On dashes
Size really does matter.
In the hierarchy of human concerns, proper dash usage ranks somewhere between folding socks nicely and pronouncing ‘acai’ correctly. Understandably, almost no one cares. Still, the small details matter, and a choice dash indicates a consummate professional of fine judgement and taste.
Using the wrong dash is like wearing sweatpants to a wedding—not a criminal offence, but it’s sloppy and confusing and a little revealing. This post explains why designers and writers should learn to dash correctly, and how to do it.
Meet your dashes
It’s a short lineup to remember. Here’s your cheat sheet:
- The hyphen (-)
Widely available, frequently misused. The runt of the litter and darling of marketers.
Should be used to connect compound words and handle line breaks. Nothing more.
Examples: sugar-free, north-east, mouth-watering, risk-averse, time-saving - The en dash (–): Width of an "N"
The middle child and a bit weird. Used for ranges and relationships only.
Examples: Pages 10–25, US–China competition, Paris–London route - The em dash (—): Width of an "M"
The big dog, the heavyweight, the Subway footlong with extra cheese.
Example: For emphatic breaks—like this one—or abrupt changes in thought
As the only dash with a dedicated keyboard button, the hyphen is everyone’s default pinch-hitter. We’ve all seen it. “I went to the store - it was closed.” You’re better than that. Slap an em dash in there—no space either side—slide on your sunnies and bask in typographic glory.
Typing your dashes
How do I type these magical runes, you ask? For phones, simply hold down the hyphen key until the full suite of dashes appear. On desktop, most apps and programs will auto-convert a double hyphen (--) into a juicy em dash (—). But for true self-reliance, you must master your keyboard. Macs make it easy, PCs fittingly make it like punching in a code to a secret society:
| Mac | PC | |
|---|---|---|
| En dash (–) | Option + Hyphen | Alt + 0150 |
| Em dash (—) | Option + Shift + Hyphen | Alt + 0151 |
The Warren Buffett of em dashes
Modernist writers like James Joyce and Virginia Woolf loved the em dash for conveying a natural flow of consciousness and conversation. But Emily Dickinson was the real OG, using thousands of them in her manuscripts, truly earning the nickname “Em”. Just check out this poem of hers, it’s an absolute dash bash:
By Emily Dickinson
To wait an Hour—is long—
If Love be just beyond—
To wait Eternity—is short—
If Love reward the end—
Remember: “To write an em dash—is long”.
Think like a saxophone
Like Dickinson, I love how em dashes mimic thoughts connecting, disconnecting, and reconnecting. Weightier than semicolons—which reminds me of that time my English teacher said “a colon is in fact your bum hole”, which sent our year 8 class into hysterics—but similar in function, they enable meandering and tangential sentences like this one. They add both structure and chaos, producing passages that flow like jazz solos in a smoky room.
Dash deliberately
The world is quick to judge bad dashers. Like sweatpants at a wedding, not everyone will notice, but those who do will question your credibility.
More to the point—because the editors, designers, and discerning readers see bad dashing so often, those who notice your perfect en dash will immediately regard you as thoughtful and knowledgeable with impeccable style.
It’s not hard to be a classy dasher. Your emails, documents, messages, and presentations always benefit from a final buff and polish. Dare I say your dashboards, too.
Remember: A hyphen connects, an en dash relates, and an em dash—it’s one big vibe.
