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.
En dash. The en dash (â) is slightly wider than the hyphen (-) but narrower than the em dash (â). The typical computer keyboard lacks a dedicated key for the en dash, though most word processors provide a means for its insertion. The en dash is used to represent a span or range of numbers, dates, or time.