—
How to Type the em dash (—)
The em dash (—) sets off a strong break in a sentence — like this — and is longer than a hyphen or en dash.
The three quick ways
Windows
Alt + 0151
Hold Alt, type the numbers on the numeric keypad, release.Mac
Option + Shift + - (hyphen)
Press the shortcut — no numeric keypad needed.HTML
—
Or numeric — · Unicode U+2014Practice typing it
✓ Nice — that's the em dash!
When you'll use it
- A dramatic pause or aside
- Replacing commas, colons, or parentheses
- Attributing a quote
Frequently asked questions
What is the Alt code for the em dash? On Windows, hold Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt to get —.
How do I type it on a Mac? Press Option + Shift + - (hyphen).
What's the HTML code for —? Use — or the numeric entity — (Unicode U+2014).
No numeric keypad? On a laptop, copy the symbol from this page, use your OS emoji/symbol picker (Windows key + . or Mac Control + Command + Space), or the HTML entity on the web.