Hyphen Symbol
The ‐ symbol is a hyphen character (Unicode U+2010) often used for clean text punctuation.
U+2010
The ‐ character is Unicode’s HYPHEN (U+2010). It looks like a hyphen but is encoded as its own punctuation mark. Use it when you want a specific Unicode hyphen type for typography or text consistency.
Hyphen Symbol Meaning
The ‐ symbol is the Unicode character named “HYPHEN” with codepoint U+2010. Visually it resembles a standard hyphen, but it is distinct from other dash-like characters (such as the hyphen-minus, en dash, or em dash). In practice, it’s used as a punctuation hyphen in text where consistent Unicode character choice matters, including typographic styling and content that should not be confused with other dash characters. When copying and pasting, using the exact character helps avoid rendering differences across fonts and tools. It’s also useful in developer contexts where you need a specific codepoint (U+2010) rather than relying on a generic hyphen.
Common uses
- •Typography and proofreading: use a specific Unicode hyphen character for consistent punctuation
- •Document and form text: separate compound terms without implying a longer dash
- •Programming content: ensure a particular hyphen codepoint is preserved in stored text
- •Web publishing: match typographic conventions by using the intended Unicode punctuation
- •Search/ID formatting: copy a consistent hyphen character into labels and identifiers
Examples
‐ Hyphen (U+2010) symbol
- ‐state‐by‐state reporting
- ‐Part‐1 is listed first
- ‐Version‐2 update notes
- ‐pre‐release information
- ‐Item‐A is archived
Ready to copy
Technical codes
| Unicode | U+2010 | |
| HTML Entity | ‐ | |
| HTML Code | ‐ | |
| CSS | \2010 | |
| Alt Code | Alt + 8208 | |
| Decimal | 8208 |
How to type Hyphen Symbol (‐)
On Windows
Hold Alt and type 8208 on the numeric keypad. In Word, type 2010 then press Alt + X.
On Mac
Switch to the Unicode Hex Input keyboard, then hold Option and type 2010. Or press Control + Command + Space and search.
On Linux
Press Control + Shift + U, type 2010, then press Enter or Space.
Anywhere
Copy ‐ with the button above and paste it wherever you need it — this works on every device and in every app, with no keyboard shortcut to remember.
FAQ
What does the Hyphen symbol mean?
The ‐ symbol is the Unicode character named “HYPHEN” with codepoint U+2010. Visually it resembles a standard hyphen, but it is distinct from other dash-like characters (such as the hyphen-minus, en dash, or em dash). In practice, it’s used as a punctuation hyphen in text where consistent Unicode character choice matters, including typographic styling and content that should not be confused with other dash characters. When copying and pasting, using the exact character helps avoid rendering differences across fonts and tools. It’s also useful in developer contexts where you need a specific codepoint (U+2010) rather than relying on a generic hyphen.