Hyphens and Dashes in Numbers (with Examples)

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Hyphens in Numbers

Hyphens are used in numbers:

(1) When writing numbers in full.
  • two hundred thirty-two
  • ninety-six
Note: Hyphenate all numbers between 21 and 99 (less those ending 0, e.g., 50, 60).

(2) When writing fractions in full.
  • one-third
  • two-thirds
  • three-fifths
(3) When putting dividers in long numbers (e.g., serial numbers or telephone numbers)
  • 555-1234-1234
  • X1G44-4453E-QW334-QPLO4
hyphens in numbers
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Dashes between Numbers

Dashes are used between numbers:

(1) To show ranges.
  • 0800–0900 hrs
  • 2014–2020
  • 10–15 minutes
  • 100–120 staff
These are en dashes (the same length as a lowercase "n"). They are shorter than em dashes (the same length as uppercase "M").

Read more about dashes with date ranges.
Read more about dashes in numbers.
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See Also

Spelling out fractions Hyphens between words Using apostrophes Using brackets parentheses Using colons Using commas Using dashes Using hyphens Using quotation marks Using semicolons