En Dash (–)
The en dash – is Unicode U+2013, the mid-length typographical dash used for number ranges, dates, and compound connections. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard, or type it with Option + - on a Mac.
- Unicode
U+2013- HTML
–- Word
2013 Alt+X- Mac
Option + -
How to type the en dash (–)
The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type – yourself, use the method for your device below. On a Mac it is Option + -.
Windows
- In Word or Outlook, type 2013 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 En Dash, then Select and Copy. Character Map is built into every version of Windows.
Mac
- Press Option+-. On the standard US and US-International layouts.
- Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for en dash and double-click it.
Linux & ChromeOS
- Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2013, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.
- Press your Compose key, then - - .. Needs a Compose key set in your keyboard settings.
iPhone & iPad
- Tap 123, then touch and hold the hyphen (-) and slide to –.
- Copy – from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;en. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.
Android
- In Gboard, long-press the hyphen (-) on the ?123 page.
- Copy – here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2013, then press Alt + X.
- Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 2013 in “Character code” and click Insert.
- On a Mac, Option+- works in Word too.
Google Docs
- Insert → Special characters, then search for “en dash” or draw it in the box.
Excel & Google Sheets
- Enter
=UNICHAR(8211)in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.
HTML
- Write
–or–in your HTML.
What does – mean?
The en dash (–) is a medium-length typographical dash designed to span intervals, sequences, and compound relationships. Historically measured as exactly half the width of an em dash—matching the physical width of the capital letter N in metal type—the en dash occupies a vital middle ground between the short hyphen and the dramatic long dash. Its primary grammatical duty is conveying the sense of “to” or “through” across spans of numbers, dates, times, and pages.
Professional editors require the en dash whenever expressing inclusive ranges, such as years (1914–1918), page numbers (pp. 210–225), or sporting scores (a 4–1 victory). In advanced syntax, it also joins compound adjectives when one of the elements is already an open compound or hyphenated word, as in “post–Cold War era” or “New York–London flight”. Using a basic hyphen in these complex constructions creates visual imbalance and editorial confusion. For a full comparison of dash widths, consult our em dash vs en dash guide and inspect the full spectrum in dash symbols.
In British typography, an en dash surrounded by spaces frequently replaces the unspaced em dash to enclose parenthetical remarks. When formatting fixed-width telephone numbers or inventory codes, typographers prefer the figure dash, and they employ the non-breaking hyphen when line breaks must be prevented entirely.
Common uses
- Inclusive date and numerical spans: “The conference runs June 12–15”, “Read chapters 4–6”
- Sports match scores and voting results: “The Senate passed the bill 68–32”
- Complex compound modifiers: “The Nobel Prize–winning scientist delivered the keynote”
- Geographical routes and connections: “The Boston–Washington rail corridor”
En Dash 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+2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML entity (named) | – | |
| HTML decimal | – | |
| HTML hex | – | |
| CSS content | content: "\2013"; | |
| JavaScript | "\u2013" | |
| Python | "\u2013" | |
| Python (by name) | "\N{EN DASH}" | |
| Java / C# | "\u2013" | |
| LaTeX | -- | |
| UTF-8 bytes | E2 80 93 | |
| UTF-16 | 2013 | |
| URL encoded | %E2%80%93 | |
| Mac shortcut | Option + - |
– 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 |
|---|---|---|
Em DashU+2014 | Em dash (U+2014). Twice as long as an en dash; marks parenthetical breaks, emphatic asides, and interrupted dialogue. | |
Figure DashU+2012 | Figure dash (U+2012). Features the exact width of a monospace digit, optimized for phone numbers and accounting grids. | |
Hyphen-MinusU+002D | Hyphen-minus (U+002D). Shorter ASCII punctuation mark used strictly for basic compound words (part-time). | |
Non-Breaking HyphenU+2011 | Non-breaking hyphen (U+2011). Keeps connected words or model numbers glued together on a single line. |
Symbols similar to –
Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes. See the full line symbols collection.
– character properties
- Official Unicode name
- EN DASH
- Also known as
- n dash, en rule, range dash, n-dash
- Code point
- U+2013
- Unicode block
- General Punctuation (U+2000–U+206F)
- General category
- Dash punctuation (Pd)
- Added in
- Unicode 1.1 (1993)
- Plane
- Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
- Emoji
- No, it is a text symbol
Frequently asked questions
When should I use an en dash instead of a hyphen?
Use an en dash for inclusive ranges of numbers, dates, scores, and pages (e.g., pages 12–28, 2020–2025). Use a hyphen for simple compound adjectives and word divisions (e.g., sugar-free, self-evident).
Do you put spaces around an en dash?
In American English, range en dashes are set closed with no spaces (e.g., 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.). In British English and Canadian editorial styles, an en dash with spaces on both sides is commonly used for parenthetical clauses.
How do I type an en dash on Windows and Mac?
On Mac, press Option + Hyphen (-). On Windows, hold Alt and type 0150 on the numeric keypad. In Word, typing a word, a space, a hyphen, a space, and another word auto-converts to an en dash.
Is there an alt code for the en dash?
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 2013 then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.
How do I type the en dash on a Mac?
Press Option + -. It works in every app on the US keyboard layout. You can also open the Character Viewer with Control + Command + Space and search for it.
What is the HTML code for the en dash?
Use the named entity – or the numeric reference – (hex –). All three display – in every browser.
What is the Unicode for the en dash?
– is U+2013, officially named EN DASH, in the General Punctuation block. It has been part of Unicode since version 1.1 (1993).