The Differences Between Dashes
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Dashes can be tricky, especially for writers not specifically taught the differences. Here I'll explain how hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes differ and how they can be used correctly.
Hyphen
A hyphen is the shortest dash, and the one on your keyboard (-).
This is used when you are joining words or parts of words. Usually, it is with a compound modifier that comes before the word it's modifying. For example, you would say on-campus housing, but housing on campus. But compound words also use hyphens, such as ten-year-old. Or words with a prefix like ex-husband. In writing, hyphens can also indicate that a word continues after a linebreak.
En Dash
An en dash is one many people haven't heard of. It is between a hyphen and em dash in length (–).
This is used mostly for a range of numbers, such as chapters 1–5. It can used be used for scores, and sometimes in compound adjectives, though often people just use a hyphen for this purpose.
Em Dash
An em dash is the longest of the three (—), and has the most uses. An em dash can take the place of semicolons, colons, parenthesis, or commas. It can also indicate hesitation or missing information.
Em dashes can be used instead of a pair of commas or parenthesis for readability. There should not be a space on either side of the dash.
I've got homework, from math, to do first.
I've got homework (from math) to do first.
I've got homework—from math—to do first.
To create emphasis, an em dash can be used instead of a colon or semicolon. There is not a space on either side of the dash.
It's okay: you go first.
It's okay—you go first.
Em dashes can also indicate hesitation, usually in dialogue.
I—I can't go now.
Less commonly, multiple em dashes are used to indicate missing information. Two dashes are used when part of a word is missing, and when the whole word is missing either two or three are used (just be consistent). When using multiple dashes, there is a space between each one so the reader can identify how many there are.
Mr. L— —
Mr. — — —