Yes, there is a real difference between a hyphen vs. dash. And here's how these tiny marks can make a big difference in your writing.

As its name suggests, an em dash (—) is roughly the length of the letter M, while an en dash (–) more closely matches an N. A hyphen (-) is shorter still.

The use of hyphens is a vexatious matter even for experienced writers, so perhaps I can clarify some points. The first one: Stop calling it a dash, dammit. This is a hyphen: – This is a […] ...

the dash [which i write as space, hyphen-hyphen, space ], is a SEPARATOR. normally it is used pretty much to separate off a phrase -- sometimes in pairs, sorta substituting for parentheses.

Keyboard shortcuts: How to make a dash To make a dash on the keyboard, you use the key to the right of the zero, like you do for a hyphen, but it’s a little more complicated. Option-shift-hyphen ...

Unlike periods and commas, em dashes aren’t integral to sentence structure; they’re a considered choice that can, but by no means have to, take the place of commas, parentheses and semicolons.