Em dash definition of em dash by the free dictionary. En dash according to wikipedia, the en dash, or n dash, nrule, etc. This is the simple page to learn how to type make em dash em dash on your windows keyboard. Autoformat converts some hyphens to long dashes in word. The instructions for inserting an em dash in word 2007 are on pages 26. Before discovering this, i used to type in a double dash and then open up the replace function, search for the double dash in the first box what you want to replace, then move to the second box what you want inserted instead, then hit special at the bottom of the page, and insert em dash or en dash, depending on what i wanted. On my macbased word, typing two hyphens generates an em dash. Emdashes, often known simply as dashes, get their name from typography.
Using em dashes, en dashes and hyphens within indesign. With a simple trick for touchscreen keyboards, its easy to use the ndash and mdash on a phone or tablet. Highlight the em dash or en dash using your mouse, then press the delete key. Created attachment 48782 sample document showing test text and results. Most folks know about the hyphen, but fewer are familiar with the em dash and the en dash. For instance, down the roadand a long winding road it wasthey traveled as quickly as possible. How to type numbers with the square root symbol using microsoft word.
The use of dashes is inconsistent in lots of writing regardless of how professional the writers are. How do i insert an em dash via keyboard with nonnumeric one. The em dash is the length of a lower case letter m and the en dash is the length of the letter n. If you use an em dash with most word processing programs, you will consistently run into problems with the dash and surrounding text being treated as single words. Keep in mind that the numbers have to be typed on the num pad though. The two most common dashes are the en dash and the em dash. For text separated by dashes, em dash, and other separators with spaces around the separator, word count counts the separator as a word. A paragraph would have done the trick in my mind, but the article certainly makes its point. To assign a different shortcut for em dash, choose the insert symbol option of the words menu, find the em dash and press the shortcut key button.
The em dash, which is what many people, like myself are getting frustrated with, when writing, need an em dash, the width of a capital m. There are also predicate functions that return true it the character is a single quote, double quote or a dash. Place the text cursor after the em dash or en dash, then press the backspace key. The em dash isnt easily formed on computersit requires some special keystrokes on both pcs and macsand so i will admit that at least some of my bile comes from, as a copy editor. May 30, 2019 on a windows based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the alt key and typing 0151.
When you use autocorrect options, you can also click stop automatically creating dashes, or click control autocorrect options to open the autocorrect dialog box. Microsoft word em dash keyboard shortcut the free windows. Using the autoformat feature in microsoft word, you can create both an em dash and en dash automatically by typing hyphens. To create the em dash on a macintoshbased system, hold down the shift and option keys and press the minus key, notes techwalla, adding that alternatively, you can press the hyphen key twice and press space.
In todays tutorial, you will learn how to put a long dash in word. Microsoft word may already be your way to create business forms, marketing collateral and other communications. Word allows you to insert an em dash a long dash by simply typing two dashes in a row. Keyboard shortcut for long hyphens em dash in windows shortcut key. En dash this follows the same size logic as the em dash, in that the en dash is roughly the length of the letter n when typed.
I used to have a mac, which had a keyboard shortcut for inserting em dashes without having to open up the character map or copy and paste from the web. Type a space, type dash dash dash and touch the spacebar. For text separated by an em dash with no spaces, word count counts the em dashed words as one word. In windows, you can do it quickly with an external keyboard with a number pad. To assign a different shortcut for em dash, choose the insert symbol option of the words menu. However, on most web editorswordpress, twitter, or facebook for examplethose two hyphens dont magically become emdashes. There are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes. Of course its not just word that we want to support. Now, for the trivia folks in the audience who want to know what an en is, from encarta.
However, the new word created will not divide at the end of a line. I have yet to see a case where using a hyphen in place of an endash causes confusion, so i dont worry too much about endashes. If you need a loner dash, type 2014, put the mouse pointer behind the. Enabling num lock, then holding down alt and pressing 0151 on the numeric keypad. If your word document has an em dash or en dash and you want to remove it, do one of the following. The instructions for inserting an em dash in word 2007 are on pages 26 27.
How to enable and disable microsoft word autoformat feature. On microsoft word and most other word processing systems, when you put two dashes next to each other, they combine to form an em dash. Click on the options link in the left navigation pane. Its a littleknown fact that dashes come in different sizes. The biggest source of confusion comes from using a hyphen where you intend to use an emdashand this happens all the time. Dec 03, 20 an en dash is half the width of an em dash. Ndash or en dash automatically created in word when you type something something wordspacehyphenspaceword.
Im embarassed i cant figure this out myself all help is appreciated. To insert an endash in your document, hold down the alt key and type 0150 on the numeric keypad. Ndash or en dash automatically created in word when you type something something word. Dec 06, 2011 the em dash, which is what many people, like myself are getting frustrated with, when writing, need an em dash, the width of a capital m. When using the em dash and the en dash you should not leave any spaces between the punctuation and the next word. For text separated by an emdash with no spaces, word count counts the emdashed words as one word. In ios, the em dash is the third option while the en dash is second.
How to configure a shared network printer in windows 7, 8, or 10 duration. May 02, 2006 so an emdash char 0x2014 or an endash char 0x20 become a simple dash 0x02d. Ive tested in word 2016 as well which demonstrates the same behavior. Find the dash and press it so it will convert the two hyphens into a dash. Word will automatically convert the hyphen into an en dash.
Can i use the endash or emdash in twitter or facebook. In this short video tutorial, microsoft mvp heather ackmann discusses the differences between the hyphen, en dash, and em dash, as well as. Sometimes typing results in an emdash as well, but i assumed that you tried that already. You can have word hyphenate your text automatically as you type your text, or later, in one pass. After writing about how the ndash and mdash are used, i thought i should add something about how to insert the ndash and mdash quickly in microsoft word microsoft word can create the ndash and mdash automatically while you type. Sometimes typing results in an em dash as well, but i assumed that you tried that already. How do i insert an em dash via keyboard with nonnumeric one on a windows laptop. I dont have my full size keyboard here to try, but if you have one, i am pretty sure this is the combination. Remove the default shortcut and assign whatever you like.
Simple keyboard shortcut to make long hyphens em dash in windows is 0151 press the alt key and hold it down while typing 0151 on the windows keyboard. I use word office 2011 on a mac and suddenly my em dash stopped working. Remember that emdashes are used in place of other punctuation to set off information that deserves emphasis. To enabledisable the autoformat feature and options in microsoft word, follow the steps below for the version of microsoft word on your computer. Your post is difficult to read because the em dash looks the same as the hyphen later in the post. Turns out the em dash also known as an m dash, mrule, the long dash, or, in the grammatical slang circles, mutton, and i am not making that up is just that extended dash you see when there is a break in narration or conversation. You can do the same for en dash or other symbols and characters included in your font. In the word options window, click on proofing in the left navigation. The em dash is perhaps the most versatile punctuation mark. How to insert an en dash or em dash in microsoft word. An em dash may be used to indicate omitted letters in a word redacted to an initial or single letter or to fillet a word, by leaving the start and end letters whilst replacing the middle letters with a dash or dashes for the purposes of censorship or simply data anonymization. An em dash is the longest in length of the three and is used to show a break in thought. Word senses this as you finished the word following.
They are named as such because the en dash is as lon. On a windows based system, you can form an em dash on a keyboard by holding down the alt key and typing 0151. If that approach doesnt suit your needs, try one of three manual methods. Word does not replace the two hyphens with a dash like it is supposed to. I have the latest version of microsoft word, i have checked to make sure that the auto correct option for replace hyphens with dash is check off, yet i still can not create an em dash. The em dash is used to indicate a break or interruption in thought or to separate a sentence from a bullet point. If you have the same result after verifying the autocorrect preference please note that here, but also submit a complaint at word for mac. Her article is so overloaded with em dashes that the reader is left dizzy and confused. Four ways to insert an em dash in a word document techrepublic. Pressing the hyphen key twice and then hitting the space bar works just as well, but since most uses of the em dash eliminate spaces on either side. Automatic hyphenation is quicker and easier, although manual hyphenation provides more control. I work for an online newswire and frequently work from home. If you are using a typewriter, a pair of hyphens is the closest you can get to an em dash. Select the automatically hyphenate document check box.
On some mac keyboards, the option key is called alt. When you need an em dash, you can let word enter it for you the easy way. If you want to do the same in scrivener, go to tool, options, corrections, edit substitutions. The hyphen, em dash and en dash crop up all the time while youre using microsoft word, but most of us dont know why and we use the different dashes inconsistently. Once you let go of alt, it should result in an em dash. For text separated by dashes, emdash, and other separators with spaces around the separator, word count counts the separator as a word. We gathered our supplies all eight truck loads and started slowly up the bypass. Whilst reading novels, you will see the longer em dash used. Aug 29, 2010 after writing about how the ndash and mdash are used, i thought i should add something about how to insert the ndash and mdash quickly in microsoft word. If you want to use en dashes instead of hyphens, insert a space before the hyphen. Jan 09, 2020 type in two hyphens, highlight it, and press the box at the top of the screen called symbols. For more helpful tips like this, sign up for my free newsletter at. Like the en dash the em dash is not visible on keyboard and must be activated. Alternatively, you can insert these special characters using the insert symbol menu.
This is what i use in writing, but i have a slight gap between my en dash and dash to make my em dash. One is called the en dash and one is called the em dash. They are multipurpose, and came in a variety of sizes. Imagine that last sentence with the emdash replaced with a hyphen. Inserting different dashes microsoft word word ribbon tips. In a recent slate article about the em dash, noreen malone demonstrates what overuse of the punctuation looks like. Inserting an em dash microsoft word word tips tips. How to use the hyphen, en dash and em dash ndash mdash, n. Find answers to creating em dash in word perfect 10 from the expert community at. Even if i cant get a true em dash and i have to settle for that would be fine, but so far i cant get the program to accept it. Many word processors will automatically insert an em dash when you type a pair of hyphens. How do i insert an em dash via keyboard with nonnumeric. How to replace hyphens with en dashes though most people dont know or care when told, the correct character to use for a range of numbers is the en dash, not the hyphen.
Mar 10, 2018 see tips for inserting the ndash or mdash in microsoft word. Hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes in microsoft word youtube. For android, the em dash is first and the en dash third. The en dash is used in ranges, such as 610 years, read as six to ten years. You can also copy and paste the dashes from another document, such as a web page, into your word document. You can also use manual hyphenation to have word make hyphenation suggestions. A beginners guide to em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens. Creating em dash in word perfect 10 solutions experts. In any windows application, you can create an em dash by holding the alt key down and entering 0151 with the numeric keypad. Em dasheswhy writers should use them more sparingly. In the hyphenation zone box, enter the amount of space to. This is a function that is turned on in toolsautocorrectautocorrectasyoutypea checkbox called strangely symbol characters with symbols i imagine this works on windows machines, as well. If i remember correctly, in word 2003 and probably others as well, if you are using a full size keyboard, cntrl the dash or minus sign on the number pad does the en dash.
I suggest you look at some free utilities which you can use to enter an emdash in every windows program. But that results in really bad line breaks, especially when word is long. May 24, 2011 the em dash isnt easily formed on computersit requires some special keystrokes on both pcs and macsand so i will admit that at least some of my bile comes from, as a copy editor. I have tried using thinspaces on the sides on the em dash by kindle treats even that as one word. This can create a spacing problems when two long words are connected by a dash. Depending on the context, the em dash can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons.
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