If you write, you often also have to dash—to interrupt yourself mid-thought or -sentence, for instance, or to give ranges of numbers. Find out here how to insert en dash (‘–’) and em dash (‘—’) in Word for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and the web.
First, Count the References
Have you counted all the references to Christmas in Jingle Bells’ four stanzas?
Yes, alas, there are none to be found.
The origins and the first performance of the song originally titled “The One Horse Open Sleigh” are unclear (it may have been composed or premiered here or there for Thanksgiving or for another occasion). Clearly, it was not meant for Christmas, though, and the lyrics reminisce about the fun to be had in the snow, say… dashing:
How to Insert En Dash (–) and Em Dash (—) in Word
Word for Windows and Word for Mac
Using Word Keyboard Shortcuts
Time needed: 1 minute
To type en dash and em dash directly using a keyboard shortcut in Microsoft Word for Mac and Windows:
- Position the text cursor where you want to insert the em dash or en dash character.
Here’s where: Employ the en dash (–) for giving ranges of numbers or dates and the em dash (—) for interjections or interrupted speech.
Whitespace: Both characters in English typically are not separated from surrounding characters with extra whitespace; they are themselves treated like a whitespace character—though alternative conventions that treat them like letters separated on both sides with whitespace do exist.
Alternative: If you want to prevent the line to break at a number range, you can replace en dash with a non-breaking hyphen in Word.
Example: “Inclination on the Gmunden tramway—one of the steeper adhesion railways to be found in Europe—reaches 90‰–100‰ (per mille).” - Press Ctrl Alt - (minus on the number keypad) for em dash in Word for Windows and Ctrl - (minus on the numeric keypad) for en dash..
Word for Mac: On a Mac, you can press Command Alt - (minus on the number keypad).
Mac native: On the Mac you are typically better off using macOS’s own key combinations for en dash and em dash.
Using the Word Symbol Dialog
To insert en dash and em dash in a document using the Symbol dialog:
- Put the text insertion cursor where you want to place ‘–’ or ‘—’.
- Switch to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
- Select Symbol | More Symbols… in the Symbols section using Word for Windows.
Word for Mac: Click Advanced Symbol. - Open the Special Characters tab.
- Double-click En Dash to insert ‘–’ and Em Dash to insert ‘—’.
Word on the Web in a Browser
To add en dash or em dash using Word on the web in a desktop browser:
- Use the operating system to insert the en dash character.
Windows: How to Type Em Dash ( — ) and En Dash ( – ) on Windows
Mac: How to Insert Em-Dash ( — ) and En-Dash ( – ) on a Mac
Linux: How to Insert En Dash ( – ) and Em Dash ( — ) on Linux
Word for iPhone and Android
To input long hyphens when you edit documents with Word for Android and iOS:
- Use the system keyboard to insert these characters.
Android: How to Insert En Dash and Em Dash on Android
iPhone: How to Insert En Dash and Em Dash on an iPhone
Alternative: You can copy the characters below for pasting.
How to Insert En Dash (–) and Em Dash (—) in Word: FAQ
Can I also paste the hyphens in a document?
Yes.
In Word on any platform, you can also paste hyphen characters copied from the table below:
En dash – | |
Em dash — |
Two-em dash ⸺ | |
Three-em dash ⸻ |
(How to insert en dash and em dash in Word tested with Word for Windows Version 2409 and Word for Mac 16.89; first published September 2024)