Hyphens and dashes: three little lines that matter
Earnsy Liu | May 13, 2024
Image by Write Limited / CC BY-NC-ND
Hyphens, short dashes, and long dashes look similar, but people in the know realise they’re quite different. Read on to find out how to use the little lines and become someone in the know.
Hyphens and dashes in punctuation may not be as adorable as these dashing dogs, but they are important. Image by Kojirou Sasaki / Unsplash licence.
Hyphens clarify meaning
Hyphens are the short lines.
Type a hyphen using the hyphen key in the top row of your keyboard. Image by Write Limited / CC BY-NC-ND. Original image by JJuni / Pixabay licence.
Use hyphens to show that words belong together
Hyphens tell readers that words need to be read as one.
Coffee is my go-to pick-me-up.
One-third of New Zealanders live in Auckland.
Use (or omit) hyphens to say what you mean
Be careful where you put hyphens, because they can change meaning. Here’s an example.
If you’re selling a small pre-loved car, your ad needs to say:
Little used car for sale!
But if you’re selling a car that you haven’t used much, your ad needs a hyphen:
Little-used car for sale!
If you’re not sure whether you need a hyphen, ask yourself if the words need to be read together to make sense.
Don’t use a hyphen if one of the words ends with ‘ly’, like ‘slowly’ or ‘generally’. For example, don’t hyphenate ‘a poorly written letter’.
Use hyphens to help readers read the word correctly
Some words are harder to decipher without hyphens.
de-escalate
over-represented
And hyphens can change the meaning of individual words.
relay (pass on), re-lay (lay again)
resent (feel bitter), re-sent (sent again)
If you’re not sure if a word needs a hyphen, look up a good dictionary.
En dashes connect
En dashes are your short dashes. They’re longer than hyphens, and the same width as a capital ‘N’. ‘En’ is pronounced ‘N’.
Type an en dash in Word or Outlook by holding down ‘Control’ while pressing ‘minus’ in your number pad. Type an en dash in any programme by holding down ‘Alt’ while typing ‘0150’ in your number pad. Image by Write Limited / CC BY-NC-ND. Original image by JJuni / Pixabay licence.
Use en dashes for ranges of numbers
En dashes can mean ‘to’.
See pages 20–30 on the iwi’s plans.
I have fond memories from 2015–2018, when I was living in Wellington.
If you prefer writing ‘to’ because you think it’s clearer than an en dash, that’s OK. Just be consistent.
Use en dashes to connect two words of equal value
Put an en dash between two similar things.
Australia–New Zealand relations have never been better.
The state highway was paid for by public–private partnership.
Em dashes break information up
Em dashes are long dashes, and the same width as a capital ‘M’. ‘Em’ is pronounced ‘M’.
Type an em dash in Word or Outlook by holding down ‘Control’ and ‘Alt’ while pressing ‘minus’ in your number pad. Type an em dash in any programme by holding down ‘Alt’ while typing ‘0151’ in your number pad. Image by Write Limited / CC BY-NC-ND. Original image by JJuni / Pixabay licence.
Use em dashes to signal a pause
Em dashes are great when you want to pause for emphasis, or want to introduce different but related information.
I couldn’t make the hui — my car broke down.
Chris has a great solution — they’ll tell us now.
Use em dashes to ‘fence off’ extra information
You can use em dashes to separate out extra information. (You can also use brackets to do this.)
The 2023 Super Rugby Pacific final — which was a nailbiter — was sold out.
Government agencies in New Zealand — thanks to the Plain Language Act — now use plain language when writing for the public.
Check what your organisation does
Our pointers above outline generally accepted rules, and describe what we do at Write. But consult your style guide — your organisation may have different guidelines.
Keen to get punctuation right?
Check out our video and other blog posts (sign up for a free trial of our video library to access the video).
How to use dashes and hyphens (5-minute video)