The hyphen, en dash, and em dash are three different marks with completely different rules. Hyphens.ai explains which one to use — in plain English, every time.
Try it — paste a sentence or phrase
She was a well-known author who won a Nobel Prize in the mid-1990s.
2 corrections:
· well-known needs a hyphen — compound adjective before a noun.
· mid-1990s uses a hyphen as a prefix to a numeral.
· Nobel Prize is a proper noun — always capitalized.
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Hyphen
Joins compound words and compound adjectives before a noun. Also used with prefixes like self-, ex-, mid-.
"a well-known author" / "self-aware AI"
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En Dash
Shows ranges of numbers, dates, or scores. Also connects open compound adjectives. Wider than a hyphen.
"pages 10–24" / "1990–2000"
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Em Dash
Creates emphasis, interruption, or extra information within a sentence. Replaces commas, colons, or parentheses for dramatic effect.
"She knew—at last—the answer."
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