Dem Dashes

In the past year I have spent a surprising amount of time either looking up or discussing dashes. Yes, dashes: hyphens, em dashes, and en dashes. Or put another way—hyphens, em dashes, and en dashes.

Before I write about the differences between the three, permit me to say the obvious; don’t I have better things to do? Do I have so much free time that I can spend it pouring over the pages of The Chicago Manual of Style?

I am not really a grammar geek. I rely heavily on the graciousness of others who paid attention in English class. However, it drives my editor nuts when I use the wrong key on my computer, leaving him to have to use a magnifying glass to proof my newsletter column.

I provided a link (Get it Write) so you can get a good explanation of the differences between the three, but here is a basic explanation:

• A hyphen is the shortest of the dashes and it is usually used between numbers (like your phone number) or to connect words, such as mean-spirited.
• The en dash is slightly longer than the hyphen. It replaces the word through, such as Monday – Friday.
• The em dash is the longest of the dashes and creates a break in a thought—such as this sentence—in order to separate a phrase.

And that is all I am saying about dashes for the rest of the year, unless I am talking about dashing through the snow or dashing off to a show.