13830889-16a2-43b0-9f6a-b7e0db7cd3b6
prompter
What's the difference between a hyphen, en dash, and em dash? Provide examples with each symbol.
6a0be91c-b2e2-4d41-9fd5-5ba4cf43b4e7
13830889-16a2-43b0-9f6a-b7e0db7cd3b6
assistant
- The hyphen (-) is the narrowest. It is used to join parts of a word together, such as "e-mail" and "ice-cream", or connect words that must be understood as a unit. For example, "a one-meter-long rope" and "a pet-friendly hotel". When a word can’t fit on a line, a hyphen is also used to split it into two lines between syllables.

- The en dash (–) is wider, approximately as wide as the letter N. It is usually used to show the relationship between two words or values such as dates. For example, "the teacher–student relationship", "the score of the game is 16–10", and "the 1929–1939 depression"

- The em dash (—) is the widest, approximately as wide as the letter M. It is used to emphasize and bring attention to some words in a sentence, and usually can be seen as commas. For example, "The hotel — an old building with frequent power outages — is still quite popular".
fb26468f-c01c-4731-8eaf-65ad8e1ce68e
6a0be91c-b2e2-4d41-9fd5-5ba4cf43b4e7
prompter
When should em-dashes be used instead of commas? Are they interchangeable? Also, how are they different from parentheses?