dashes vs. hyphens
The hyphen, en dash, and em dash: what each mark does and how to tell them apart.
A hyphen joins words in a compound: well-known, part-time. An en dash marks a range: 2018–2021, pages 12–18. An em dash marks a break in the sentence: The key—the spare—was gone. For spacing and other details of each mark, see the entries for each: hyphen, en dash, and em dash.
Examples
Use a decision-maker (A hyphen joins the two words into one compound.)
Use June–July (An en dash marks the range.)
Use The plan failed—they started again. (A closed em dash marks the break.)
Avoid The plan failed-they started again. (A hyphen can’t stand in for a dash.)