Em Dash Remover
Use the CaseSwitch Em Dash Remover to replace typographic em dashes (—) and en dashes (–) with a character you choose — usually a hyphen or a spaced hyphen. Paste Word or Docs copy, set the replacement, and copy the ASCII-friendly result. Processing stays in this browser.
Written by the CaseSwitch editorial team. We maintain these tools in the browser so drafts, keys, and images stay on your device.
Last reviewed: 23 July 2026
Processed locally in your browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Paste or type text to convert. Output stays empty until there is input.
Character count: 0 · Word count: 0 · Line count: 0
Examples
Default replacement hyphen
Input
Wait—what – happened
Output
Wait-what - happened
Replacement " "
Input
Wait—what
Output
Wait what
Replacement "" (empty — words glue)
Input
Wait—what
Output
Waitwhat
Replacement " - "
Input
Wait—what
Output
Wait - what
ASCII hyphens unchanged
Input
already-hyphenated — aside
Output
already-hyphenated - aside
How to use
- Paste the text that contains em or en dashes.
- Leave Replacement as `-`, or set a space, ` - `, or another stand-in your style allows.
- Copy the normalized result into the CMS, email, or file.
What this tool is for
CMS fields, plain-text emails, CSV cells, and some terminals still choke on long dashes copied from Word, Google Docs, or AI drafts. This tool swaps every U+2014 em dash and U+2013 en dash for your replacement string (default a single ASCII hyphen). Other punctuation is left alone. It is a dash normalizer, not a general character-class deleter.
How it works
A single replace pass targets the character class `[\u2014\u2013]`. Each match becomes the Replacement option string (default `-`). You can use a space, ` - `, a comma, or an empty string. ASCII hyphens already in the text are not touched. Minus signs (U+2212) are not in the class — only the two typographic dashes.
When to use it
Preparing copy for systems that only allow ASCII, matching a house style that prefers spaced hyphens, cleaning AI or Word output before a terminal or CSV, and normalizing a manuscript before a plain-text diff.
When not to use it
Do not strip en dashes from numeric ranges if your style guide wants them (pages 12–14). Do not flatten em dashes in a novel you are typesetting for print if the publisher requires them. Prefer the Character Remover when you need to delete many punctuation classes at once.
How it compares to related tools
The Character Remover can delete dashes entirely as part of a broader class. The Whitespace Remover does not touch dashes. The Plain Text Converter strips markdown markers, not necessarily these Unicode dashes. Find and Replace can target one dash type with a custom string if you need a one-off pattern.
Common mistakes
Replacing dashes with nothing and gluing words together (“Waitwhat”). Using an empty replacement when you meant a space. Assuming three ASCII hyphens (`---`) are em dashes — they are not, and this tool will not change them. Expecting minus signs to be rewritten.
Em dash versus en dash versus hyphen
An em dash (—) often marks a break in sentence rhythm. An en dash (–) often marks ranges. A hyphen (-) is the ASCII workhorse for compounds. This page converts the first two into whatever you type in Replacement. If your paste still shows a long dash after conversion, it may be a different code point — inspect with a Unicode inspector or delete it via the Character Remover.
Empty replacement and CSV safety
An empty replacement deletes the dash character entirely. That is useful only when the dash was decorative and the words should touch, or when you will re-space by hand. For CSV and plain-text email, a hyphen or spaced hyphen is usually safer so cells and clients do not glue tokens. Empty input produces empty output.
Frequently asked questions
What should I replace an em dash with?+
A hyphen (`-`) is the default. A spaced hyphen (` - `) is a common plain-text stand-in. A comma works in some sentences. Empty replacement only deletes the mark.
Does this change ASCII hyphens?+
No. Only Unicode em and en dashes are replaced. Existing `-` characters stay.
Is an en dash the same as a minus sign?+
No. A minus sign is a different character (U+2212). This tool targets typographic en and em dashes only.
Will three hyphens become an em dash?+
No. This tool does not invent dashes. It only replaces — and – that are already present.
Can I delete dashes instead of replacing them?+
Set Replacement to an empty string, or use the Character Remover if you are deleting many character classes together.
Is my text uploaded?+
No. Replacement runs in this browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
Does CaseSwitch upload this text?+
No. Conversion, cleaning, and counting for this page run in your browser. Drafts are not sent to CaseSwitch for processing.
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