Dashes & Hyphens

Updated August 5, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

• Use a dash to indicate a sudden break in continuity or to set off an explanatory, a defining, or an emphatic phrase:
  The sky grew dark—where were the kids?
  Dairy foods—milk, cheese, yogurt—are a good source of calcium.
• Use a hyphen to join the elements of a compound word or to join the elements of a compound modifier before a noun:

• Use a hyphen to divide a word at the end of a line:
  Rasputin is one of history's most enig-
  matic and intriguing figures.

See also: The Dash and the Hyphen and the Ellipsis