Grammar rules can be tricky, but the difference in using a hyphen vs. dash is more straightforward than you might think. Read on to learn when—and how—to use each correctly in your writing.

When to use a dash A dash (specifically, an em dash) has a totally different purpose. It indicates a significant pause or surprising twist in a sentence.

It gets confusing because you use a hyphen when the descriptive phrase comes before the thing, but you don't when the phrase comes after: The chocolate-frosted cake was decadent.

The hyphens and dashes used in English writing are often used inconsistently, regardless of whether the writer is a professional or not. Mister Punctual, a blog that posts articles about ...

Hyphens (-) Hyphens are only used to combine certain words together. They are not strong enough to set off phrases or words from a sentence. Use hyphens in the following situations: Use in compound ...

It gets confusing because you use a hyphen when the descriptive phrase comes before the thing, but you don’t when the phrase comes after: The chocolate-frosted cake was decadent.

Grammar columnist and expert June Casagrande dives into why we use the em dash and the AI myths associated with it.

Punctuation marks are the flesh and bones of every modern written language. Sometimes, missing out a comma can completely change the meaning of a sentence (for example, “Let’s eat Grandpa ...

How to use hyphen, en dash and em dash? As mentioned above, use a hyphen in intimately related concepts such as toll-free, tie-in, well-known and more.

I don’t talk much here about the en dash — the little punctuation mark that looks like it can’t decide if it’s a hyphen or a full-fledged dash.