En Dash in English: Uses and Examples

The en dash (–) is a punctuation mark used mainly to show ranges, connections, and relationships. It is longer than a hyphen (-) but shorter than an em dash (—).

Its name comes from traditional printing, where the mark was approximately as wide as the letter n.

Compare the three marks:

• Hyphen: –
• En dash: –
• Em dash: —

Although these marks look similar, they perform different jobs in English writing.

Ranges of Numbers and Dates

Use an en dash between numbers, dates, times, or pages when the mark means to, through, or up to and including.

• pages 25–38
• chapters 4–7
• the years 2018–2024
• the 2025–2026 academic year
• Monday–Friday
• June–September
• 9:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.
• children aged 8–12

The sentence below means that the office opens every day from Monday through Friday:

• The office is open Monday–Friday.

Do Not Mix an En Dash with “From” or “Between”

When a sentence already contains from, complete the construction with to.

• Incorrect: The course runs from March–June.
• Correct: The course runs from March to June.
• Correct: The course runs March–June.

When a sentence contains between, use and rather than an en dash.

• Incorrect: The interviews took place between 10:00–12:00.
• Correct: The interviews took place between 10:00 and 12:00.
• Correct: The interviews took place 10:00–12:00.

Construction	Correct form
A simple range	2019–2023
Range beginning with “from”	from 2019 to 2023
Range beginning with “between”	between 2019 and 2023
Page range	pages 45–62
Time range	8:30–10:00 a.m.

An en dash should represent a genuine range. It should not replace to when the numbers do not show continuous movement or coverage.

Connections between Places

An en dash can connect two places that are linked by travel, transport, communication, trade, or geography.

• the Karachi–Lahore flight
• the Islamabad–Peshawar route
• the London–Paris train
• a Europe–Asia trade corridor
• the Pakistan–Afghanistan border

The mark shows a connection between two separate places:

• The Karachi–Lahore service operates daily.
• They discussed improvements to the Islamabad–Peshawar route.
• The report examines trade along the Europe–Asia corridor.

Use the official spelling when a route, organisation, or geographical name has an established form. Do not replace an official hyphen with an en dash simply because two places are mentioned.

Relationships between Terms

An en dash may connect two people, groups, ideas, or organisations that have a balanced relationship.

• teacher–student communication
• doctor–patient confidentiality
• employer–employee relations
• Pakistan–China cooperation
• the parent–child relationship
• a government–industry partnership

These terms remain separate but are connected to each other.

• Trust supports a healthy doctor–patient relationship.
• The university encourages better teacher–student communication.
• The agreement may strengthen Pakistan–China cooperation.

The en dash can suggest:

• cooperation
• opposition
• comparison
• interaction
• negotiation
• connection

Some publications use hyphens in expressions such as teacher-student relationship. The choice may depend on the publication’s style guide. An en dash makes the equal relationship between the two terms more visible.

En Dashes with Open Compounds

An en dash may connect a word to an open compound—a term containing two or more separate words.

• a New York–based company
• the post–World War II period
• a United States–Canada agreement

A normal hyphen could make the structure less clear because New York, World War II, and United States already function as complete units.

This use is more common in formal publishing than in everyday writing. Rewording is also possible:

• a company based in New York
• the period after World War II

En Dash vs Hyphen

A hyphen joins elements closely. An en dash connects separate values, places, or balanced terms.

Feature	Hyphen (-)	En dash (–)
Length	Shorter	Longer than a hyphen
Main purpose	Joins words or word parts	Shows ranges and connections
Number example	a twenty-five-page report	pages 20–25
Word example	a well-known writer	teacher–student communication
Place example	Use only in an official hyphenated name	the Karachi–Lahore route
Spacing	Usually no spaces	Usually no spaces

Use a Hyphen

• a full-time employee
• a well-written report
• a ten-year-old building
• forty-two students
• a user-friendly website

Use an En Dash

• pages 10–18
• 2016–2022
• the Karachi–Quetta route
• doctor–patient communication
• a New York–based journalist

Compare:

• She accepted a two-year contract.
• She worked there during 2023–2025.

The hyphen creates the compound adjective two-year. The en dash shows a range covering two years.

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En Dash vs Em Dash

The en dash connects information. The em dash creates a noticeable break in a sentence.

Feature	En dash (–)	Em dash (—)
Main purpose	Range or connection	Break, interruption, or emphasis
Length	Medium	Longest dash
Example	Monday–Friday	The answer—surprisingly—was correct.
Common replacement	“to” or “through”	Commas, brackets, or a colon
Typical spacing	No spaces	Depends on the chosen style

En Dash Examples

• Read pages 30–42.
• The Karachi–Lahore flight was delayed.
• The teacher–student meeting lasted an hour.

Em Dash Examples

• She opened the results—and immediately smiled.
• There was only one problem—the door was locked.
• His final answer—after several changes—was correct.

Do not use an em dash for an ordinary number range.

• Incorrect: pages 10—20
• Correct: pages 10–20

Spacing and Style

In most modern English styles, an en dash has no spaces on either side when showing a range or connection.

• Correct: 2015–2020
• Correct: Monday–Thursday
• Correct: the Karachi–Lahore route
• Incorrect: 2015 – 2020
• Incorrect: Monday –Thursday

Spacing should always be consistent.

Some British publishers use a spaced en dash instead of an em dash to mark a break:

• The decision – although unpopular – was final.

Other styles use an unspaced em dash:

• The decision—although unpopular—was final.

Both forms may be accepted when used consistently. For ranges and connections, the closed en dash remains the usual choice:

• pages 12–19
• the Pakistan–China partnership

Typing an En Dash

• Windows: Hold Alt and type 0150 on the numeric keypad.
• Mac: Press Option and the hyphen key.
• Microsoft Word: Use Insert → Symbol, or allow AutoCorrect to create it.
• HTML: Use –.
• Copy and paste: –

Do not use two hyphens as a permanent replacement when the proper en dash character is available.

Practice Exercise

Choose an en dash, hyphen, em dash, or words such as to and and.

1. The library is open Monday___Saturday.
2. She applied for a full___time position.
3. The Karachi___Lahore train arrived late.
4. He checked the door___then checked it again.
5. The programme ran from 2022___2025.
6. Read pages 36___49 before tomorrow.
7. Good doctor___patient communication builds trust.
8. The company has a New York___based design team.
9. The results were between 70___85 percent.
10. It was a simple decision___or so we thought.

Answers

1. The library is open Monday–Saturday.
2. She applied for a full-time position.
3. The Karachi–Lahore train arrived late.
4. He checked the door—then checked it again.
5. The programme ran from 2022 to 2025.
6. Read pages 36–49 before tomorrow.
7. Good doctor–patient communication builds trust.
8. The company has a New York–based design team.
9. The results were between 70 and 85 percent.
10. It was a simple decision—or so we thought.

En Dash Rules and Examples PDF

FAQs About En Dash

Short Summary

• An en dash (–) is longer than a hyphen and shorter than an em dash.
• Use it for ranges such as 2018–2024 and pages 15–30.
• It can connect places or balanced terms: Karachi–Lahore and doctor–patient.
• Do not write from 2018–2024; write from 2018 to 2024.
• A hyphen joins words, while an em dash creates a break in a sentence.
• En dashes usually appear without spaces in ranges and connections.

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