Speed Benchmark: The Fastest Ways to Type an Em Dash
Typing speed drops dramatically whenever a writer has to take their hands off the home row, open a browser tab, and search "em dash copy paste". Here is our definitive ranking of em dash typing methods from fastest to slowest.
| Rank & Method | Platform | Keystrokes Required | Speed Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1. Mac Built-in Shortcut | macOS | Option + Shift + Hyphen |
⚡ Fastest (0.2s) |
| #2. Double-Hyphen Auto-Format | Google Docs / MS Word | Type -- between words, press Space |
⚡ Fastest (0.3s) |
| #3. Mobile Long-Press | iOS (iPhone/iPad) & Android | Hold - on touchscreen, slide right |
⚡ Fast (0.6s) |
| #4. Windows Alt Code (with NumPad) | Windows Desktop | Hold Alt, type 0151 on NumPad |
⏱️ Moderate (1.2s) |
| #5. Windows Emoji Picker | Windows 10 / 11 | Win + . → Click Symbols tab → Select — |
🐌 Slow (3.5s) |
| #6. Linux Unicode Hex Input | Linux / ChromeOS | Ctrl + Shift + U, type 2014, press Enter |
🐌 Slow (4.0s) |
Pro Tip for Windows Laptops without a Numeric Keypad
Because modern laptops rarely feature a physical numeric keypad, the traditional Alt + 0151 code is impossible to type. The best solution on Windows is to set up a PowerToys Text Extractor shortcut or configure an AutoHotkey script:
::--::— ; Replaces two hyphens with an em dash automatically in any app
Need to Strip Dashes Instead?
If you're copying text containing excessive em dashes from AI generators or client drafts, use our free Remove Em Dash tool to convert all em and en dashes into clean hyphens in one click.
