Hyphen, En Dash & Em Dash
Hyphens join or divide words; en and em dashes express ranges, relationships, interruptions, or parenthetical structure according to editorial style.
DASH_USAGEDefinition
The three marks are not interchangeable. A numeric range commonly uses an en dash in publishing, while prose dashes depend strongly on language and house style. A hyphen-minus entered from the keyboard can also represent data that must not be changed.
BAD vs GOOD
pages 12-18
pages 12–18
Why it matters
The selected mark communicates whether elements are joined, ranged, contrasted, or interrupted.
Rule strength
Function-based, with house-style choices. This is not an absolute linguistic law; locale, genre, content, and house style can change the correct decision.
Exceptions and editorial considerations
- Style guides may prefer the word “to” for accessible date or number ranges.
- Negative numbers, ISBNs, URLs, paths, identifiers, phone numbers, and mathematical expressions are not prose ranges.
How to fix it manually
- Identify the semantic function first.
- Follow the project’s dash and spacing policy.
- Protect technical strings and proof line-break behavior around the replacement.
Adobe InDesign guidance
Use specific Unicode characters and GREP searches with exclusions. Do not globally replace every hyphen-minus.
How Avellio detects it
Avellio emits DASH_USAGE for suspected prose or numeric-range misuse.
A guarded numeric or page range can enter Safe Clean; prose dash choices remain review/manual.
Language and locale differences
EN USUnspaced em dashes are common, but not universal.
EN UKEN AUSpaced en dashes are common in some styles.
ESThe raya has language-specific dialogue and parenthetical uses.
Authoritative references
- Avellio User Manual — Locale profile referenceAvellio product source
- Avellio User Manual — The Action LayerAvellio product source
- Unicode Standard — General Punctuation chartUnicode standard
- Real Academia Española — Ortografía básica de la lengua españolaNational language authority
- GOV.UK content and publishing guidance — A to Z style guideEditorial style guide
Avellio references document product behavior. External standards and authorities support the general or locale-specific typographic guidance. Where traditions disagree, this page states the disagreement instead of manufacturing one universal rule.