En Dash
Block: General Punctuation
- Symbol
- –
- Unicode
U+2013- Unicode name
- EN DASH
- Block
- General Punctuation
- Category
- Punctuation, Dash
- Type
- Punctuation character
En Dash (–) is encoded as U+2013 and has the formal Unicode name EN DASH. Unicode classifies it as Punctuation, Dash in the General Punctuation block. The en dash is a punctuation dash distinct from the hyphen-minus, em dash, and mathematical minus sign. Separately encoded named neighbors include — Em Dash (U+2014); those records should be compared by name and code point rather than merged because their shapes or terminology are related.
The Encoded Identity Behind En Dash
– is En Dash (U+2013), classified by Unicode as Punctuation, Dash. In digital typography, that encoded identity is separate from the font drawing: a typeface can change width, stroke, or placement without turning the character into another code point.
This matters when punctuation, currency, or measurement marks have close visual neighbors. Preserve the intended character first; language- or style-guide spacing rules can then be applied without silently substituting a different mark.
If your character differs from this one, try what is the – symbol called? to find the exact mark from pasted text, Unicode, or visual clues.
Characters That Can Be Confused With –
This character is linked with nearby or confusable records including — Em Dash (U+2014), - Hyphen-Minus (U+002D), and − Minus Sign (U+2212). The relationship is useful for identification, but it does not make those characters interchangeable.
Fonts can reduce or exaggerate visual differences, so use each character's Unicode value and name when the distinction matters. Replacing one code point with another can change meaning, search behavior, parsing, sorting, or typography even when the glyphs appear close on screen.
What En Dash Does in Real Text
The en dash is a punctuation dash distinct from the hyphen-minus, em dash, and mathematical minus sign.
Do Not Collapse En Dash Into Nearby Named Variants
Unicode stores – as U+2013, while nearby records include — Em Dash (U+2014). These are separate encoded identities, not alternate font drawings of one character.
The comparison is useful because a shared word in the name, a mirrored direction, or a similar outline can make two symbols appear interchangeable. When the distinction matters, compare the complete Unicode name and code point before replacing one record with another.
Digital Representations of U+2013
U+2013 = decimal 8211 = HTML – / –. A Unicode escape-style form is u2013. Its UTF-8 bytes are E2 80 93.
Use these identifiers in markup, source code, exports, or character diagnostics when the glyph alone is not enough.