em dash vs. en dashThere are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes: the en dash ( ? ) and the em dash ( ? ). In appearance, an en dash is slightly longer than a hyphen ( – ), approximately the width of a capital N, while an em dash is slightly longer than an en dash, approximately the width of a capital M (hence their names).When we refer to dashes, we are usually referring to em dashes, as they are the more common punctuation mark of the two. However, it?s important to know the different ways that each mark is used.Continue reading…em·dash or em dash (?m?d?sh?)n. A symbol ( ? ) used in writing and printing to indicate a break in thought or sentence structure, to introduce a phrase added for emphasis, definition, or explanation, or to separate two clauses.[From its being the width of an m in printing.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.em dash (??m?dæ?) or em rulen (Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) printing a dash (?) one em longCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014em? dash` n. Print. a dash one em long. Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.em dash, en dash – The em dash is the long dash used in punctuation whose length is based on the width of the letter M; the en dash is shorter (the width of an N) and the hyphen is even shorter.See also related terms for punctuation.Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.