Punctuation

Q. Regarding em dashes, does CMOS continue to unequivocally oppose putting spaces before and after em dashes in typography? The font style on this website leaves at least a tiny space surrounding the em dash. Would it be CMOS heresy for me to stretch that space?

A. “Heresy” is a bit strong. Even our own publications sometimes play with spacing for display purposes, and some typefaces impose more space than others. In this matter, as in most style matters, if Chicago’s preferences don’t suit your purposes, work around them. We won’t be offended.