Em Dash Copy and Paste (—)
The em dash (—) is the long dash used for asides and sudden turns. Copy the em dash in one click; the other dashes and your keyboard shortcut are right below.
For an aside or a sudden turn, about as wide as the letter M.
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Other dashes you might need
Besides the em dash, the 3 dash-like characters people need most are the en dash (–), the hyphen (-) and the minus sign (−). Four rarer ones are under “More dashes”.
More dashes (4, rarely needed)
How to type an em dash on any keyboard
To type an em dash, press Option + Shift + minus on a Mac or Win + Shift + minus on Windows 11 (September 2025 update or later); keyboards have no dedicated em dash key. Here's the shortcut for your system first:
| Where | How to type — |
|---|---|
| Mac | Option + Shift + - |
| Windows 11 | Win + Shift + - (September 2025 update or later) |
| Older Windows | Hold Alt, type 0151 on the number pad |
| iPhone / iPad | Press and hold -, pick — |
| Android | Press and hold -, pick — |
| Google Docs | Insert → Special characters → search “em dash” |
| Word | Ctrl + Alt + minus on the number pad |
Em dash vs en dash vs hyphen
The em dash (—) is the longest of the three and marks asides, the en dash (–) is shorter and marks ranges, and the hyphen (-) is the shortest and joins words.
| Symbol | Name | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| — | Em dash | Asides and sudden turns |
| – | En dash | Ranges: 2019–2024 |
| - | Hyphen | Joining words: well-known |
When to use an em dash
To add an aside
A pair of em dashes around an aside works like parentheses, but louder.
The plan—if it works—saves a week.To lead into a point
An em dash before the final point works like a colon, with more punch.
She had one goal—finish.To break off
An em dash shows a thought that stops or changes direction mid-sentence.
I was going to call—never mind.
One or two em dashes per paragraph is plenty. Use too many and readers may think a bot wrote the text. To swap em dashes out in bulk, use the Em Dash Remover.
HTML and code
The em dash is — or — in HTML, U+2014 in Unicode, \2014 in CSS and \u2014 in JavaScript.
Show the codes
FAQ
What is the em dash shortcut?
Mac: Option + Shift + minus. Windows 11 (September 2025 update or later): Win + Shift + minus. Older Windows: hold Alt and type 0151 on the number pad.
Why doesn't Alt+0151 work on my laptop?
Alt codes need the number pad on the right of a full keyboard, and most laptops don't have one. Use Win + Shift + minus on Windows 11, or press “Copy” above.
Is an em dash the same as two hyphens?
No, they are different characters. Some apps, such as Word, turn two hyphens into an em dash automatically, but not every app does.
Why do people say em dashes look like AI writing?
Tools like ChatGPT use them a lot. To replace the em dashes in AI text in one go, use the Em Dash Remover.