LiteralKit symbol tool
Copy the em dash (—) in one click — plus the Unicode, HTML, CSS and Alt codes, how to type it, and when to use it over an en dash or hyphen.
Em dash · U+2014
| Format | Value | Copy |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+2014 | |
| HTML entity | — | |
| HTML decimal | — | |
| Hex | — | |
| CSS | \2014 | |
| Alt code | Alt + 0151 |
| 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.
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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