Em Dash Spacing
Spacing around an em dash is a house-style choice, not a property of the Unicode character itself. Microsoft style uses no spaces around em dashes, while other publishers may follow different conventions.
Follow your house style. Microsoft uses em dashes with no spaces around them: “text—text.” Other editorial systems may space them differently.
Key details
Important caveats
Style Boundary
A no-space rule is Microsoft house style, not a universal character-encoding rule.
Further guidance
Microsoft Style
Microsoft’s punctuation guidance says not to use spaces around em dashes.
Practical Application
Apply one spacing convention consistently. Microsoft style uses em dashes without surrounding spaces; if another house style requires spaces, follow that system throughout rather than combining conventions.
Reader Check
Does the document have a named style rule for spaces around em dashes, and are all instances following it?
Worked Example
Under Microsoft style, write “The result was clear—no further test was needed.” A publication that mandates spaced em dashes should apply its own convention consistently instead.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Dashes and hyphens — Microsoft Style Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · En-dash and em-dash functions, including number ranges and sentence breaks