Dash
Dash noun - A punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text.
Hyphen
Hyphen noun - A punctuation mark (-) used between parts of a compound word or between the syllables of a word when the word is divided at the end of a line of text.
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Synonyms for Hyphen
Both words in one sentence
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A dash and a hyphen are not the same thing — way too many people use single hyphens for dashes-without even any spaces around them-and create confusion for people who rightly attempt to read the hyphenated words as conjoined words.
- Note that the second line is given an additional hyphen to indent it further, two hyphens are added after the arrow to create an em dash, and Alice's name is bolded.
- Doubling a hyphen, enclosing it in spaces, or both, is enough to serve as a substitute dash if you don't know how to create the real thing, although in publication (as well as formal papers) real dashes are expected, so it's best to learn how.
Cite this Source
Hyphen and Dash. (2016). Retrieved 2026, August 15, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/dash/hyphen
Dash & Hyphen. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/dash/hyphen>.
Hyphen or Dash. 2016. Accessed August 15, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/dash/hyphen.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "dash" and "hyphen" have occurred on timeline