Why spaces around en dashes?

V

Vivian Carroll

I have done more research on en dashes. Everything I have read said that
there should be no spaces around it. For example, the phrase should be
"Jan-Mar" (assume I used an en dash there) not "Jan - Mar". Does anyone have
an explanation for why Microsoft made Word's AutoFormat feature put spaces
around the en dash?

TIA,
Vivian Carroll
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

In the UK, a spaced en dash is used where we would use an em dash. There is
nothing keeping you from inserting an en dash explicitly, without depending
on AutoCorrect. I have had a keyboard shortcut for this character since long
before it was part of Word's AutoFormat As You Type options.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
Word MVP FAQ site: http://www.mvps.org/word
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
J

Jezebel

It makes life easier for Word's very cludgy justification algorithm. Word
will break the line at a space; without the space it should (but doesn't)
recognise a potential line-break position at either end of the dash.
 
V

Vivian Carroll

Thank you both for responding. I know about ALT+0150, but most of the
average users don't and by default the AutoFormat feature is on.

Vivian
 
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