Em Dash
Block: General Punctuation
- Symbol
- —
- Unicode
U+2014- Unicode name
- EM DASH
- Block
- General Punctuation
- Category
- Punctuation, Dash
- Type
- Punctuation character
The em dash — is U+2014, a punctuation dash. Unicode notes that it may be used in pairs to offset parenthetical text. It is a different character from the en dash –, hyphen-minus -, minus sign −, and horizontal bar ―.
How the Em Dash Functions in Text
The em dash is a punctuation character used to create a strong break in a sentence. Unicode also notes a paired use in which em dashes can offset parenthetical text. The exact editorial style around an em dash—such as spacing—depends on the style system being followed, so the character identity should be kept separate from any one house style.
In digital text, the important starting point is that the em dash is its own code point. It is not simply a long rendering of the keyboard hyphen.
If your character differs from this one, try what does — mean? to find the exact mark from pasted text, Unicode, or visual clues.
Digital Representations of U+2014
The encoded identity can be represented without relying on the glyph. U+2014 = decimal 8212 = HTML — / —. A Unicode escape-style representation is u2014. The UTF-8 byte sequence for the current glyph is E2 80 94.
These forms are useful when a font does not display the symbol clearly, when debugging copied text, or when comparing characters that look alike. Numeric references and escapes identify the underlying code point or sequence rather than a particular font drawing.
—, –, -, −, and ― Are Separate Characters
A row of horizontal-stroke characters can look almost interchangeable in some fonts: — EM DASH, – EN DASH, - HYPHEN-MINUS, − MINUS SIGN, and ― HORIZONTAL BAR. Their lengths are not a dependable identification method because font design and screen size affect how they render.
Use the code point when correctness matters. The em dash is U+2014. Substituting another dash can change typography, line-breaking behavior, mathematical meaning, search matching, or source-code interpretation.
Use U+2014 When the Text Calls for an Em Dash
The ASCII hyphen-minus is often used as a fallback because it is easy to type, but it remains U+002D rather than an em dash. Converting punctuation should therefore be an intentional editorial operation, not a visual guess.
If a document already contains a dash and you need to identify it, copy the actual character and inspect its Unicode value. This avoids deciding from width alone, which can be misleading across fonts.