How to Make Hyphens on a Mac

A hyphen key can be found on any standard computer keyboard.

A hyphen is used to hyphenate words, linking them together to express one idea as in a compound modifier. It can also be used to split a word between two lines of text when you run out of space at the margin. A hyphen is shorter than an en dash or em dash, which are used for showing range and a pause, respectively. A hyphen key can be found on any keyboard.

Instructions

1. Click in the text document or field to move the cursor to where you would like to insert a hyphen.

2. Locate the hyphen key on your Mac keyboard by looking for the key directly to the right of the row of number keys at the top of the keyboard. The hyphen key is marked with a hyphen "-" symbol.

3. Press this key to insert the hyphen into your text field.

References

• University of Sussex: Punctuation -- The Hyphen
• Internet4Classrooms: Getting the Most Out of Your Macintosh Keyboard
• Apple: Apple Wireless Keyboard