Template:Spaced en dash/doc

This is the spaced ndash template; it looks like this " – ".

It works similarly to the HTML markup sequence " ". That is, a non-breaking space, a short dash (known as an en dash) and a normal space.

This template may be used in lists when you want something stronger than a bold middot "&middot;" or a bullet "&bull;", but shorter than an em dash "&mdash;". (An en dash is half the width of an em dash.). For horizontal lists, use flatlist or  instead (see WP:HLIST).

This template may also be used:
 * as an alternative to the em dash, provided that each article is consistent in using either unspaced em dashes or spaced en dashes (see WP:EMDASH)
 * in ranges where at least one end point contains a space, for example, 15 July – 7 August, but not 18 –  20 September or 2007 –  2008 as the latter two examples require an unspaced en dash (see WP:ENDASH).

Normal usage
The recommended usage is to use no space before the template and one space after the template, like this: Salt – Pepper

It will render one space on each side of the dash, like this:
 * Salt – Pepper

A line break will come after one of the dashes, not before, when the spacing is used as suggested, like this:
 * Salt – Pepper –
 * Curry – Saffron

Incorrect usage
If the template is used slightly wrong it will in some cases still behave well. For instance if there are no or several spaces after the template. Like these examples:

Salt – Pepper Salt –   Pepper

Both of them will render exactly as before, with just one space on each side of the dash, like this:
 * Salt – Pepper

And it will still only line break after a dash, like this:
 * Salt –
 * Pepper

But putting one or more spaces before the template will cause problems, like these examples: Salt – Pepper Salt   – Pepper Salt –  Pepper Salt   –    Pepper

Then it will render with two spaces before the dash, and one after, like this:
 * Salt – Pepper

And if it line breaks it might break before the dash, like this:
 * Salt
 * – Pepper

Also, this template should not routinely be used in regular article text and certainly not where an em dash would be more appropriate. As a rule, this template should not be used between clauses of a sentence.

Because Wikipedia suppresses the contents of templates in tool tip preview when the user hovers the pointer over a Wikilink, one should avoid using the Spaced ndash and Ndash templates in an article's lead section. Using the template will cause a confusing blank space to appear in the tool tip preview instead of the expected en dash character. Instead, use  or , and be sure to add the trailing space.

Technical details
The space before the dash is a non-breaking space. That means it will not line break and will not collapse together with normal spaces that come before the template.

The space after the dash is a normal space. That means it wraps (allows line breaks) and it will collapse together with normal spaces that come after the template to form one single space.