Let me clear up a common misconception. When most people say writing in code, what they really mean is writing using a cipher. A code is when a symbol, word, or phrase is used to stand for a different word, phrase, or sentence. A cipher is were each letter in a word is represented with a different letter or symbol.
The dash is a punctuation mark that is similar to a hyphen or minus sign, but differs from both of these symbols primarily in length and function.
The Em-dash and En-dash are on the âSpecial Charactersâ menu (Insert | Symbol | More Symbols â¦) along with many other characters. Hereâs a table showing some of the many hyphen/dash symbols available. The commonly used ones with Word shortcuts are first, followed by others in the Unicode set for interest/comparison.