Horizontal Bar

A symbol from the Punctuation collection. Click the symbol or the button below to copy.

Symbol: ―
Unicode: U+2015
HTML entity: ―
Category: Punctuation

Export

Download Horizontal Bar as a vector SVG or a raster PNG.

PNG size

SVG uses the system font stack — open in any vector editor and convert to outlines if needed. PNGs have a transparent background.

7 of 45 in the punctuation collection

About the horizontal bar symbol

Commonly known as the horizontal bar or quotation dash, this punctuation mark consists of a long, straight line that spans the width of its character square. It is categorized as a dash within the common script and is distinct from shorter connectors like the hyphen or en dash. In typography, it is typically read as a pause or a signal for a change in speaker rather than being spoken as a specific word.

Usage of this character is most frequent in literature and formal typography to introduce lines of spoken dialogue, a practice common in several European languages. It also appears in bibliography entries to indicate that an author is the same as in the preceding entry. In digital layouts, it sometimes functions as a decorative separator or a long strikeout mark within social posts and creative writing projects.

How to type Horizontal Bar

Native keyboard shortcuts for each operating system — derived from the codepoint, so the steps below are always accurate.

Windows

2 options

In Word / Outlook: type 2015 then press Alt + X.
Anywhere: press Win + . to open the emoji & symbol picker, then search.

macOS

2 options

Enable “Unicode Hex Input” in System Settings → Keyboard, then hold Option and type 2015.
Or: Control + Command + Space opens the Character Viewer — search by name.