Tap — to copy the em dash, the widest dash in the font. Use it for an interruption or an aside where a comma feels too weak. The table shows how to type it on every device.
—
EM DASH
U+2014 · tap the symbol to copy
How to Type the Em Dash
Unicode
U+2014 EM DASH
HTML
— or —
Windows
Alt + 0151 (numeric keypad); Ctrl + Alt + minus (keypad) in Word
Mac
Option + Shift + - (hyphen key)
iPhone
On the 123 keyboard, touch and hold the hyphen key, then slide to —
Android
Gboard: long-press the hyphen key; the pop-up includes – and —
LaTeX
--- (three hyphens)
Em Dash Variants and Lookalikes
–
En DashHalf the width; for ranges (2019–2026) and UK-style spaced dashes
-
Hyphen-MinusThe keyboard key; joins compound words, never replaces a dash
‐
HyphenThe typographically "true" hyphen; rarely typed on purpose
−
Minus SignSame width as a plus sign; use it in maths, not as a dash
―
Horizontal BarUsed for dialogue in French, Spanish and Russian typesetting
⸺
Two-Em DashMarks missing letters in a name: Mr J⸺
⸻
Three-Em DashStands for a repeated author in bibliographies
‒
Figure DashDigit-width dash for phone numbers: 555‒1234
Using the Em Dash
The em dash is the long dash, traditionally as wide as the letter M in the current font. It marks a sharp break in a sentence — like this one — or sets off an aside with more energy than commas and less formality than parentheses. It can also replace a colon before a punchline and show interrupted speech in dialogue.
Spaced or unspaced?
American book style (Chicago) closes the dash up tight against the words on both sides: word—word. AP style, which most US newspapers follow, puts a space on each side: word — word. British publishers usually avoid the em dash for asides altogether and use a spaced en dash instead: word – word. Pick one convention and hold it through a document; readers notice a mixture far more than they notice which rule you chose. Whatever you do, never surround the em dash with two hyphens or type " - " with a plain hyphen, which is what the keyboard tempts you into.
Typing shortcuts
Word, Google Docs and most phones convert two hyphens between words into an em dash automatically, which is the origin of the "--" habit in plain text. On a Mac the direct shortcut is Option + Shift + hyphen; on Windows it is Alt + 0151, or Ctrl + Alt + the keypad minus in Word. Phone keyboards hide it under a long-press of the hyphen key, alongside the en dash and the bullet point.
Other jobs
Attribution: a quotation followed by a dash and the author's name, the format that fills Instagram captions and Pinterest graphics.
Omission: a two-em dash ⸺ stands for missing letters in a censored or unknown name, and a three-em dash ⸻ replaces a repeated author in a bibliography.
Interruption: "I was only trying to—" shows speech cut off, where an ellipsis would show speech trailing away.
Dialogue: French, Spanish and Russian typesetting opens each spoken line with a dash, usually the slightly different horizontal bar ―.
Do not overuse it
A paragraph with three em dashes reads as breathless. Since 2023 the dash has also picked up a reputation as a tell for machine-written text, and some editors now ask writers to cut it back; parentheses and a plain comma still work. That is a fashion rather than a rule, but it is worth knowing before you fill a bio with dashes.
Rendering
The em dash lives in Windows-1252 and Mac Roman as well as Unicode, so it displays on every phone, browser and game client, and it survives plain-text fields and SMS. Some monospaced fonts, including the ones behind a typewriter font style, draw it no wider than a hyphen, which is one reason typewriter users invented the two-hyphen substitute in the first place.
Em Dash FAQ
Do I put spaces around an em dash?
It depends on the style guide. Chicago and most book publishers use no spaces (word—word); AP and most newspapers use a space on each side. Both are correct as long as you stay consistent.
What is the difference between an em dash and an en dash?
The em dash is twice as wide and marks a break or an aside in a sentence. The en dash is shorter and joins ranges and pairs: pages 12–15, a London–Paris train. British writing also uses a spaced en dash where Americans would use an em dash.
How do I type an em dash on a Mac?
Press Option + Shift + hyphen. Option + hyphen without Shift gives the shorter en dash. Most Mac apps also convert two hyphens between words into an em dash automatically.
Why do two hyphens turn into a dash in Word?
AutoCorrect replaces "--" between words with an em dash, and " - " with spaces around it with an en dash. You can turn this off under File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options → AutoFormat As You Type.
Is the em dash a sign of AI writing?
It has become a stereotype, because language models use it often, but humans have used the em dash for centuries and plenty of professional writers rely on it. Judge a text by its content; if you worry about the impression, simply use fewer dashes.
Can I use an em dash in a username or bio?
Bios and display names on Instagram, X, TikTok and Discord accept it and show it correctly. Handles do not allow dashes of any kind on most platforms, though hyphens are allowed in some, such as YouTube channel handles.