Em Dash —
Usage snapshot:
- Punctuation marks structure text and convey tone; usage conventions differ by style and locale.
- An em dash sets off breaks in thought or adds emphasis; spacing conventions vary by style.
History & usage: The EM DASH is a punctuation mark used to shape text and convey tone. It helps separate ideas within a sentence and show a pause or shift. It can set off breaks in thought or add emphasis, and spacing conventions vary by style. In writing, it marks transitions between clauses, signals interruptions, and can replace commas or parentheses for emphasis. Writers choose how to space it depending on the style or locale. Across platforms the dash may render as a longer or shorter line, and readers using assistive tech hear it as a pause in the text.
See our category page for related symbols.
Look‑alikes: ー (U+30FC).
Need styled alternatives? Try the Fancy Text tool.
This reference covers U+2014 Em Dash with practical usage tips and links.
Confusables
Technical details
- Codepoint:
U+2014 - Block:
General Punctuation - Script:
Common - UTF-8:
E2 80 94 - UTF-16:
2014 - UTF-32:
00002014 - HTML dec:
— - HTML hex:
— - JS escape:
\u2014 - Python \N{}:
\N{EM DASH} - Python \u:
\u2014 - Python \U:
\U00002014 - URL-encoded:
%E2%80%94 - CSS escape:
\2014
How to type / insert
Fast copy: click the Copy button near the top of this page.
By codepoint: in many editors and IDEs, you can insert via the Unicode code U+2014 or a built‑in character picker.
HTML: use the numeric entity — (hex) or — (decimal) when an HTML entity is needed.
Compatibility & troubleshooting
Font support: if the symbol does not render, the current font likely lacks this codepoint. Choose a font with broad Unicode coverage or allow a fallback font.
Web pages: ensure your CSS font stack includes a general fallback; avoid relying on images for common symbols to preserve accessibility and copyability.