En Dash
The en dash is U+2013, a dash the width of the letter n. It joins a range: pages 12 to 18, Monday to Friday, the 1914 to 1918 war. It is longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash, and using the wrong one of the three is the most common typographic mistake in edited copy.
| Symbol | – | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+2013 | |
| Name | En Dash | |
| HTML (named) | – | |
| HTML (decimal) | – | |
| HTML (hex) | – | |
| CSS content | \2013 | |
| JavaScript / JSON | \u2013 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 0xE2 0x80 0x93 | |
| UTF-16 units | 0x2013 | |
| Windows alt code | Alt 0150 |
How do you type the en dash on each platform?
| Where | How to type it |
|---|---|
| Any device | Click the – at the top of this page. It goes straight to your clipboard, and you paste it with Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on a Mac. This is the only method that behaves identically everywhere. |
| Windows | Hold Alt and type 0150 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. The number row above the letters does not work for this. |
| macOS | Add Unicode Hex Input under Keyboard settings, switch to it, then hold Option and type 2013. Without that input source, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for en dash. |
| Linux and ChromeOS | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2013, then press Enter or the space bar. This works in GTK applications and with IBus. |
| Microsoft Word | Type 2013 in the document, then press Alt and X together with the cursor immediately after the last digit. Word replaces the digits with –. |
| Google Docs | Insert, then Special characters, then paste U+2013 or type en dash in the search box. You can also draw the shape in the sketch pad on the right. |
| Excel and Google Sheets | Use the formula UNICHAR(8211) in a cell. Copy the cell and paste it as a value if you want the character rather than the formula. |
| HTML | Write –, or the numeric reference –, or –. On a page served as UTF-8 the character itself also works. |
| CSS | Use content: "\2013" inside a ::before or ::after rule. Terminate the escape with a space if the next character is also a hexadecimal digit. |
| JavaScript | The escape \u2013 produces this character inside a string literal, and the same escape is valid in JSON. |
More detail per platform: Windows alt codes, special characters on a Mac, special characters in Word and HTML entities.
Which characters look like the en dash?
Several characters render almost identically to this one, and picking the wrong one breaks search, sorting and screen readers even when it looks right on screen. The en dash – is U+2013. These are the ones it is confused with.
| Character | Code point | Name | What it is really for |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | U+002D | Hyphen-Minus | The key on your keyboard. Correct for compound words and line breaks, wrong for ranges and wrong for subtraction. |
| — | U+2014 | Em Dash | The width of the letter m. Sets off a clause or an aside. Twice the job of an en dash, never a substitute for one. |
| − | U+2212 | Minus Sign | The real subtraction operator. It aligns with the digits in a well-made font, which the hyphen does not. |
| ‑ | U+2011 | Non-Breaking Hyphen | A hyphen that will not break across a line. Useful in part numbers and phone numbers. |
Frequently asked questions
En dash or em dash for a range?
En dash, always. Pages 12 to 18 takes an en dash. The em dash sets off a clause and has nothing to do with ranges.
How do I copy the en dash symbol?
Click the – above or the copy button and it is placed on your clipboard. Paste it anywhere with Ctrl+V or Cmd+V. It is a real text character, so it works in documents, chats and code.
What is the Unicode code point for en dash?
The en dash has the Unicode code point U+2013. In HTML you can write it as – or –, or with the named entity –.
What is the alt code for the en dash symbol?
On Windows, hold the Alt key and type Alt 0150 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Copying the – from this page is quicker and works on any device.
Does the en dash symbol work everywhere?
In almost every modern app and font, yes. If a font does not include this glyph you may see a placeholder box, but the underlying character U+2013 is still correct and will render in a font that supports it.
How does it differ from the lookalikes?
Related symbols
Browse the full punctuation symbols hub, or return to the searchable symbol grid.