Unlock the Mystery of the En Dash: The Punctuation Mark You Didn’t Know You Needed
Isn’t that fun? Now you have a conversation starter for cocktail parties. Let’s look at one of the most misunderstood types of dashes.
When to Use an En Dash
The en dash is used when connecting ranges, and it replaces “to” in those ranges.
You might have relatives aged 2–52, or a flight to catch from Austin–Detroit, or a baseball game that your team wins 4–2. In all of those circumstances, you would be using an en dash.
body .ns-ctt{display:block;position:relative;background:#000;margin:30px auto;padding:20px 20px 20px 15px;color:#fff;text-decoration:none!important;box-shadow:none!important;-webkit-box-shadow:none!important;-moz-box-shadow:none!important;border:none;border-left:5px solid #000}body .ns-ctt:hover{color:#fff}body .ns-ctt:visited{color:#fff}body .ns-ctt *{pointer-events:none}body .ns-ctt .ns-ctt-tweet{display:block;font-size:18px;line-height:27px;margin-bottom:10px}body .ns-ctt .ns-ctt-cta-container{display:block;overflow:hidden}body .ns-ctt .ns-ctt-cta{float:right}body .ns-ctt.ns-ctt-cta-left .ns-ctt-cta{float:left}body .ns-ctt .ns-ctt-cta-text{font-size:16px;line-height:16px;vertical-align:middle}body .ns-ctt .ns-ctt-cta-icon{margin-left:10px;display:inline-block;vertical-align:middle}body .ns-ctt .ns-ctt-cta-icon svg{vertical-align:middle;height:18px}body .ns-ctt.ns-ctt-simple{background:0 0;padding:10px 0 10px 20px;color:inherit}body .ns-ctt.ns-ctt-simple-alt{background:#f9f9f9;padding:20px;color:#404040}body .ns-ctt:hover::before{content:”;position:absolute;top:0px;bottom:0px;left:-5px;width:5px;background:rgba(0,0,0,0.25);}body .ns-ctt.ns-ctt-simple .ns-ctt-cta,body .ns-ctt.ns-ctt-simple-alt .ns-ctt-cta{color:#000}body .ns-ctt.ns-ctt-simple-alt:hover .ns-ctt-cta,body .ns-ctt.ns-ctt-simple:hover .ns-ctt-cta{filter:brightness(75%)}The en dash indicates a range. Use it instead of “to” for ranges like ages, scores, and distances: 3–5 years, a 4–2 win, a flight from Austin–Detroit.Share on X
You also use one to create a compound adjective when a compound word includes a multiple word proper noun or another hyphenated compound.
For example: The coach knew how to play against the Baltimore Ravens–style offense.
How to Create an En Dash
The en dash isn’t a key on your typical computer keyboard, so here’s a quick guide to help you type them correctly.
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