Formatting Issues

How to Keep an En Dash and Closing Quote Together in Microsoft Word

John Wilson Oct 21, 2026 868 views

Question details

The user wants to prevent a closing quotation mark from wrapping to a new line immediately after an en dash.

How to Keep an En Dash and Closing Quote Together in Microsoft Word

Product: Microsoft Word
Device & OS: not provided
Scenario: Formatting interrupted dialogue or broken-off speech in a document.
Observed behavior: The closing quotation mark is placed on a separate line after an en dash instead of staying together with the text.

Before you start

Turn on hidden formatting symbols by pressing Ctrl + * in your document to see exactly where spaces and line breaks are occurring before making adjustments.

Solution 1Recommended

Use a Figure Dash or Horizontal Bar

Replace the standard en dash with a figure dash or horizontal bar to keep the dash and quote together without separating.

While a standard en dash may separate from a quotation mark at the end of a line, using a specific Unicode character like the figure dash (U+2012) or horizontal bar (U+2015) can prevent this line break issue while maintaining a similar appearance.

Position cursor

Place your cursor at the end of the interrupted dialogue where the en dash needs to be.

Type the character code

Type 2012 for a figure dash or 2015 for a horizontal bar.

Convert code to symbol

Press Alt + X on your keyboard to instantly convert the typed code into the dash character.

Add quotation mark

Type the closing quotation mark immediately after the new dash. It will now stay on the same line.

Appearance Variation: The horizontal bar is slightly longer than an en dash, but it behaves better with trailing quotation marks in Word's typesetting engine.

Solution 2

Insert a Nonbreaking Space Before the Dash

Force the last word, the dash, and the quote to stay on the same line by using a nonbreaking space.

Seamless Word Processing

Format Dialogue Seamlessly with WPS Writer

WPS Writer handles advanced typography, including non-breaking spaces and special dash characters, making it easy to format interrupted dialogue perfectly without frustrating line breaks.

1. Open your document: Launch WPS Writer and open your existing document containing the dialogue.
2. Locate the dialogue: Position your cursor at the end of the interrupted speech.
3. Insert symbols: Go to the Insert tab and select Symbol to find non-breaking dashes, or use standard shortcut keys.
4. Save the file: Save your perfectly formatted document in the universally accepted DOCX format.

Fully compatible with Microsoft Word DOCX formatsAdvanced typography and character spacing controlsFree to use for everyday document editing and formattingFamiliar interface that requires no learning curve

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Microsoft Word separate the en dash and quotation mark?

Word's default typography engine treats certain dashes as valid line break points. If a dash falls exactly at the right margin, Word may push the following punctuation character to the next line to maintain text wrapping.

What is the shortcut for an en dash in Word?

You can quickly insert an en dash by pressing Ctrl + Minus Sign on the numeric keypad, or by typing 2013 followed by Alt + X.

How do I type a nonbreaking space?

In most word processors, including Microsoft Word and WPS Writer, you can insert a nonbreaking space by pressing Ctrl + Shift + Spacebar.

Does an em dash have the same line break problem?

Em dashes can also experience similar line break issues depending on the surrounding spaces. Using a nonbreaking space or substituting with specific Unicode formatting bars can resolve these issues.

Document & File Issues