Em Dash — Copy and Paste
Copy the em dash —, the en dash – and every other dash or line character, plus a quick guide to which one to use.
Dash Symbols
Line Dividers
Keyboard shortcuts & HTML codes
Windows Alt codes need the numeric keypad with Num Lock on. On Mac, hold Option (⌥) while pressing the key.
| Symbol | Name | Windows | Mac | HTML |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | Em Dash | Alt+0151 | Option+Shift+- | — |
| – | En Dash | Alt+0150 | Option+- | – |
| ‐ | Hyphen | — | — | ‐ |
| ― | Horizontal Bar | — | — | ― |
| − | Minus Sign | — | — | − |
| ‾ | Overline | — | — | ‾ |
Em Dash vs. En Dash vs. Hyphen
The hyphen (-) is the shortest and joins words, as in “well-known” or “copy-paste.” The en dash (–) is about the width of the letter n and is used for ranges, like 9–5 or pages 10–20. The em dash (—) is the longest, roughly the width of an M, and sets off an extra thought in a sentence—like this one. American style guides usually write it without spaces, while many British publications prefer a spaced en dash instead.
There’s also a true minus sign (−), which is slightly wider than a hyphen and lines up with the plus sign in math.
How to Type an Em Dash
On Windows, hold Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad for —, or 0150 for –. On a Mac, press Option + Shift + Hyphen for — and Option + Hyphen for –. On iPhone, press and hold the hyphen key on the number keyboard to choose –, — or •. In Microsoft Word, typing two hyphens between words usually autocorrects into a dash, and in HTML you can write — and –.