Three Little Lines
As of late, the usage of the hyphen, en dash, and em dash (and their ultimate confusion) has been maddening. And to make sure I was using them each correctly, I consulted The Chicago Manual of Style. Yep, I still understand them properly. It seems that copywriters and designers aren’t so sure, though.
Let’s make it easy, shall we? (My brief tutorial certainly won’t replace Chicago’s explanation, so for more details, that manual reigns supreme.)
First off, a hyphen, en dash, or em dash should be set closed (no character space before or after). At least not in traditional copy.
However—yes, I’m already going against guidelines—in advertising, many rules are broken, and this is no exception. I do find in design layouts, having the space on either side of an en or em dash is easier on the eyes:
Bullets/line lists, particularly when defining a term:
Dog – An animal that barks and fetches tennis balls.
Cat – An animal that meows and bathes incessantly.
Headline:
CALL NOW — Offer lasts a limited time!
These examples serve a functional purpose, but aesthetics generally win out. Again, this is advertising speak, and is more or less my opinion based on the plethora of direct mail packages, brochures, collateral, and catalogs I’ve proofed over the years. Not to mention, those dashes could easily be exchanged with a colon or even a comma without altering meaning. Whatever the punctuation in these cases, it has more to do with style and appearance than functionality.
The Hyphen
Despite my personal exception to the rules regarding en and em dashes, hyphens never have spaces before or after. Why? Because hyphens are used either in compound words/phrases or to break up characters:
much-needed haircut
21-year-old
hour-long commute
My name is Jennifer, spelled J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R.
1-800-555-5555
www.merriam-webster.com
The when and where to use a hyphen in compound words/phrases is more particular and in some cases subjective, so I won’t get into that here. Otherwise, a hyphen’s place is pretty simple.
The En Dash
The majority of an en dash’s usage is in ranges of numbers, dates, or times. It signifies the word “to”:
1990–1995
4:30–5:00 PM
2,000–2,500 sq. ft.
Tuesday–Thursday
pages 4–10
In rare instances, the en dash is used in compound phrases—a usage I recently educated myself on. The best way for me to describe it is when a multiple word phrase is hooked up with another single word or multiple word phrase, either an open compound or hyphenated compound:
San Francisco–based companies
Lady Gaga–esque attire
pre–World War II
Louisiana crab–and-crawfish salad
Since you wouldn’t put a hyphen in between all the words, e.g., San-Francisco-based, the en dash is employed for clearer differentiation.
The hyphen–en dash debacle remains my biggest headache simply because 95% of the time hyphens are used in lieu of en dashes. (And that’s not including the little-known usage in compound phrases as mentioned above.) Understandably, it’s easy to find the hyphen key, but it is incorrect. On a Mac, the quick key is Option-Dash[-].
The Em Dash
The em dash is essentially used within a sentence to set off or amplify a phrase, indicate a sudden break, or separate subjects from pronouns. A sentence should never contain more than two em dashes.
I enjoy certain social networks—Flickr, Twitter, Ravelry—but others I could do without.
Flickr, Twitter, Ravelry—these are social networks I participate in.
However—yes, I’m already going against guidelines—there are exceptions in advertising.
What the—?
Another headache because in these instances, a double hyphen would be employed. Though word processing programs are becoming more intuitive with the double hyphen, to my knowledge, graphic design programs do not know the difference. On the Mac, try this on for size: Option-Shift-Dash[-].
I like the use of em dashes, but they also can be substituted with commas, parentheses, or a colon, depending on usage. Again, please refer to Chicago for more obscure uses as well as usage with other punctuation.
Funny that when I referred to the manual for guidance, I discovered the 2-em and 3-em dashes. That’s a whole ’nother ball of wax.