lieks 5 days ago

It also uses them correctly—with no spaces. I have never seen anyone do that on the web.

3
dragonwriter 5 days ago

Almost everyone I’ve seen using them on the web (myself included) does that. Very few people I’ve seen set them open.

(Lots of people use en-dashes set open instead of em-dashes set closed for the uses for which they are interchangeable as a matter of stylistic preference, though.)

strken 5 days ago

I believe this is specific to the US. Writing from other English-speaking countries often uses an en dash surrounded by spaces instead of an em dash.

latentsea 5 days ago

I didn't know that was the correct way to use them. It feels incorrect in a space delimited language. Interesting.

dragonwriter 5 days ago

English is not actually a space-delimited language; that's an approximation which is, in this case, throwing you off.

Punctuation is usually set closed on at least one, if not both, sides, though there are exceptions.

latentsea 4 days ago

Come to think of it, you're right. Hmm...