--- title: Dashes description: Use dashes correctly in documentation. image: https://developers.cloudflare.com/cf-twitter-card.png --- > Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.cloudflare.com/style-guide/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. [Skip to content](#%5Ftop) # Dashes Dashes look like hyphens, but are wider. An em dash is the widest type of dash. Dashes have a different purpose than hyphens. We use two types of dashes: ## Hyphen (-) **Hyphenate compound modifiers that are placed before the noun.** Compound modifiers that come before the noun require a hyphen to distinguish them from individual modifiers and nouns. Do not hyphenate compound modifiers that come after the noun. Hyphens are used in compound words and to express ranges. Examples: * The most up-to-date software can be found here. * It takes 24-48 hours for the data to upload. Note Never include whitespaces around a hyphen. Additional examples: | ✅ | ❌ | Rationale | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Protect your Internet property from common vulnerabilities with our enterprise-class Web Application Firewall (WAF). | Protect your Internet property from common vulnerabilities with our enterprise class Web Application Firewall (WAF). | ‘Enterprise-class’ refers to the ability of something to scale with and handle the needs of large enterprises. A hyphen is necessary because the compound modifier comes before the noun. | | Our WAF is enterprise class. | Our WAF is enterprise-class. | ‘Enterprise class’ modifies ‘WAF.’ A hyphen is not necessary because the compound modifier comes after the noun. | ## Em dash (—) **Use em dashes to break up thoughts within a single sentence.** Em dashes (—) or double dashes (--) with spaces around them may be used to break up thoughts within a sentence. Single dashes (-), or hyphens, are commonly used to write compound words/modifiers and should never be used to break up thoughts in this way. * Shortcut for Mac users: Hold down Shift and Option keys, then press the Minus key * Shortcut for PC users: Hold down the Alt key and type 0151 Dashes are used in pairs (in place of parenthesis) or alone (in place of a semicolon or colon). Examples: * Cookies provide saved information about a user’s session to establish a “state” — in most cases, identity — as your browser makes a request. * Embed yourself in the team — the best results will come when trust is built. Note Following AP style guides, and to improve readability, we include whitespaces before and after the em dash. Additional examples: | ✅ | ❌ | Rationale | | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | The app has made security and privacy core to the company’s mission — and that is why it chose Cloudflare to provide an extra layer of protection. | The app has made security and privacy core to the company’s mission—and that is why it chose Cloudflare to provide an extra layer of protection. | An em dash with spaces on both sides is the appropriate way to distinguish the offset phrase at the end of this sentence. | | ACME has always looked deeply into two sources of traffic -- organic and direct traffic. | ACME has always looked deeply into two sources of traffic - organic and direct traffic. | A double dash is the appropriate way to clarify different types of traffic at the end of this sentence. A hyphen should not be used in place of a double dash. | Additional dash information: | Punctuation | Character/HTML Code | When to use in Cloudflare documentation | Justification | | ----------- | ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Hyphen | - | Negative numbers, compounding nouns, compound adjectives, removing ambiguity, certain prefixes, certain units | Use a hyphen instead of an en dash. | | Minus | − | Do not use | | | Em Dash | — | Empty table cells | Heavy use of the em dash creates choppy sentences that might annoy readers. | | En Dash | – | Copyright year spans | To avoid possible confusion, the word "to" should be used instead of an en dash in a range of numbers because the en dash can be misinterpreted as a minus sign. | ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/directory/","name":"Directory"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/style-guide/","name":"Style Guide"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"/style-guide/grammar/","name":"Grammar"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"item":{"@id":"/style-guide/grammar/punctuation-marks-and-symbols/","name":"Punctuation marks and symbols"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"item":{"@id":"/style-guide/grammar/punctuation-marks-and-symbols/dashes/","name":"Dashes"}}]} ```