noun
en
EHN
noun
1
A printing and typography unit of measurement equal to half the width of an em, roughly the width of the letter "n" in a given typeface.
"The designer set half an en of space between the columns."
2
The name of the letter N in the Latin alphabet.
"She spelled it out letter by letter: "en, oh, en.""
How to Use En
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishMostly known today through "en dash" — a punctuation mark roughly the width of the letter N, used to show ranges like "pages 10–20."
Common mistake
Don't confuse an "en dash" (–, medium length) with an "em dash" (—, longer) or a plain hyphen (-, shortest).
Easily confused with
Common pairings
en dash
en space
Word Forms
ens plural, ens plural
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The designer set half an _____ of space between the columns.
Etymology
From the Latin name of the letter; the typographic sense (a unit half the width of an "em") dates to the late 18th century, by analogy with the letter M being wider than N.