en dash

On this page

Symbol

The en dash is so named because the dash is approximately the length of a capital N. It’s longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash.

Numbers

Use the en dash to join inclusive number ranges:

  • pages 9–12
  • 3–7 °C [but -3 to -7 °C, not -3–7 °C]
  • Robertson Davies (1913–95)

Don’t use en dashes in number ranges preceded by the words from or between:

  • from April 14 to 17 [not from April 14–en dash17]
  • between 2020 and 2024 [not between 2020–en dash2024]

Use the en dash to give scores:

  • The Canucks beat the Flames 3–2 in overtime.

Compound expressions

You can use the en dash to join the names of two or more places:

  • the Québec–Windsor corridor
  • the riding of Kenora–Rainy River
  • the Vancouver–Calgary–Toronto flight

You can use the en dash to connect elements of equal importance:

  • We’re going to the Lions–Alouettes game tonight.
  • The company violated the buyer–seller agreement.

Use the en dash to attach a prefix or a suffix to a proper-noun compound:

  • We saw a pre–World War II aircraft at the Aviation Museum.
  • M. G. Vassanji is a Giller Prize–winning author.

Replacement for the em dash

You can use a spaced en dash in place of an unspaced em dash to enclose parenthetical material in sentences.

  • Jen’s bike—em dasha brand new, custom-built Rocky Mountain—em dashwas stolen over the weekend.

or

  • Jen’s bike – space en dash spacea brand new, custom-built Rocky Mountain – space en dash spacewas stolen over the weekend.

Copyright notice for Writing Tips Plus

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
A tool created and made available online by the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Search by related themes

Want to learn more about a theme discussed on this page? Click on a link below to see all the pages on the Language Portal of Canada that relate to the theme you selected. The search results will be displayed in Language Navigator.