Em dash (—) is the Unicode character at U+2014 in General Punctuation. Official name: EM DASH. It is a long dash used for strong breaks, asides, and abrupt pauses in sentences.
Remember
Character —
Unicode U+2014
Named entity —
Hex entity —
Decimal —
CSS escape \2014
Not the same – (en dash) · ‐ (hyphen) · -
Prefer — in HTML markup. You can also use — / —, or type — in a UTF-8 document.
Built with Named: —
Built with Hex: —
Built with Decimal: —
Built with CSS: —
Typed: —
Sentence: Wait—did you see that?
How It Works
1. Named:— is the preferred HTML5 name for U+2014 → —.
2. Hex:— inserts the same code point. Same visual as named.
3. Decimal: same code point as 8212 → —.
4. CSS: use \2014 in content (not an HTML entity). #point::after appends —.
5. Typed: paste — in a UTF-8 document, or write a break like Wait—did you see that?.
Pitfalls & Tips
Common mistakes when working with Em Dash.
Name
Prefer —
— is the readable named form for U+2014. Numeric forms still work when you need them.
–
Not an en dash
U+2013 (–) is shorter and usually used for ranges. Em dash is for sentence breaks.
-
Not a hyphen-minus
The keyboard - (U+002D) is not an em dash. Use — when you need the long typographic dash.
Spacing
Style the spaces deliberately
Some house styles put spaces around em dashes; others do not. Pick one style and stay consistent.
CSS vs HTML
Do not mix escapes
\2014 belongs in CSS strings. — / — / — belong in HTML.
a11y
Keep sentence meaning clear
Screen readers usually treat an em dash as a pause. Keep the surrounding sentence clear so the break still makes sense aloud.
Semicolon
End references
Always finish entities with ; — write —, not &mdash.
Compatibility
Browser Support
Em dash (U+2014) and its entity forms (—, —, —, CSS \\2014) are supported in all mainstream browsers. Visible glyphs depend on General Punctuation font coverage.
✓ Universal support
Em Dash (—)
Encode with named, hex, decimal, CSS escape, or type the character — same code point everywhere encoding is supported.
100%Browser coverage
Google ChromeSupported
Yes
Microsoft EdgeSupported
Yes
Mozilla FirefoxSupported
Yes
Apple SafariSupported
Yes
OperaSupported
Yes
Internet ExplorerAll versions
Yes
U+2014 / —Full support
Bottom line: Prefer — in HTML. Use — / — when numeric form is required, and \\2014 only inside CSS content.
Remember
Key Takeaways
Unicode: em dash is U+2014 (decimal 8212) — glyph —.
HTML: prefer — (named form).
CSS: use \2014 inside content for generated text.
Length: em — ≠ en – ≠ hyphen ‐ ≠ -.
One line:U+2014 → — / — / CSS \2014.
Frequently Asked Questions
Use — (named), — (hex), — (decimal), type — directly in UTF-8, or the CSS escape \2014 in content.
U+2014 (EM DASH). Hex 2014, decimal 8212. It belongs to the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F).
Yes. — is the HTML5 named entity for U+2014 and is usually the most readable choice in typographic markup.
Use it for strong breaks, parenthetical asides, or abrupt pauses in sentences. Prefer – for number ranges (for example 2010–2020), and a hyphen for compound words.
HTML entities (—, —, or —) go in markup. The CSS escape \2014 goes in stylesheet strings (usually content on ::before/::after).
No. U+2014 is — (em dash). U+2013 is – (en dash). U+2010 is ‐ (hyphen).
🤔
Did you know?
Em dash is Unicode U+2014 (decimal 8212) — glyph — (EM DASH) in General Punctuation. HTML5 names it —. It is longer than an en dash (–, –) and a hyphen (‐, ‐).
