Hyphens, En-Dashes, and Em-Dashes
*originally published in the November 2020 edition of Hear Ye, Hufflepuff*

There are three lengths of dashes, and, while it may seem overly pedantic, knowing the different uses for each can greatly help improve the clarity of your writing. So, how do you use each type?
 

Hyphen

Hyphens are the shortest and most commonly used dash. Their primary purpose is in creating compound words or phrases, especially in an adjectival sense (e.g., “well-executed plan” or “happy-go-lucky kittens”). Hyphens are also used for numerals of more than one word (“ninety-nine” or “one hundred and fifty-five”).

Note: Hyphens are not with numbers like whole numbers over 99 (e.g., "one hundred"), nor are they used with adjectives or adverbs ending in -ly (e.g. “perfectly acceptable” or “exceptionally intelligent”).
 

En-Dash

En-dashes (thus named because they are approximately the same width as the letter n) are used less frequently than hyphens and for fewer purposes. The main purpose of the en-dash is to indicate a range of numbers or dates (e.g. “January–June” or “pages 12–25”).

Note: I remember how to use these by thinking that the n in en-dash stands for numbers. If you use alt-codes, the en-dash code is 0150.
 

Em-Dash

Em-dashes (thus named because they are approximately the same width as the letter m) are, in my humble opinion, the best dash! Em-dashes are used to offset additional information, similarly to commas, parentheses, and colons. For example,

• like commas: “Please record the medication’s negative side effects—if any—as well as whether or not it alleviates your symptoms.”
• like parentheses: “I was going to tell you sooner—I even wrote you a note—but I chickened out.”
• like a colon: “The letter bore her name in familiar handwriting—it was from her sister.”

Note: If you use alt-codes, the em-dash code is 0151.

So, that got a bit more technical than I'd intended, but I hope it helps all the same! As always, good luck and happy writing!