Editing Encyclopedia:Manual of Style (section)

====In running text====
{{Anchor|DASHVAR}}
Dashes are often used to mark divisions within a sentence: in pairs (parenthetical dashes, instead of parentheses or pairs of commas) or singly (perhaps instead of a colon). They may also indicate an abrupt stop or interruption in reporting quoted speech. In all such cases, either unspaced em dashes or spaced en dashes can be used, with consistency maintained throughout a given article:
*An em dash is <em>unspaced</em> on both sides:
{{Block indent|{{xt|Another "planet" was detected—but it was later found to be a moon of Saturn.}}}}
*An en dash is <em>spaced</em> on both sides:
{{Block indent|{{xt|Another "planet" was detected{{snd}}but it was later found to be a moon of Saturn.}}}}
Ideally, an en dash should be preceded by a non-breaking space; this prevents the dash from appearing at the beginning of a line. The {{tlx|snd}} template may be used for this:
{{Block indent|{{mxt|<nowiki>Another "planet" was detected{{snd}}but it was later found to be a moon of Saturn.</nowiki>}}}}
Do not insert any spaces where an en dash should be unspaced {{crossref|pw=y|(see {{section link||Other uses for en dashes}})}}.

Dashes can clarify a sentence's structure when commas, parentheses, or both are also being used.
*{{xt|The book summarizes works of some major philosophers in chronological order: Descartes, Locke, Hume{{snd}}but not his ''Treatise'' (deemed too complex for the target audience){{snd}}and Kant.}}

<span class="anchor" id="Spare the dash"></span>{{Shortcut|MOS:SPARETHEDASH|MOS:NOTRIPLEDASH}}
Use dashes sparingly. More than two in a single sentence makes the structure unclear; it takes time for the reader to see which dashes form a pair, if any.
*{{xt|The birds{{snd}}at least the ones Darwin collected{{snd}}had red and blue feathers.}}
*{{xt|"We have run aground at{{snd}}", was the final, incomplete message received from the ship.}}
*Avoid: {{!xt|First{{snd}}at a marshy site leveled with landfill{{snd}}came the workshop{{snd}}then administrative and other buildings.}}
*Better: {{xt|First{{snd}}at a marshy site leveled with landfill{{snd}}came the workshop; administrative and other buildings were erected later.}}

=====In ranges that might otherwise be expressed with ''to'' or ''through''<span id="Ranges"></span><span id="Number ranges"></span>=====
{{Shortcut|MOS:ENTO|MOS:ENFROM|MOS:RANGE|MOS:RANGES}}
{{Hatnote|This section is about ranges of numbers, dates, or times. For other ranges, such as ranges of physical locations, see {{section link||In compounds when the connection might otherwise be expressed with to, versus, and, or between}}.}}
{{See also|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Ranges}}

For ranges between numbers, dates, or times, use an en dash:
*{{xt|pp.&nbsp;7–19}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|64–75%}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|Henry&nbsp;VIII reigned 1509–1547}}{{efn|name="date range"|A change from a general preference for two digits, to a general preference for four digits, on the right side of ''year–year'' ranges was implemented in July 2016 per [[Wikipedia:Village pump (policy)/Archive 129#WP:DATERANGE ambiguity and stylistic concerns|this RFC]]. For more information see {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers#Ranges}}.}}

Do not change hyphens to dashes in filenames, [[URL]]s, or templates such as {{tlx|Bibleverse}} (which formats verse ranges into URLs), even if a range is embedded in them.

Do not mix en dashes with ''between'' or ''from''.
*{{xt|450–500 people}}
*{{xt|between 450 and 500 people}}, not {{!xt|between 450–500 people}}
*{{xt|from 450 to 500 people}}, not {{!xt|from 450–500 people}}
*{{xt|from 1961 to 1964}}, not {{!xt|from 1961–1964}}
*{{xt|between the 1961–1962 and 1967–1968 seasons, ticket sales dropped substantially}} (or {{xt|between the 1961–62 and 1967–68 seasons}})

The en dash in a range is always unspaced, except when either or both elements of the range include at least one space, hyphen, or en dash; in such cases, {{tl|snd}} between them will provide the proper formatting.
*{{nobr| {{xt|July 23, 1790{{snd}}December 1, 1791}}}} (not {{nobr| {{!xt|July 23, 1790–December 1, 1791}}}})
*{{nobr| {{xt|14 May{{snd}}2 August 2011}}}} (not {{nobr| {{!xt|14 May–2 August 2011}}}})
*{{nobr| {{xt|1–17 September}}}} (and note in this case that the second element of the range is ''17'', not ''17{{nbsp}}September'');&nbsp;&nbsp; {{nobr| {{xt|February–October 2009}}}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{nobr| {{xt|1492{{snd}}7 April 1556}}}}
*{{nobr| {{xt|Christmas Day{{snd}}New Year's Eve}}}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{nobr| {{xt|Christmas 2001{{snd}}Easter 2002}}}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{nobr| {{xt|10:30 pm Tuesday{{snd}}1:25 am Wednesday}}}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{nobr| {{xt|6:00 p.m.{{snd}}9:30 p.m.}}}} (but {{nobr| {{xt|6:00–9:30 p.m.}}}})
*{{xt|wavelengths in the range {{nobr| 28 mm{{snd}}17&nbsp;m.}}}}
*{{nobr| {{xt|pages 5-7{{snd}}5-9}}}}<!-- The three elements of this range are each hyphenated. Example: the range is three pages "5-7", "5-8", and "5-9". -->

If negative values are involved, an unspaced en dash might be confusing:
*{{xt|−10 to 10}}, not {{!xt|−10–10}} (though {{xt|−10{{snd}}10}} might work in a table consistently formatted with {{var|x}}–{{var|y}} constructions)

=====In compounds when the connection might otherwise be expressed with ''to'', ''versus'', ''and'', or ''between''<span class="anchor" id="ENBETWEEN"></span>=====
{{Shortcut|MOS:ENBETWEEN}}

Here, the relationship is thought of as parallel, symmetric, equal, oppositional, or at least involving {{em|separate or independent elements}}. The components may be nouns, adjectives, verbs, or any other independent part of speech. Often, if the components are reversed there would be little change of meaning.
*{{xt|boyfriend–girlfriend problems}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the Paris–Montpellier route}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|a New York–Los Angeles flight}}
*{{xt|iron–cobalt interactions}}; the components are parallel and reversible; iron and cobalt retain their identity
*Wrong: {{!xt|an iron–roof shed}}; ''iron'' modifies ''roof'', so use a hyphen: {{xt|an iron-roof shed}}
*Wrong: {{!xt|a singer–songwriter}}; not separate persons, so use a hyphen: {{xt|a singer-songwriter}}
*{{xt|red–green colorblind}}; red and green are separate independent colors, not mixed
*Wrong: {{!xt|blue–green algae}}; a blended, intermediate color, so use a hyphen: {{xt|blue-green algae}}
*{{xt|a 51–30 win}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|a 12–0 perfect season}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|a 22–17 majority vote}};<ref>{{cite web |title=Hyphens, En Dashes, Em Dashes |url=https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/HyphensEnDashesEmDashes/faq0013.html |website=www.chicagomanualofstyle.org |publisher=Chicago Manual of Style |access-date=9 March 2022}}</ref> but prefer spelling out when using words instead of numerals: {{xt|a six-to-two majority decision}}, not with the awkward {{!xt|six–two}};&nbsp;&nbsp;avoid confusingly reversed order: {{!xt|a 17–22 majority vote}}{{efn|1=It is not logically possible to have a "{{!xt|12–35 victory}}", except in a game where a lower score is better. Otherwise, use a construction like {{xt|Clovis beat Portales, 35–12}}, or {{xt|Jameson lost the election, 2345 votes to 6789, to Garcia}}, with parties, result, and number order in logical agreement.}}
*{{xt|a 50–50 joint venture}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|a 60–40 split}};&nbsp;&nbsp; avoid using a slash (stroke) here, which indicates division
*{{xt|the Uganda–Tanzania War}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the Roman–Syrian War}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the east–west runway}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the Lincoln–Douglas debates}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|a carbon–carbon bond}}
*{{xt|diode–transistor logic}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the analog–digital distinction}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|push–pull output}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|on–off switch}}
*{{xt|a pro-establishment–anti-intellectual alliance}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|Singapore–Sumatra–Java shipping lanes}}
*{{xt|the ballerina's rapid walk–dance transitions}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|a male–female height ratio of 1.14}}

Generally, use a hyphen in compounded proper names of single entities.
*[[Guinea-Bissau|{{xt|Guinea-Bissau}}]]; Bissau is its capital, and this name distinguishes the country from neighboring [[Guinea]]
*{{xt|Wilkes-Barre}}, a single city named after two people, but {{xt|Minneapolis–Saint Paul}}, an area encompassing two cities
*{{xt|John Lennard-Jones}}, an individual named after two families

{{Anchor|Anglo-|Dual nationalities}}
{{Shortcut|MOS:DUALNATIONALITIES}}
Use an en dash between the names of nations or nationalities when referring to an association between them. For people and things identifying with multiple nationalities, use a hyphen when using the combination adjectivally and a space when they are used as nouns, with the first used attributively to modify the second.
*{{xt|an Italian–Swiss border crossing}};&nbsp;&nbsp; but {{xt|an Italian-Swiss newspaper}} for {{xt|Italian-speaking Swiss}}
*{{xt|France–Britain rivalry}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|French–British rivalry}}
*{{xt|an Indian-American scientist}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|was especially popular with Indian Americans}}
*Wrong: {{!xt|Franco–British rivalry}}; ''Franco-'' is a {{em|combining form}}, not an independent word, so use a hyphen: {{xt|Franco-British rivalry}}

A slash or some other alternative may occasionally be better to express a ratio, especially in technical contexts {{crossref|pw=y|(see {{section link||Slashes}})}}.
*{{xt|the protein–fat ratio}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the protein/fat ratio}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the protein-to-fat ratio}}
*Colons are often used for strictly numeric ratios, to avoid confusion with subtraction and division: {{xt|a 3:1 ratio}};&nbsp;&nbsp;{{xt|a three-to-one ratio}} {{crossref|pw=y|(see {{section link|Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Dates and numbers|Fractions and ratios}})}}.

Use an en dash for the names of two or more entities in an attributive compound.
*{{xt|the Seifert–van Kampen theorem}};&nbsp;&nbsp; {{xt|the Alpher–Bethe–Gamow theory}}
*{{xt|the Seeliger–Donker-Voet scheme}} (developed by Seeliger and Donker-Voet)
*{{xt|Comet Hale–Bopp}} or just {{xt|Hale–Bopp}} (discovered by Hale and Bopp)

Do not use an en dash for hyphenated personal names, even when they are used as adjectives:
*{{xt|Lennard-Jones potential}} with a hyphen: named after John Lennard-Jones

Do not use spaces around the en dash in any of the compounds above.

=====Instead of a hyphen, use an en dash when applying a prefix or suffix to a compound that itself includes a space, dash or hyphen<span class="anchor" id="En dash across open compounds"></span>=====
{{Shortcut|MOS:AFFIXDASH|MOS:PREFIXDASH|MOS:SUFFIXDASH}}
<!-- This list of examples only includes compounds that have a space or dash in them, but this should also apply when a compound includes a hyphen. Such examples should be included, if they exist. -->
*{{xt|ex–prime minister Thatcher}} (consider recasting: {{xt|former prime minister Thatcher}})
*{{xt|pre–World War II aircraft}} (consider recasting: {{xt|aircraft from before World War II}})
*{{xt|[[post–September 11 anti-war movement]]}}
*{{xt|[[Trans–New Guinea languages]]}}
*{{xt|[[post–Hartree–Fock]]}}
*{{xt|[[Afro–Puerto Rican]]}}
*{{xt|Turks and Caicos–based company}}
*{{xt|a Rodgers and Hammerstein–esque musical number}}

The form of category names follows the corresponding main articles, e.g., {{cat|Trans–New Guinea languages}}. 
However, the principle is not extended when compounding other words in category names, e.g., {{cat |Tennis-related lists}} and {{cat |Table tennis-related lists}} both use hyphens.

{{Anchor|To separate items in certain lists}}<!-- Old section name, may be linked-to. -->

=====To separate parts of an item in a list=====
{{Shortcut|MOS:LISTDASH}}

Spaced en dashes are sometimes used between parts of list items. For example:
*{{xt|James Galway{{snd}}flute; Anne-Sophie Mutter{{snd}}violin; Maurizio Pollini{{snd}}piano.}}
or
*{{xt|"The Future" – 7:21}}
*{{xt|"Ain't No Cure for Love" – 6:17}}
*{{xt|"Bird on the Wire" – 6:14}}

Editors may choose whether to capitalize what follows, taking into consideration [[#Retaining existing styles|the existing practice]] and [[Wikipedia:Article titles#Consistent titling|consistency with related articles]].