There are two types of dashes, em dash (long dash) and en dash (midsized dash), and they are different from hyphens.
Em dash:
-
- Set of an element added to amplify or digress from the main clause.
- Use it sparingly, so it does not affect the flow of the text.
- Do not use space before or after.
- Commands
- MacBook: Shit + Option + Dash
Social justice—but not political justice—are highly regarded in our society.
En dash:
-
- It is longer and thinner than a hyphen, but shorter than an em dash
- Use it between words of equal weight in compound adjectives
- Do not insert space before or after
- Commands
- MacBook: Option + Dash
Author-year quotation
Minneapolis–Los Angeles fight
8–11
40%–80%
*hyphens: are often used in abbreviation that contains dashes
(Adapted from APA, 2020, p. 157)
Source
The American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th edition.
