Dash symbol
Em Dash
EM DASH · U+2014
Also known as long dash, m dash
The em dash is the long dash of punctuation. It can set off an aside—like this one—mark an interruption or a pause, or introduce an explanatory phrase. In traditional typography its length was one em, hence the name; many fonts now draw it slightly narrower. Click the tile to copy —, then paste it anywhere with Ctrl+V (Windows), Cmd+V (Mac) or a long-press → Paste on a phone.
Em Dash codes
Every common way to reference the em dash (—) in text, HTML, CSS and code. Click the character or any chip to copy it.
| Format | Code | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| Character | Copy once, paste anywhere | |
| Unicode code point | The character’s official ID in the Unicode standard | |
| HTML entity | Web pages and HTML source; named entity where a common one exists, otherwise numeric | |
| HTML hex | Hexadecimal numeric character reference | |
| CSS | Generated content in a stylesheet | |
| JavaScript | String literals in JavaScript and JSON | |
| Python | String literals in Python 3 | |
| UTF-8 bytes | Byte sequence used when the character is stored as UTF-8 | |
| URL encoding | Percent-encoded form for a query string or path | |
| Windows Alt code | Hold Alt and type the digits on the numeric keypad (Windows-1252) | |
| Word Alt+X | Type the hex value in Word, then press Alt+X |
How to type —
— is not printed on most keyboards, but every device has a way in. Pick your platform:
Windows
- Turn on Num Lock so the numeric keypad produces digits.
- Hold Alt, type 0151 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt — — appears at the cursor.
Tip: Only a handful of dashes have standard Windows-1252 Alt codes. For everything else, use Word Alt+X, the character viewer or copy the character from this page.
Mac
- On a US keyboard, press Option+Shift+Minus — — appears at the cursor.
- For any other layout, or any other dash, open the Character Viewer with Control+Command+Space and search for the Unicode name.
Tip: The Character Viewer works for every Unicode character. For everyday use, copying from this page is faster than searching the viewer.
Linux
- On many Linux desktops (GTK/IBus), press Ctrl+Shift+U and release the keys — an underlined “u” appears.
- Type the hexadecimal code point 2014, then press Enter. The character is inserted where the cursor is.
Tip: The shortcut depends on your input method and desktop environment. If it does not work, use your distribution’s character map or copy the dash from this page.
iPhone & Android
- Tap the 123 or ?123 key on your phone keyboard to open the symbols layer.
- Look for the dash in the punctuation rows, press and hold the hyphen key where your keyboard offers dash choices, or copy it from this page and paste it into your text.
Tip: If you type the same dash often, add it to your keyboard’s text-replacement list (iOS: Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement; Android: Personal dictionary).
Need the broader picture? Read how to type a dash on any device, or browse all em dash.
Customize —
Style the dash your way — pick colors, size and shape, then copy the HTML snippet or download a square PNG/SVG (transparent background supported).
More em dash
Other dash categories
