Em Space
The em space is Unicode U+2003, a wide typographic space character whose width is exactly equal to the point size of the active font. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.
- Unicode
U+2003- HTML
 - Word
2003 Alt+X
How to type the em space ( )
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type yourself, use the method for your device below.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 2003 and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
- Press Win + R, type charmap and press Enter. Tick “Advanced view”, search for Em Space, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for em space and double-click it.
- With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 2003.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2003, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
iPhone & iPad
- Copy from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;em. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- Copy here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2003, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2003 in “Character code” and click Insert.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “em space” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8195)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
 or in your HTML.
What does mean?
The em space (Unicode name EM SPACE, code point U+2003) is a traditional fixed-width typographic spacing character whose width equals the nominal point size of the current font. In a 16-point typeface, for instance, an em space spans precisely 16 points wide. Originating in metal movable type where a lead block of this width matched the proportions of the capital letter "M", typesetters historically nicknamed it the "mutton" to clearly distinguish it verbally from the narrower "nut" (the en space). Book designers and editors use the em space to create standard paragraph indents, generous tabular spacing, and elegant dividers in poetry and literary collections. It forms an integral part of space characters, contrasting with the non-breaking space and standard punctuation symbols.
Common uses
- Traditional first-line paragraph indentation in book publishing and literary typesetting
- Separating items in formal menus, digital theater programs, and poetry stanzas
- Spaced mathematical displays and horizontal tabular alignments
- Architectural drafting labels and clean multi-column text formatting
Em Space codes for HTML, CSS and programming
Every code below produces . Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.
| Unicode code point | U+2003 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) |   | |
| HTML decimal |   | |
| HTML hex |   | |
| CSS content | content: "\2003"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u2003" | |
| Python | "\u2003" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{EM SPACE}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u2003" | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 80 83 | |
| UTF-16 | 2003 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%80%83 |
vs look-alike characters
These characters look similar to but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.
| Char | Name | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
En SpaceU+2002 | En space (U+2002), half the width of an em space (traditionally called a nut). | |
No-Break SpaceU+00A0 | Non-breaking space (U+00A0), standard word spacing that resists line wrapping. | |
SpaceU+0020 | Standard ASCII space (U+0020), variable-width word space. |
Symbols similar to
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full unicode space characters collection.
character properties
- Official Unicode name
- EM SPACE
- Also known as
- mutton, em quad, wide space, typographic em space, quad space
- Code point
- U+2003
- Unicode block
- General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F)
- General category
- Space separator (Zs)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- No, it is a text symbol
Frequently asked questions
How wide is an em space?
An em space is exactly equal to the point size of the font. For example, in 14-point text, an em space is 14 points wide.
Why did printers call the em space a mutton?
Printers called the em space "mutton" and the en space "nut" in noisy print shops so the two similarly named terms would not be confused during typesetting.
What is the HTML entity for an em space?
In HTML, write   or   to insert an em space into your markup.
Is there an alt code for the em space?
No. is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 2003 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the em space on a Mac?
There is no single Option shortcut for on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “em space” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.
What is the HTML code for the em space?
Use the named entity or the numeric reference (hex ). All three display in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the em space?
is U+2003, officially named EM SPACE, in the General Punctuation block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).