Comments on: Punctuation: The Difference Between Dashes and Hyphens

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 04:09:03 +0000

The average reader won’t notice the difference between any types of dashes or hyphens, but other writers and advanced readers might

By: Hari Padmanabhan

Hari Padmanabhan — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 05:11:34 +0000

Really speaking there is not much difference between a hyphen and an en dash. Both can be used interchangeably in the same context. The en dash has the quality of describing ranges (from — to). If you ignore this quality then the en dash and the hyphen are virtually the same.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:36:13 +0000

Thanks for sharing that link Ben. I’ll be sure to check it out.

By: Ben Jaffe

Ben Jaffe — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:45:23 +0000

This post omits the most wonderful use of the en dash: for example, post[en dash]World War or high school[en dash]musical writers. A hyphen is inappropriate in these situations: we don’t mean a “post-world” war, and we are not talking about intoxicated “school-musical writers.” Here is a post that explains it all–it’s long-winded but tongue-in-cheek, and definitely worth a look. (It’s made the en dash my absolute favorite punctuation mark!)

http://gawker.com/357762/times-guilty-of-crimes-against-punctuation

By: 40 Freelance Writing Blogs | Freelancing and Outsourcing Tips, Commentary, Analysis, and News from oDesk

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:06:21 +0000

[...] Love – Creative writing guidance — almost as good as a personal coach Read – “The Difference Between Dashes and Hyphens” by M. [...]

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:24:21 +0000

Aw, thanks so much!

By: Kathryn Jankowski

Kathryn Jankowski — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:25:38 +0000

This is the best explanation of em and en dashes I’ve found. Thanks!

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:02:26 +0000

Thanks! Oddly, I don’t see dashes and hyphens misused as often as some other punctuation marks (like apostrophes). In any case, I have always enjoyed learning this stuff, and it’s fun to share it with others.

By: Positively Present

Positively Present — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:45:02 +0000

GREAT post. I love the topic because when I’m editing things for work there are SO many people who have trouble with dashes and hyphens and sometimes–oh, it’s terrible–they’ll use one of each in the same sentence and it just doesn’t make any sense at all. I wonder if it would be appropriate for me to email this link to all of my colleagues… hahaha.
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By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:29:14 +0000

“Well known” actually doesn’t get hyphenated because “well” is an adverb while “known” is an adjective, and adverb-adjective combinations don’t take the hyphen. Sometimes I have to stop and really think about whether modifiers are adjectives or adverbs and which pairs take a hyphen. In any case, I go for readability above all else.

By: Melissa Donovan

Melissa Donovan — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:26:38 +0000

I agree! Punctuation helps to keep writing clear. I always liken punctuation to musical notation. It informs the rhythm of the writing and guides the reader. Its purpose is really to make a piece easier to read. Plus, learning about punctuation is fun and interesting

By: Kelvin Kao

Kelvin Kao — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:13:19 +0000

Somehow I feel like I’ve already read this post before. Deja vu? I already knew the difference between hyphens and dashes, but not so much the different types of dashes. The last time I read about it (if indeed I did), the details about different dashes didn’t stay in my long-term memory. This time, I expect that to escape from my brain a week from now as well. Hehe.

I haven’t really thought about the adverb-followed-by-adjective (Is that correct usage?) cases. I think, I wouldn’t hyphenate them in general. In some cases though, such as “well-known”, I would hyphenate them not because I think I should, but because I am not thinking. I am just hyphenating them because I see them hyphenating them all the time. And that is inconsistent with how I usually use it.
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