Pronunciation: [ˈɛn dˈaʃ] (IPA) 
The spelling of the word "en dash" is quite straightforward when breaking it down phonetically. It is pronounced like /ɛn dæʃ/, with the emphasis on the "en" and the "a" in "dash" being pronounced like the "a" in "cat." The "en dash" is a type of dash that is slightly longer than a hyphen and is used mostly to denote a range of numbers or dates. It is named after the letter "n" because its length is similar to the width of the letter.
An en dash is a punctuation mark that resembles a hyphen but is longer in length. It is named after the width of the capital letter "N" in various typefaces and is commonly used in different contexts.
In typography and typesetting, an en dash is primarily used to indicate a range or span between two values, such as numbers, dates, or times. For example, it may be used to represent a range of years like "2000–2005" or to represent a range of pages like "pages 5–10." The en dash helps to establish a connection between the two endpoints.
Another use of the en dash is in compound adjectives, where it replaces a hyphen. For instance, when two adjectives modify a noun and one of them includes a space or a hyphen, such as "post–World War II era" or "June–July issue," the en dash is used to create clarity and avoid confusion between the components.
Moreover, the en dash can also be utilized in place of a hyphen to link two words or expressions that form a compound phrase, such as when connecting a city pair (e.g., "New York–London flight") or a dual role (e.g., "author–illustrator").
In summary, the en dash is a longer punctuation mark than a hyphen and serves to indicate ranges, replace hyphens in compound adjectives, and create clarity in compound phrases.
The term "en dash" comes from the word "dash". The en dash is so named because it is approximately the width of the letter "n" in most fonts. It is longer than a hyphen (-) and shorter than an em dash (—).
