The en dash – is Alt+0150 on Windows and Option+hyphen on a Mac. It is the width of a capital N, longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash. Its main job is a range, as in pages 12–18, where it stands for the word "to".
01 All shortcuts at a glance
| Platform | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Windows (Alt code) | Hold Alt, type 0150 on the numpad |
|
| Windows (any app) | Win+. or Win+; emoji/symbol picker, or Character Map (Win+R → charmap) |
|
| Mac | Control+Command+Space to open Character Viewer, search "En Dash" |
|
| Word / Outlook | Type 2013, then press Alt+X |
|
| Linux (IBus) | Ctrl+Shift+U, then 2013, then Enter |
|
| HTML / CSS | – · \2013 (CSS) |
02 Step by step, per platform
A real, followable procedure for every platform, not a thin restatement of the shortcut.
Windows
- Make sure Num Lock is on.
- Hold Alt and type 0150 on the numeric keypad.
- Release Alt, – appears.
Mac
- Press Control+Command+Space to open the Character Viewer.
- Type "En Dash" in the search field.
- Double-click the result to insert it.
Microsoft Word
- Type 2013.
- Press Alt+X immediately after, it converts the hex code to –.
03 Characters in this set
04 Troubleshooting & confusables
| Looks like it | But it's actually | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| - (U+002D) | Hyphen-minus, the keyboard hyphen | Use it to join compound words, not to express a range. |
| — (U+2014) | Em dash, one character wider | For a break in a sentence. Using it for a range is wrong in every major style guide. |
| − (U+2212) | Minus sign, a maths operator | For arithmetic. It is drawn to match the plus sign in height and width. |
05 FAQ
What is the Unicode code point for the en dash?
It is U+2013, decimal 8211. Alt+0150 works on Windows because it also sits in the Windows-1252 code page.
When do I use an en dash instead of a hyphen?
Use it for ranges, as in 1939–45 or Monday–Friday, and for a connection between two equal things, as in the Paris–Berlin route. A hyphen joins parts of one word.
Are there spaces around an en dash?
Not in a range, so 12–18 is closed up. British style also uses a spaced en dash where American style would use a closed em dash, as in a sentence break.
Can I mix an en dash with the word "from"?
No. Write from 1939 to 1945, or 1939–45, never from 1939–45. The same rule applies to "between", which must pair with "and".
How do I type it on a phone?
Press and hold the hyphen key on the symbols layer. The en dash and em dash both appear in the pop-up row.