An en dash is a mid-sized dash (longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em dash) that is mostly used to show ranges in numbers and dates.The en dash derives its name from the fact that it is meant to be the same width as the letter N.
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Is an N Dash a hyphen?
En dashes, which are about the width of an upper-case N, are often mistaken for hyphens. But, traditionally, en dashes function as a kind of super hyphen. They’re meant to give you a little extra glue when you have a compound modifier that includes a multi-word element that can’t easily be hyphenated.
How do you write an N Dash?
To insert an en dash, click where you want to insert the en dash and then press and hold Alt and then type 8211 on the numeric keypad. If this doesn’t work, press NumLock on the numeric keypad. The Alt keyboard shortcuts will work in multiple programs but the other shortcuts will work only in Microsoft Word.
What is an en dash example?
It can be used in pairs like parentheses ( ) to separate a word or phrase, or it can be used alone to separate one end of the sentence from the main sentence (similar to the use of a colon). There should be no spaces before or after an em dash. Examples: The tea—and I rarely drink tea—was warm and delicious.
How do you type an N and M dash?
Insert an Em or En dash using shortcut keys
To create an Em dash, use the shortcut key combination Ctrl + Alt + – . To create an En dash, use the shortcut key combination Ctrl + – . Num Lock must be enabled and you need to use the minus key on the numeric keypad.
How do you use an N dash?
An en dash should be used for clarity when one of the elements in a compound adjective is an open compound (made up of two words with a space between them) or when both elements contain hyphenated terms. In terms of clarity, this is especially helpful when one of the terms is a capitalized proper noun.
How do I type an em dash?
To make an em dash, press and hold Alt, then type 0151.
How do you type an em dash on a Chromebook?
In the menu at the top, click Insert then Special Characters. In the next window, set options on left to Punctuation and on right to Dash/Connector. Select em dash and close the window. The em dash is inserted.
How do I make an em dash in Google Docs?
While in a Google Doc on Chrome, on any laptop or desktop computer, go to Insert | Special Characters and type Em Dash in the search box. The first search result shown in the grid of characters will be the em dash; select it to insert it. You can also search, select, and insert an em dash (Figure A).
Do en dashes have spaces?
The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time. There should be no space between the en dash and the adjacent material. Depending on the context, the en dash is read as “to” or “through.”If you introduce a span or range with words such as from or between, do not use the en dash.
What is a semicolon example?
Examples of Semicolons: Joan likes eggs; Jennifer does not. The cat slept through the storm; the dog cowered under the bed. Semicolons are also used in a sentence when something stronger than a comma is needed.
What is en dash and em dash?
The en dash is approximately the length of the letter n, and the em dash the length of the letter m. The shorter en dash (–) is used to mark ranges and with the meaning “to” in phrases like “Dover–Calais crossing.” The longer em dash (—) is used to separate extra information or mark a break in a sentence.
What does em dash look like?
It looks like — or sometimes (as when one’s word processing program fails to convert it) – – and it’s called the “common dash,” or “em dash.” The two names are well-earned; this dash is the most common true dash, and it’s the approximate width of a capital M.
How do you type a dash on a laptop?
Hold down the Alt key, press 0 1 5 0 on the numeric pad, and then release the Alt key. The en dash will appear in the text field where your cursor is.
How do I type an em dash in Windows 10?
For an em-dash, hold down the Alt key and type 0151, then release the Alt key. That’s it!
How do I insert an em dash in Word?
Fortunately, there are three easy methods:
- Press [Ctrl]+[Alt]+-.
- Hold down the [Alt] key and type 0151 on the numeric keypad.
- Choose Symbol from the Insert menu, click the Special Characters tab, highlight the em dash, and click Insert.
Why is it called an em dash?
The character is called an em dash because it is one em wide, a length that varies depending on the font size. One em is the same length as the font’s height (which is typically measured in points). So in 9-point type, an em dash is nine points wide, while in 24-point type the em dash is 24 points wide.
How do you use Alt codes on a Chromebook?
I’ve always typed em dashes normally to press Alt and type 0151 on the numerical keypad. The only thing is that Chromebooks don’t have numerical keypads. In fact, most laptops don’t anymore.
Typing Punctuation in Unicode.
| CTRL + SHIFT + U and … | Character | Name |
|---|---|---|
| 204A | ⁊ | Tironian et sign |
How do you make a long dash on the keyboard?
On Windows it’s… less simple: you need to use an alt code to get an em dash. If you have a numeric keyboard, hold down the Alt key and type 0151 for an em dash or 0150 for an en dash.
Can you put a comma after an em dash?
99% of the time, the answer is no, you are not supposed to put a comma after an em dash. In general, punctuation marks are not usually adjacent to each-other. For example, the following sentence is incorrect: It was unbelievable.!
What is the meaning of en rule?
Meaning of en rule in English
An en rule is about double the length of a hyphen. En rules are used to mean “to” in such phrases as: 1914–18. Em rules are separating signals whereas en rules are joining signals.