Automatically format hyphens as en dashes and em dashes

When you type a space and one or two hyphens between text, Microsoft Word automatically inserts an en dash ( û ). If you type two hyphens and do not include a space before the hyphens, then an em dash ( ù ) is created.

To create the dashes as you type or after you type, do one of the following:

Format dashes as you type

  1. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect Options, and then click the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
  2. Select the Hyphens ( -- ) with dash ( ù ) check box.

For example, "See pages 3 - 10" becomes "See pages 3û10."

Format dashes after you type

  1. On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect Options, and then click the AutoFormat tab.
  2. Select the Hyphens (--) with dash ( ù ) check box.

For example, "Many pines--ponderosa, for example--grow here" becomes "Many pinesùponderosa, for exampleùgrow here."

Note   You can undo formatting or turn options on or off by clicking an option on the AutoCorrect Options button . The button first appears as a small, blue box when you rest the mouse pointer near text that is automatically formatted, and it changes to a button icon when you point to it.