Hyphens, En Dashes, and Em Dashes

• Punctuation marks like hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes are used to connect words and phrases, but they differ in length and purpose.

Hyphen

• The hyphen (-) is the shortest of the three and primarily serves to join words or parts of words.
• It is used in compound words, to avoid ambiguity, and to divide words at the end of a line.
• Hyphens connect words to create compound adjectives before a noun (e.g., "well-known author").
• They are used to link prefixes to words, especially when the prefix ends and the word begins with the same vowel (e.g., "re-enter").
• Hyphens are used to avoid ambiguity or to clarify meaning (e.g., "small-business owner" vs. "small business owner").
• They can be used to divide words at the end of a line when there is not enough space to fit the whole word.

En Dash

• The en dash (–) is longer than a hyphen but shorter than an em dash, and its width is approximately the width of the letter "n".
• The main function of the en dash is to indicate a range or connection between two words or numbers.
• It is commonly used to represent a span of time or numerical range (e.g., "2010–2020", "pages 100–150").
• En dashes are used to connect related terms or concepts, especially when they are of equal weight (e.g., "the Paris–London train").
• They can indicate a direction or connection between two places (e.g., "the east–west highway").
• In some cases, an en dash is used in compound adjectives when one of the elements is an open compound (e.g., "post–World War II era").

Em Dash

• The em dash (—) is the longest of the three and is approximately the width of the letter "m".
• The em dash is a versatile punctuation mark used to indicate a break in thought, an interruption, or to add emphasis.
• It can be used to set off parenthetical information, similar to parentheses or commas, but with more emphasis (e.g., "The dog—a golden retriever—loves to play fetch.").
• Em dashes are used to indicate a sudden break or change in thought (e.g., "I was about to say—oh, never mind.").
• They can be used to set off an appositive phrase which is a noun or noun phrase that renames or describes a noun next to it (e.g., "My favorite food — pizza — is the best.").
• An em dash can introduce a summary or explanation after a list or series (e.g., "Books, pens, paper—these are the tools of a writer.").
• Em dashes can replace colons to introduce a clause.

Em Dash Applications

• Interruption: Use an em dash to indicate a sudden break in thought or speech.
• Emphasis: Employ an em dash to draw attention to a particular word, phrase, or clause.
• Parenthetical Information: Use em dashes to set off parenthetical information, offering a more emphatic alternative to parentheses or commas.
• Appositive Phrases: Use em dashes to set of appositive phrases (phrases that rename something).
• Introducing a Summary: Use an em dash to introduce summary statements.

En Dash Applications

• Numerical Ranges: Use an en dash to indicate ranges with numbers, such as dates, times, or any other numeric values.
• Connecting Related Terms: Use an en dash to connect two words that are related. The connection made by the en dash is not as direct as a hyphen.

Hyphen Applications

• Compound Adjectives: Use hyphens to form compound adjectives, especially when they appear before the noun they modify.
• Word Division: Use hyphens to split a word at the end of a line when it cannot fit on the current line.
• Clarity and Avoiding Ambiguity: Use hyphens to connect prefixes to words, particularly when the prefix ends with the same vowel that starts the word.
• Fractions and Numbers: Use hyphens in written-out fractions and numbers between twenty-one and ninety-nine.
• Suspended Hyphens: To avoid repetition in a series of hyphenated words that share a common base, suspend the hyphens after the initial elements.