guion
/ˈɡjon/
The Spanish phrase for "dash symbol" is guion.
guion refers to a horizontal line used in writing as a punctuation mark or to separate parts of a word.
Which one should you use?
While guion is the general term, you can be more specific by length. guion largo refers specifically to the em dash, whereas guion corto refers to the shorter hyphen used to join words or separate syllables.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of guion is guiones.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɡjon/
Did you know?
- In many Spanish-speaking regions, a guion can also refer to a 'script' for a play or a movie, moving far beyond simple punctuation.
- The Spanish Royal Academy decided that guion is a monosyllable, which is why the accent mark previously used in guión was officially removed.
- While guion is the general term for a dash, Spanish writers use the specific term raya for the em dash used to denote speaker changes in dialogue.
Examples in context
- Escribe un guion entre las dos palabras.Write a dash between the two words.
- ¿Necesito poner un guion en esta frase?Do I need to put a dash in this sentence?
- El guion separa las partes de la palabra.The dash separates the parts of the word.
Example conversation
Elena and Mateo are working on a digital document together.
- ElenaMateo, ¿dónde pongo este guion?Mateo, where do I put this dash?
- MateoPon el guion justo antes de la fecha.Put the dash right before the date.
- ElenaEntendido, ya lo he puesto.Understood, I have already put it.
- MateoPerfecto, ahora el texto se ve bien.Perfect, now the text looks good.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry guion, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
