Inserting an Em Dash

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated March 2, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003

Word allows you to insert an em dash (a long dash) by simply typing two dashes in a row. Word senses this as you finished the word following the dashes, and then replaces them with the em dash. If you have this capability turned off, however, you may be wondering how to get an em dash in your document. There are three ways you can do this:

Press Ctrl+Alt+Minus (on the numeric keypad)
Hold down the Alt key as you type 0151 on the numeric keypad.
Choose Symbol from the Insert menu, and then select Em Dash from the Special Characters tab.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1217) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. Learn more about Allen...

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