HTML Entity for Non-Breaking Hyphen (‑)
What You'll Learn
How to display the Non-Breaking Hyphen (‑) in HTML using hexadecimal, decimal, and CSS escape methods. This character is U+2011 (NON-BREAKING HYPHEN) in the General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F)—a visible hyphen that prevents a line break at that position.
Render it with ‑, ‑, or CSS escape \2011. There is no named HTML entity. Compare with Hyphen (‐, ‐) and soft hyphen ­ (U+00AD).
⚡ Quick Reference — Non-Breaking Hyphen
U+2011General Punctuation
‑Hexadecimal reference
‑Decimal reference
—Use numeric codes only
Name Value
──────────── ──────────
Unicode U+2011
Hex code ‑
HTML code ‑
Named entity (none)
CSS code \2011
Meaning Non-breaking hyphen (no line break)
Related U+2010 = hyphen (‐, ‐)
U+00AD = soft hyphen (­)
U+00A0 = nbsp ( )Complete HTML Example
This example demonstrates the Non-Breaking Hyphen (‑) using hexadecimal code, decimal HTML code, and a CSS content escape:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<style>
#point::after{
content: "\2011";
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<p>Non-Breaking Hyphen using Hexadecimal: ‑</p>
<p>Non-Breaking Hyphen using Decimal: ‑</p>
<p id="point">Non-Breaking Hyphen using CSS Entity: </p>
<p>Example: non‑breaking</p>
</body>
</html>🌐 Browser Support
The Non-Breaking Hyphen (‑) is supported in all modern browsers; most fonts include General Punctuation (U+2011):
👀 Live Preview
See the Non-Breaking Hyphen (‑) in typography and line-break contexts:
🧠 How It Works
Hexadecimal Code
‑ uses the Unicode hexadecimal value 2011 to display the Non-Breaking Hyphen. The x prefix indicates hexadecimal format.
Decimal HTML Code
‑ uses the decimal Unicode value 8209 to display the same character.
CSS Entity
\2011 is used in CSS stylesheets, particularly in the content property of pseudo-elements like ::before and ::after.
Same visual result
All three methods produce: ‑. Unicode U+2011 forbids line breaks at the hyphen. No named HTML entity—use numeric codes in markup.
Use Cases
The Non-Breaking Hyphen (‑) is commonly used in:
Keeping hyphenated words intact on one line in titles and banners.
Product names, API terms, and compound technical phrases.
Editorial content where hyphenation must not split awkwardly.
Navigation items and buttons with hyphenated labels.
Proper nouns and formal terms that must not break mid-word.
Multilingual sites with language-specific hyphenation rules.
💡 Best Practices
Do
- Use
‑or‑when a hyphen must not start a new line - Pair with
white-space: nowraponly when the entire phrase must stay together - Distinguish from
‐(U+2010) and­(U+00AD) - Serve pages with UTF-8 (
<meta charset="utf-8">) - Test wrapping behavior in narrow viewports and mobile layouts
Don’t
- Expect a named HTML entity for U+2011
- Use padded Unicode notation like U+02011—the correct value is
U+2011 - Use
\02011in CSS—the correct escape is\2011 - Replace every hyphen with ‑—only use where line breaks must be forbidden
- Confuse ‑ with en dash (–) or em dash (—)
Key Takeaways
Two HTML numeric references plus CSS for U+2011
‑ ‑For CSS, use \2011 in the content property
Unicode U+2011 — NON-BREAKING HYPHEN
Prevents line breaks at the hyphen; always visible (unlike ­)
No named entity—use numeric codes or UTF-8 literal in source files
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
‑ (hex), ‑ (decimal), or \2011 in CSS content. There is no named entity. All methods render ‑.U+2011 (NON-BREAKING HYPHEN). General Punctuation block (U+2000–U+206F). Hex 2011, decimal 8209.‐) is a standard hyphen that may break. U+00AD (­) is a soft hyphen that appears only when a line breaks there.‑ or ‑, or type ‑ directly in UTF-8-encoded source files.Explore More HTML Entities!
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