Guide: How to Use Em Dash in Google Docs
I like the em dash. It’s a great alternative to commas and colons, and provides clearer copies. Unfortunately, most keyboards don’t feature this essential punctuation mark and consecutive hyphens are not always a good substitute. Word automatically replaces two hyphens with an em dash, but if you use Google Docs for word processing instead, you won’t get that functionality by default. Fortunately, there is a keyboard shortcut you can use to get the em dash. And Google Docs also allows you to replace characters – such as consecutive hyphens – with the em dash, provided you adjust some settings. Without further ado, let’s see how to do that. Also read: How to Remove page breaks to create continuous pages in Google Docs
Keyboard shortcut
You can use a universal shortcut to insert the em dash not only in Google Docs, but other word processing programs as well. To do that, hold down the Alt key and enter 0151 on the numeric keypad. Note: If you have one laptop without separate numeric keypad, use the Fn and alphanumeric keys to enter the numbers. For example, on keyboards with the US layout, this means that you have to press Alt-Fn-ME to get the em dash.
On Macs, you can use the Shift-Option-Hyphen keystroke to insert the em dash. Now I am not going to say that this is the most effective way to add an em dash to your documents. It’s actually no fun using a multi-key shortcut, especially if you plan on making regular use of this punctuation mark. So let’s take a look at another, albeit more convenient, method to make sure that the em-dash stays on your keyboard permanently.
Replace consecutive hyphens
Using two consecutive hyphens is the next best alternative to keyboards without a dedicated em dash key. But you can also configure Google Docs to automatically replace two hyphens with an em dash when you insert them. Sounds good, right? Step 1: Point to Tools in the Google Docs window and select Preferences.
Step 2: Insert a double hyphen in the empty box under Replace.
Now add the em dash to the box below Using the shortcut keys Alt-0151 or Shift-Option-Hyphen (on Mac). Or you can choose to copy and paste the em dash here: – Click OK to add the replacement to Google Docs. That is it! You should now see an em dash when you press the hyphen twice and follow it up with a space. Also read: Quip vs. Google Docs: Which Is The Better Writing Tool?
Insert as a special character
There is also another way to insert an em dash in Google Docs, and that is through the Special Characters selection screen. Step 1: Open the Insert menu and select Special Characters to open theup box.
Step 2: Search Em Dash, and you should see it coming up within the search results. Just click on the symbol to add it to your document.
Now you don’t have to reopen the Insert Special Characters box every time you want to insert an em dash. You can just put it aside and continue working on your document, and your em dash – including hundreds of other special characters – is just a click away! Also read: What to do if your Google Drive is running out of space
Bonus Tricks
Before we wrap things up, let’s take a neat look at some of them tricks based on what we spoke above.
Find and replace
Replacing hyphens for em dashes does not affect consecutive hyphens that you have previously inserted. But do not worry. There is a trick you can use to immediately replace all consecutive hyphens with em dashes in any document. Step 1: Open a Google Docs document, click Edit, then click Find and Replace.
Step 2: Add consecutive hyphens in the box next to Search and an em dash in the box next to Replace with. To add the em dash, use the shortcut keys Alt + 0151 or Shift-Option-Hyphen, or copy and paste the em dash here: –
Click Replace All and enjoy the magic. Obviously, you have to do this for each document individually, but it’s still better than re-entering them manually.
Replace incorrect text
As we discussed above, replacing consecutive hyphens is just one to get the em-dash functionality easy. But that doesn’t mean the replacement list is limited to punctuation only. If you have clumsy fingers like I do, and often type certain wrongs words like “friends” as “friends” or “de” as “teh”, you just found the perfect way to avoid correcting text all the time.
Just add them all words to the replacement list and type away without worry! Also read: Share Google files Guide: All frequently asked questions answered
Enjoy The Em Dash
I can’t imagine writing without the em dash, and it feels refreshing to get this functionality into Google Docs so easily. While you can insert the em dash via a keyboard shortcut or as a special character, I highly recommend replacing consecutive hyphens. And make sure to use that replacement list for your heart’s content! So, what are your thoughts on the em dashboard? Let us know in comments.
How to Use Em Dash in Google Docs: benefits
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