# Dashes

Refer to the Punctuation guide for more details!

#### En dash (–)

- Mainly used to indicate spans of times (e.g. “1954–1956” = “From 1954 to 1956”).
- <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want an en dash, hold </span>`<span class="editor-theme-code">Alt</span>`<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and type </span>`<span class="editor-theme-code">0150</span>`<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> from your numpad. </span>
- Make sure not to mix these up with em dashes and hyphens.

<p class="callout info"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">On some EU keyboard layouts, the </span>`<span class="editor-theme-code">Alt</span>`<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> codes only work with the left </span>`<span class="editor-theme-code">Alt</span>`<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> key.</span></p>

#### Em dash (—)

- Mainly used to replace commas or colons in certain cases.
- <span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">If you want an em dash, hold </span>`<span class="editor-theme-code">Alt</span>`<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> and type </span>`<span class="editor-theme-code">0151</span>`<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> from your numpad.</span>

<p class="callout warning">****Em dashes require no spaces before or after them; pay special attention to this!****</p>

Use these for non-sequiturs:

<p class="callout success">e.g. “I was eating—by the way you look great today—and I started talking to Fred.”</p>

Can be used to indicate that a line has been abruptly cut (either by the speaker or by someone else interrupting them). Make sure to capitalize the first letter of the next line when this happens.

<p class="callout success">e.g. “I was say— // Hey you, stop running!”</p>

#### Hyphen (-)

Mainly used to create compound words.

Used to indicate stutters (these are different from abrupt cuts in a sentence, which are expressed through the use of em dashes). When this happens, make sure to repeat capitals as well.

<p class="callout success">e.g. “Th-This time you’re mine!”</p>

<p class="callout info">There may be certain cases where stuttering can be better conveyed through the use of subbing effects; discuss this option with the subber if you feel like this may be the case in a specific situation.</p>