Em Dash
The em dash sets off a strong break in a sentence. It is the width of a capital M. Some house styles avoid it entirely and prefer a comma or a set of parentheses. — is the em dash, assigned to Unicode code point U+2014. Because it is a real text character rather than an image, it survives copy and paste into documents, chat apps, spreadsheets and source code. Copy it with one click below, or grab the exact HTML entity, CSS escape and JavaScript string for your project.
| Symbol | — | |
|---|---|---|
| Unicode | U+2014 | |
| Name | Em Dash | |
| HTML (named) | — | |
| HTML (decimal) | — | |
| HTML (hex) | — | |
| CSS content | \2014 | |
| JavaScript / JSON | \u2014 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | 0xE2 0x80 0x94 | |
| UTF-16 units | 0x2014 | |
| Windows alt code | Alt 0151 |
How do you type the em 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 0151 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 2014. Without that input source, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for em dash. |
| Linux and ChromeOS | Press Ctrl+Shift+U, type 2014, then press Enter or the space bar. This works in GTK applications and with IBus. |
| Microsoft Word | Type 2014 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+2014 or type em 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(8212) 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: "\2014" inside a ::before or ::after rule. Terminate the escape with a space if the next character is also a hexadecimal digit. |
| JavaScript | The escape \u2014 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.
Frequently asked questions
How do I copy the em 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 em dash?
The em dash has the Unicode code point U+2014. In HTML you can write it as — or —, or with the named entity —.
What is the alt code for the em dash symbol?
On Windows, hold the Alt key and type Alt 0151 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt. Copying the — from this page is quicker and works on any device.
Does the em 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+2014 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.