Em Dash Symbol in Word: How to Type — Every Way
Microsoft Word is the one place you rarely need to hunt for an em dash — type a word, two hyphens, and another word, and Word turns the — into — on its own. But there are five other ways to make one, a shortcut most people don’t know, and a find-and-replace trick for cleaning up dashes across a whole document. This guide covers all of it, plus how to switch the automatic behaviour on or off.
If you just want the character, copy — (or the shorter en dash –) from the grid below and paste it into Word. For the built-in methods and the Word-only tricks, read on.
In a hurry?
- Copy it: click — in the grid below.
- Let Word do it: type a word, —, and another word; the — becomes —.
- Shortcut: press Ctrl + Alt + Minus on the numeric keypad.
- By code: type 2014 then press Alt + X.
- Alt code: hold Alt and type 0151.
Table of Contents
Every way to make an em dash in Word
Word gives you more routes to the em dash than any other program. Here they are side by side.
| Method | What you do |
|---|---|
| AutoCorrect | type word–word, keep typing |
| Shortcut | Ctrl + Alt + Minus (numpad) |
| Alt + X code | type 2014, then Alt + X |
| Alt code | Alt + 0151 (numpad) |
| Insert Symbol | Insert → Symbol → Special Characters |
| Copy | paste — from the grid above |
Let AutoCorrect turn — into —
The default and easiest: type a word, two hyphens with no spaces, then another word, and as soon as you finish that next word (with a space or punctuation), Word replaces the -- with a real em dash. So word--word becomes word—word. Nothing to remember; it just happens as you type.
Use the keyboard shortcut
Word has a dedicated shortcut most people never learn: Ctrl + Alt + Minus, using the minus key on the numeric keypad (not the hyphen in the top row). That inserts an em dash instantly. The en dash is Ctrl + Minus on the same keypad. The catch is the numpad requirement, covered below.
Type the code, then Alt + X
Type the em dash’s Unicode value, 2014, then press Alt + X, and Word converts it in place to —. The en dash is 2013 then Alt + X. This works with no numeric keypad, which makes it the handiest method on a laptop.
Use an Alt code or Insert Symbol
The Windows Alt code works inside Word too: hold Alt and type 0151 on the numeric keypad for —. Or go to Insert → Symbol → More Symbols → Special Characters, where the Em Dash and En Dash are listed by name (and Word shows you their shortcuts there).
Why Word turns — into — (and when it doesn’t)
The autocorrect looks like magic, but it follows precise rules, and knowing them explains every time it “fails.” Word only makes the swap when there’s text on both sides of the hyphens and you’ve finished the word after them. So the em dash appears the moment you type the space or punctuation following word--word — not while the hyphens are still dangling at the end of a line.
Two details trip people up. First, it needs two hyphens with no spaces hugging them: word--word becomes an em dash, but word -- word (with spaces) may not. Second, the number of hyphens and the spacing decide which dash you get, which is the next section. If your -- refuses to convert, it’s almost always because the feature is switched off or you haven’t typed the following word yet.
Em dash vs en dash: how Word makes each
Word can produce both dashes automatically, and it chooses between them based on spacing and hyphen count. Getting this right is the difference between a correct em dash and an accidental en dash.
Type a word, two hyphens, no spaces, and another word (word--word), and Word makes the longer em dash —. Type a word, a space, a single hyphen, a space, and another word (word - word), and Word makes the shorter en dash –. So the spaced single hyphen gives you the en dash, and the unspaced double hyphen gives you the em dash.
| You type | Word makes | Symbol |
|---|---|---|
| word–word | em dash | — |
| word – word | en dash | – |
| word-word | stays a hyphen | – |
This is why a sentence sometimes ends up with the wrong-length dash: a stray space (or a missing one) sends Word down the other branch. If you get an en dash where you wanted an em dash, delete it and use Ctrl + Alt + Minus to force the em dash.
Turn Word’s automatic dashes on or off
Whether you love the auto-conversion or want your -- left exactly as typed, the switch is in one place. Go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options, open the AutoFormat As You Type tab, and find the checkbox Hyphens (–) with dash.
Tick it to have Word convert hyphens into dashes as you type; untick it to keep your hyphens untouched — useful if you’re writing code, working with data, or want to place every dash yourself. The same option lives on the plain AutoFormat tab, which applies when you run AutoFormat on an existing document rather than as you type. Turning it off doesn’t change dashes you’ve already made; it only affects new typing.
Ctrl + Alt + Minus needs the numeric keypad
The shortcut is great — when it works. Ctrl + Alt + Minus uses the minus key on the numeric keypad, the separate block of numbers on a full keyboard, and it does not work with the hyphen key in the top row. That’s why so many people find the shortcut “broken”: most laptops have no numeric keypad.
If you’re on a laptop, you have a few options. Switch on the hidden numpad with Fn (often Fn + Num Lock) and use the overlaid keys, then Fn + Ctrl + Alt + the minus key. Or skip the shortcut entirely: the 2014 then Alt + X method needs no keypad and is usually faster on a laptop. The two-hyphen autocorrect also works everywhere, keypad or not, which is why it’s the default for most laptop writers.
Find and replace dashes across a whole document
This is the Word-only power move almost no guide mentions. Word’s Find and Replace has special codes for the dashes: ^+ is the em dash and ^= is the en dash. That lets you clean up an entire document at once — fixing dashes someone else typed inconsistently, or converting between them in bulk.
Open Find and Replace with Ctrl + H. To turn every double hyphen into a proper em dash, put -- in Find and ^+ in Replace, then Replace All. To swap en dashes for em dashes, put ^= in Find and ^+ in Replace. To do the reverse, flip them. It’s the fastest way to standardise dashes in a long report or a document you inherited — a few seconds instead of hunting through every paragraph.
| Code | Means | Use in |
|---|---|---|
| ^+ | em dash (—) | Find or Replace |
| ^= | en dash (–) | Find or Replace |
| — | two hyphens | Find |
Em dash in Word for Mac
On Word for Mac, the two-hyphen AutoCorrect works the same way — word--word becomes —. The shortcut differs: use Shift + Option + Minus for the em dash (the standard macOS shortcut, which works throughout the Mac, not just Word) and Option + Minus for the en dash. The 2014 then Alt + X code trick and the Find-and-Replace codes (^+, ^=) work in Word for Mac too.
Copy-paste HTML codes
If you’re moving text from Word to the web, here are the dash codes. Click a cell and copy.
| Symbol | Named entity | Numeric entity | Word (Alt + X) |
|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | — | 2014 |
| – | – | – | 2013 |
For everything about the em dash itself — its uses, the two-hyphen history, and why it has become an AI-writing tell — see the main [em dash symbol](/em-dash-symbol/) guide. For fractions in Word, see [fraction symbol in Word](/fraction-symbol-in-word/), and for typing symbols across apps, the [keyboard shortcuts for symbols](/keyboard-shortcuts-for-symbols/) hub.
Troubleshooting
My — won’t turn into an em dash
Three usual reasons: the AutoFormat option is off (turn on Hyphens (–) with dash), you added spaces around the hyphens, or you haven’t typed the word after them yet. Type word--word with no spaces, then finish the next word.
I get an en dash instead of an em dash
You typed a spaced single hyphen (word - word), which Word converts to an en dash. For the em dash, use two hyphens with no spaces, or press Ctrl + Alt + Minus.
Ctrl + Alt + Minus does nothing
It only works on the numeric keypad’s minus key, which most laptops lack. Use the 2014 then Alt + X method instead, or copy the — from the grid above.
My em dash became a box in another program
That’s an encoding issue when the text leaves Word. Save or export as UTF-8, and the em dash will display correctly elsewhere.
FAQ
How do I type an em dash in Word?
Type a word, two hyphens, and another word, and Word turns — into —. Or press Ctrl + Alt + Minus on the numeric keypad, type 2014 then Alt + X, or copy — from the grid above.
How do I turn off the automatic dash in Word?
Go to File → Options → Proofing → AutoCorrect Options → AutoFormat As You Type, and untick Hyphens (–) with dash.
What’s the shortcut for an em dash in Word?
Ctrl + Alt + Minus using the numeric keypad’s minus key. The en dash is Ctrl + Minus. On a Mac it’s Shift + Option + Minus for the em dash.
How do I replace all hyphens with em dashes in Word?
Open Find and Replace (Ctrl + H), put -- in Find and ^+ in Replace, and choose Replace All. ^+ is Word’s code for the em dash and ^= is the en dash.
