En Dash, Em Dash: How to Use Them and How to Type Them

This post explains the correct usages for en dashes and em dashes and gives instructions for how to create scripts that enable you to type them easily on Windows.

Today I learned the difference between when to use an en dash (–) and when to use an em dash ( — ).

En dashes are used for numerical ranges. For example, July 9–August 17; pp. 37–59.

Em dashes are used to create breaks in sentences — like this, for example — to enhance readability.

See here for a more detailed explanation

Unfortunately, there is no simple way to type these characters through the keyboard on Windows by default. A little googling revealed that the easiest way to enable typing them was to create hotkeys, and the free software AutoHotkey came in handy.

I created an AutoHotkey script that types:

• en dash when the Ctrl key and the hyphen (-) key are pressed simultaneously
• em dash when the Alt key and the hyphen (-) key are pressed simultaneously

Download and install AutoHotkey

To create a new script:

• Right-click an empty spot on your desktop or in a folder of your choice
• In the menu that appears, select New -> AutoHotkey Script
• Type a name for the file, ensuring that it ends in .ahk. For example: Dashes.ahk
• Right-click the file and choose Edit Script

A text editor should pop up. Delete whatever text is in the script and replace it with the following:

; en dash
^-::
Send, {Asc 0150}
return
; em dash
!-::
Send, {Asc 0151}
return

Save it, and your script is ready to go! After running the file by double clicking it, you can type en or em dashes by typing Ctrl+- or Alt+-, respectively.

Finally, we’ll make it so that the script is automatically run each time your computer is booted. First, go to your startup folder.

Locating your startup folder in Windows

Now drag and drop your script (.ahk file) to the folder.

And you’re done!

Happy dashing :)