Posted   by 

Ms Word Is An



Microsoft Word is the universal word processing software used by businesses and individuals across the world to create documents. Because it is so widely used, many people choose to add eSignatures to documents in Word to increase the speed of their document processes.

Using the AutoFormat feature in Microsoft Word, you can create both an Em dash (—) and En dash (–) automatically by typing hyphens. Alternatively, you can insert these special characters using the Insert Symbol menu. You can also copy and paste the dashes from another document, such as a web page, to your Word document.

  1. HOW ABOUT CHECKING YOUR SPELLING? – You can correct your spelling errors all in one go, to.
  2. Microsoft Word with a Microsoft 365 subscription is the latest version of Word. Previous versions include Word 2016, Word 2013, Word 2010, Word 2007, and Word 2003.
  3. As part of the Microsoft Office 2013 software suite, Microsoft Word 2013 is an advanced word processor that is highly adept at producing documents of professional quality, and it is intuitive enough to meet the needs of beginners and students as well.
Tip

Ms Word Is An

If AutoFormat is not enabled in your copy of Microsoft Word, see: How to enable and disable Microsoft Word AutoFormat feature.

Note

The steps below may work in other Microsoft programs, including Excel, PowerPoint, and Teams.

Insert an Em dash using AutoFormat

If you do the following, AutoFormat inserts an Em dash (—) as you type.

In a Word document:

  1. Type a word, with no space after it.
  2. Type two hyphens, with no space between or after them.
  3. Type another word.
  4. Type a space.

Ms Word Is An Example Of

For example, typing:

Something--Something(space)

Automatically formats the line as:

Something—Something

When you press the spacebar after typing the example text above.

Insert an En dash using AutoFormat

If you do the following, AutoFormat inserts an En dash (–) as you type.

In a Word document:

  1. Type a word, with a space after it.
  2. Type a single hyphen, with a space after it.
  3. Type another word.
  4. Type a space.

For example, typing:

1993(space)-(space)1995(space)

Automatically formats the line to:

1993 – 1995

When you press the spacebar after typing the example text above.

Insert an Em or En dash using shortcut keys

To create an Em dash, use the shortcut key combination Ctrl+Alt+-.

Ms word is an example of application software

To create an En dash, use the shortcut key combination Ctrl+-.

Note

Num Lock must be enabled and you need to use the minus key on the numeric keypad.

Insert an Em or En dash using the Symbol menu

You can also insert a special dash using the Insert Symbol menu:

Documents Microsoft Word

  1. In a Microsoft Word document, choose Insert in the Menu bar.
  2. Choose Symbol.
  3. Choose More Symbols.
  4. Click the characters you'd like to insert. The Em dash should be on the second row. To insert multiple characters, click them one at a time.
  5. When you're finished, click Close to close the special characters window.
Documents microsoft wordNote

If the En dash is not offered in your Symbol menu, you can still use another method to insert it.

Insert an Em or En dash using copy and paste

If all else fails, copy and paste the dash from another document, such as this page.

  1. Highlight the dash you want to insert:

Em dash: —
En dash: –

  1. Copy it. (Press Ctrl+C, or Command+C on a Mac)
  2. In your Word document, place the text cursor where you'd like the dash to go, and paste it. (Press Ctrl+V, or Command+V on a Mac)

Remove an Em or En dash

If your Word document has an Em dash or En dash and you want to remove it, do one of the following.

  • Highlight the Em dash or En dash using your mouse, then press the Del key.
  • Place the text cursor after the Em dash or En dash, then press the Backspace.

If you want to replace the Em dash or En dash with a normal hyphen, type the hyphen after removing the Em or En dash.

Additional information

  • See our Em dash and En dash definitions for further information and related links.

When it comes to word processing, Microsoft Word is the gold standard. As part of the Microsoft Office productivity suite, more than one billion computer users rely on the program every day. That’s nearly one in seven people on the entire planet — an impressive number unmatched in the technology industry.

Even though so many consumers use Microsoft Word, not everyone knows how to maximize the capabilities of the program. Word is packed with a multitude of features that can help make the creation of documents, reports, and text files easier. And when your day-to-day work becomes easier, you become more productive and more efficient — which should be the ultimate goal of any piece of software.

Below are 10 of our favorite shortcuts, tips, tricks, and timesavers to supercharge your use of Microsoft Word. (Most of these suggestions work with all versions of Word, but some are exclusive to newer versions like Word 2013, 2016, or 2016 for Mac.) Try a few out today and let us know what works for you…