en dash


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em dash vs. en dash

There are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes: the en dash ( – ) and the em dash ( — ). In appearance, an en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen ( - ), approximately the width of a capital N, while an em dash is slightly longer than an en dash, approximately the width of a capital M (hence their names).
When we refer to dashes, we are usually referring to em dashes, as they are the more common punctuation mark of the two. However, it’s important to know the different ways that each mark is used.
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en·dash

or en dash  (ĕn′dăsh′)
n.
A symbol ( - ) used in writing or printing to connect continuing or inclusive numbers or to connect elements of a compound adjective when either of the elements is an open compound, as 1880-1945 or Princeton-New York trains.
[From its being the width of an n in printing.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

en dash

(ˈɛnˌdæʃ) or

en rule

n
(Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing a dash (–) one en long
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

en′ dash`


n.
Print.
a dash one en long.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
em dash, en dash - The em dash is the long dash used in punctuation whose length is based on the width of the letter M; the en dash is shorter (the width of an N) and the hyphen is even shorter.
See also related terms for punctuation.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
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In addition to quotation marks and hyphens, Lahman (2013) proposed that the en dash could help people remember the range of options between false dichotomies.
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[no hyphen] Note that in APA style, you would use an en dash, which is slightly longer than a hyphen, to join compound adjectives of equal weight.
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Houston has infused a seemingly mundane subject with considerable verve & erudition, inspiring us to pepper these pages with the en dash, em dash, pilcrow, interrobang, circumflex, manicule, virgule (aka solidus), guillemet, asterisk, dagger, double dagger, ellipsis, hedera (aka fleuron), ampersand, and octothorpe (aka hashtag).
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The en dash ("-" so called because historically--you guessed it--it was the width of a typeset letter "n") should be used, rather than a hyphen, to indicate subtraction or to shown that a numeral is negative (3 - 7 = -4).
Cactus presentation style
The alphabetical fractions that mean "insert em dash" or "insert en dash." The Latin stet, commanding: "Let it stand."
Proofs
An em space (or em dash) is wider than an en space (or en dash) because m takes up more room than n.
Letters can be words
The middle-sized dash is the "en dash." The en dash is used to show continuation, for example, pages 310-12.
Word Processors and Multiple Authors
Hit two of the keys and you get an en dash. (An em dash is the width of a capital "M"; an en dash is the width of a capital "N.") Another block of Times Roman copy in the accompanying art demonstrates this.
Shop talk
dash--a punctuation mark (in MLA format, the em dash--) used variously like a comma, semicolon, or colon; see also em dash, en dash, and hyphen
Glossary of terms

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