It's All About Those Dashes...

I was editing a script earlier today and the content gave me pause to reflect. We all see these regularly, yet the hyphen (-), en dash (–), and em dash (—) each play a distinct role in good writing (and we are hearing more and more about this with the increased use of AI in content creation). 

While they may look similar at a glance, I believe using the correct punctuation improves clarity, professionalism, and readability.

‘What is the difference?’ I hear you ask. A hyphen (-) joins words together to create compound terms, such as well-known author or full-time student. An en dash (–) is used to indicate a range or connection, for example pages 10–20 or the Dublin–Galway route. The, now dreaded, em dash (—), meanwhile, introduces emphasis or an interruption in thought. It often replaces commas, brackets, or a colon to create a more conversational style.

These distinctions may seem minor, but they matter because accurate punctuation from authors and postgrads demonstrates attention to detail and helps our writing communicate exactly what we intended. 

Whether you’re preparing a university dissertation, a business report, a novel, or even a social media post, mastering these small marks can make a noticeable difference.

I’ve found over the years that many people use a hyphen for all three—but every correctly placed dash is another step towards polished, professional writing (see what I did there?). 

Happy writing friends.