em dash (—, U+2014) marks a break or aside; the en dash (–, U+2013) marks a range or span (10–20, NY–LA); the hyphen (‐, U+2010) joins compounds (well-known). Three distinct characters, not interchangeable.
Styles vary, so follow your house style. Chicago omits spaces around em dashes (Word—word); AP puts a space on both sides (Word — word). Other guides land elsewhere, so pick one and stay consistent within a document.
Option + Shift + – works on any Mac keyboard, numpad or not.
— is the named character entity for the em dash (—, U+2014); —, —, and the literal — are equivalent in modern HTML.
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