Dictionary

em dash en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (General-American) audio

Etymology

Named for its width, which is equal to the width of the letter m or M, or approximately twice the width of an en dash.

Meanings

1. The symbol (—) (used to demarcate a parenthetical thought or to indicate a break, or for emphasis); a one-em or long dash.
   • So now, no matter where it’s coming from or why, millions of people recognize the em dash as a sign of zero-effort, low-quality algorithmic slop. 2025 December 3, Sam Kriss, “Why Does A.I. Write Like … That?”, in The New York Times Magazine, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 03 Dec 2025:

Forms

Relateds

hyphen · rule · en dash

Synonyms

ChatGPT hyphen · m-rule · em rule · mutton dash

Translations (21)

sv helfyrkantsminus (typographical symbol '—') · tl gatlang em (typographical symbol '—') · it lineetta emme (typographical symbol '—') · ga eim-dais (typographical symbol '—') · mk долга црта (typographical symbol '—') · hu kvirtmínusz (typographical symbol '—') · es raya (typographical symbol '—') · fi m-viiva (typographical symbol '—') · cs dlouhá pomlčka (typographical symbol '—') · cmn 長破折號 /长破折号 (typographical symbol '—') · fr tiret cadratin (typographical symbol '—') · ru тире́ (typographical symbol '—') · nl heel kastlijntje (typographical symbol '—') · sv långt tankstreck (typographical symbol '—') · pl pauza (typographical symbol '—') · fi pitkä ajatusviiva (typographical symbol '—') · de Geviertstrich (typographical symbol '—') · el διπλή παύλα (typographical symbol '—') · fa تمامخط (typographical symbol '—') · pt travessão (typographical symbol '—') · is þankastrik (typographical symbol '—')