A hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash look similar but do different jobs, and mixing them up is one of the most common punctuation slips in writing.
Dash Versus Hyphen converts the dashes in your text and explains, with examples, when each mark belongs.
How to use Dash Versus Hyphen
- Paste text that uses hyphens and dashes into the box on the left.
- Dash Versus Hyphen turns number ranges into en dashes and double hyphens into em dashes, leaving compound-word hyphens alone.
- Read the conversion summary, then copy the corrected text.
Use cases
- Fixing number ranges so they use an en dash, like 10 to 20.
- Turning a typed double hyphen into a proper em dash for an aside.
- Cleaning up dash usage before publishing an article.
Good to know
A hyphen joins words such as well-known, an en dash marks ranges such as pages or years, and an em dash sets off a break in a sentence. Dash Versus Hyphen converts number ranges to en dashes and double or spaced hyphens to em dashes, while leaving hyphens inside compound words and email-like tokens untouched. The summary shows how many marks were converted.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a hyphen, an en dash, and an em dash?
A hyphen joins words, an en dash marks a range such as 10 to 20, and an em dash marks a strong break or aside in a sentence.
How does it convert a number range?
A single hyphen sitting between two numbers, such as a page range, is changed to an en dash.
Will it change the hyphen in a compound word?
No. Hyphens inside compound words like well-known and inside email-like tokens are left as they are.