Hyphen, en dash, pause – which character to choose and when to use it? Find out the differences between them, the most important rules of use and keyboard shortcuts for Windows and macOS. Don’t make common mistakes!

Hyphen, en dash or pause: When to use what and what keyboard shortcut on Windows and macOS

Punctuation plays an important role in the correct writing of the text. Characters such as the hyphen, en dash or pause are inconspicuous but important elements that help understand the author’s intentions and the organization of the text. Unfortunately, they are often confused and their incorrect use can lead to misunderstandings. In this article, we will explain the difference between these three signs, when and how they should be used. You may ask: “but why such a text on a technology blog?!” The answer is simple – individual characters have specific keyboard shortcuts on Windows and macOS that not everyone knows about. But before we get to them, it’s worth going back to the basics of punctuation…

Hyphenate – what is it and when to use it?

hyphen (-) is the shortest of the characters discussed. Its main task is to connect words or their parts. It is also used in adjectival forms and in some syntactic cases.

Hyphen usage:

  • Combining two parts of a word – the hyphen is used to create word compounds such as “red and white”, “singing and dancing” or “sister-engineer”.
  • Combining words in two-part terms – the hyphen is used, for example, in expressions such as “boss-director”, “mother-polyglot”.
  • Word break at the end of a line – a hyphen allows you to divide words in text that does not fit on one line.

Keyboard shortcuts for hyphen

The situation here is simple:

  • Windows – just press the regular “-” key located on the keyboard, between the numbers and the “=” key.
  • macOS – just like in Windows, press the “-” key on the main keyboard.

En dash – when to use it?

En dash (–) is a character longer than a hyphen but shorter than a pause. It is used to separate elements of text, particularly where a clearer division is needed than that offered by a comma, but not as strong as a pause.

Use of an en dash:

  • Separating phrases in a sentence – an en dash often replaces parentheses or commas, e.g. “I knew it – although it wasn’t easy – had to be done.”
  • Saving number ranges – an en dash is used to mark ranges, e.g. “1990–2000” or “opening hours: 9:00–17:00”.
  • Mark dialogues in some languages – in some countries, an en dash is used to write dialogues, e.g. in our native books: “Hello, how are you?”

Keyboard shortcuts for en dash

  • Windows – to enter an en dash, use the keyboard shortcut: Alt + 0150 (using the numeric keyboard).
  • macOS – the shortcut for an en dash is: Option + – (hyphenate key).

Pause – the longest punctuation mark

Pause (—) this is the longest of the signs discussed. It is used to strongly separate fragments of text when we want to clearly indicate a pause or interruption in thought. The pause appears often in literature, journalism, and in some formal documents.

Pause use:

  • Interruptions and interruptions in thought – a pause can be used to clearly separate an interjection from the rest of the sentence, e.g. “It was a choice – although difficult – the best one possible.”
  • A clear interruption of the train of thought – a pause separates thoughts or sentences that require a longer pause in the interpretation of the text, e.g. “I will never understand this – and maybe I don’t need to.”
  • Separating list items in narrative forms – a pause can be used in bulleted lists to give them a more literary feel.

Pause keyboard shortcuts

  • Windows – to enter a pause, use the shortcut: Alt + 0151 (on the numeric keyboard).
  • macOS – on Apple computers, a pause is entered using the shortcut: Option + Shift + -.

It is worth noting that on Mac computers you can also define keyboard shortcuts. A good option is to set two hyphens that turn into an en dash and three hyphens that turn into an en dash. This is probably one of the most convenient solutions.

What about the dash?

Finally, one more note. We have a hyphen, an en dash and a pause, but what about the dash?! Let me explain. Dash in Polish it often refers generically to any punctuation mark that separates thoughts or passages of text. Colloquially, it may be an en dash or pause.

  • In literature, we often call it a dash pause (—)which is the longest of these three characters.
  • The hyphen serves a function clear separation of thoughts in narrative texts, letters or dialogue statements, e.g. “He – as always – did not come.”

Dash it can therefore refer to a pause, but sometimes also to a half-pause, depending on the context and publishing traditions.

What’s the deal with the numeric keypad?

Entering special characters on the numeric keypad can be a bit confusing, especially if someone doesn’t use this solution on a daily basis.

In Windows, you can use special characters such as en dash or pause to enter numeric keypad (this is the part of the keyboard that is on the right and contains only numbers and a few additional buttons).

How to enter characters on the numeric keypad?

Activate the numeric keypad – make sure the key Numlock is on (usually the indicator light comes on). If Num Lock is disabled, pressing the numbers on the right side of the keyboard will not work properly.

  • Hold down the “Alt” key – to enter a character, hold down the left “Alt” key.
  • Enter the appropriate code on the numeric keypad – while holding “Alt”, enter the numeric code that corresponds to the character. For example:
  • En dash (–): enter 0150 (i.e. Alt + 0150).
  • Pause (—): enter 0151 (i.e. Alt + 0151).
  • Release the “Alt” key – after entering the code, release the “Alt” key and the appropriate character will appear on the screen.

Special characters without numeric keypad

If you have a keyboard without a numeric section (e.g. in laptops), this method will not work. In this case, you must use other methods (e.g. copying characters from the Internet) or shortcuts specific to your device (e.g. in macOS or using an alternative on-screen keyboard in Windows).

On Apple computers, you are not required to use the numeric keypad to enter such characters. Instead, you have simple shortcuts available:

  • En dash (–): Option + – (i.e. the option button plus a regular hyphen).
  • Pause (—): Option + Shift + – (option, shift and hyphen).

In some programs, such as Microsoft Word, it is possible to replace characters automatically. For example, if you type two hyphens –, the program may automatically convert them to an en dash or a dash, depending on your settings.

On-screen keyboard in Windows

If you don’t have a numeric keypad on your device, you can also use on-screen keyboard: :

  • In Windows, search on-screen keyboard (on-screen keyboard).
  • Turn it on and click “Options” to add a numeric keypad.
  • Enter characters using the on-screen keyboard as if you were using a physical numeric keypad.