The Glory of Em Dashes
What Are They—and Why You Should Use Them
I get a writerly glow when I use an em dash. If exclamation marks are at the shouty, trashy end of punctuation, em dashes are versatile sophisticates, adding weight to a sentence. Where a comma lacks gravitas and a semi-colon looks too formal, sliding in a carefully considered em dash is — classy.
What Is an Em Dash?
The em dash is an old typographic term. An em dash—or mutton dash—is roughly as wide as the letter m in whichever font style or size type you are using:
Ariel 10pt M
Ariel 10pt —
Em Dash Rules
Pah. Rules are for colons.
Versatile and fluid, the glorious em dash is the Swiss Army Knife of punctuation. You can parachute in an em dash to emphasise a point — or create a definitive pause. Some writers even use them instead of speech marks.
Frankly, the choice is yours because the em dash is the Swiss Army Knife of punctuation.
How Different Authors Use Em Dashes
The way individual writers apply punctuation is as good as a signature. Some writers use them for dialogue instead of speech marks; others use them like long commas.
With a gravelly and deliberate tone, Charles Bukowski used them to create slow pauses.
Sometimes you climb out of bed in the morning and you think, I'm not going to make it, but you laugh inside — remembering all the times you've felt that way.
Emily Dickinson was vilified by some for her liberal use of em dashes. Here, they give rise and fall to the verse. The intonation is beautiful. No other punctuation could have achieved this rhythmic sing-songy tone:
Morns like this — we parted —
Noons like these — she rose —
Fluttering first — then firmer
To her fair repose.
James Joyce used em dashes at the beginning of dialogue. Choosing to play with punctuation and words, he famously said that speech marks were “perverted commas”.
Em Dashes Instead of Parentheses
Wrapping a phrase in brackets/parentheses can sometimes look like an afterthought has been shoehorned into a sentence.
The shark (weak with hunger) slid into the reef.
The shark—weak with hunger—slid into the reef.
By enclosing 'weak with hunger' in parentheses, the shark's state feels like a side note. In contrast, the em dashes give the shark's weak state menacing relevance.
Em Dashes for Impact
When an exclamation mark would dumb down your writing, an em dash can deliver a careful pause followed by a punchy mic-drop:
She was hit by a wrecking ball of good intentions right between the eyes.
She was hit by a wrecking ball of good intentions—right between the eyes.
Here, the em dash serves as an inhalation just before a final slam of drama. Pow.
Spaces Around Em Dashes
There is no right or wrong way when it comes to spaces. Usually, I default to spaces on either side of an em dash when I'm using them to create a pause because I also like to create visual space around the words:
She's an expert hider of bodies — the best in the business — and a cool-headed sociopath.
She's an expert hider of bodies—the best in the business—and a cool-headed sociopath.
Whether you bathe your em dashes with space is entirely up to you.
Lists and Em Dashes
Sometimes, you'll want to insert an appositive — or extra information — into a sentence. The trusty em dash will also neatly parcel up a list:
Her mood lifted incrementally with each passing station—London Bridge…Borough…Elephant and Castle…Kennington. By Oval, she was beaming.
Stanley Green's anti-lust pamphlets rolled off his home printing press—clumsily typeset, grammatically inconsistent and factually erroneous—but laden with passion.
Keyboard Shortcuts / How to Type An Em Dash
These are the nifty keyboard shortcuts that will elevate your writing to a pro-level:
On a Mac: shift + option(alt) + hyphen
On a PC: alt + 0351
S’pose I Had Better Mention the Other Dashes
As smitten as I am with em dashes, the other more functional dashes warrant a mention.
The En Dash
The en dash is shorter than an em dash and—you've guessed it—the same width as the letter n. En dashes are generally used to indicate a range or link words together in a relationship:
January–March
1995–2025
Booker Prize–winning author.
The Humble Hypen
The simple short dash (or hyphen) connects words that function as adjectives:
Back-and-forth
Well-behaved
User-friendly
Hyphens also clarify words, which, frankly, would look odd without a hyphen:
Co-op (coop)
De-escalate (rather than de-escalate)
Proceed With Caution (Walk Don’t Dash)
Em dashes can feel naturalistic and conversational, which is both their appeal and the reason they are overused. (AI, I'm watching you with your prolific overuse of our beloved em dash).
As you edit your work, ask if each em dash adds value. Treat them respectfully; these powerful marks can make or break your point.
So unless you're James Joyce, proceed with care, have fun and write well, kiddo.
If Writing Gives You The Heebie Jeebies…
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