Can Email Addresses Have Hyphens, Minus Signs, and Dashes?

Sometimes, even a small thing, like a dash in your email, can make a huge difference. If you’re looking for answers regarding using a minus, hyphen, or dash in your email, this guide is for you. In it, we’ll cover the topic from every angle possible, helping create correct and accurate email addresses.

Let’s dive in.

Can an Email Address Have a Dash?

The short answer is, yes you can use a dash in your email addresses.

Let’s say you want to create an email address for your company “Example Company”. You can create an email with a dash within “Example” and “Company”, i.e.,

[email protected].

But, there are some exceptions that you should know of. For instance, not all email service providers accept the usage of a dash in emails. Gmail allows it, but other services may not. This is because special characters in email addresses can cause compatibility issues. Some ESPs don’t allow special characters just to minimize the risk of an error. That’s why it’s crucial to check with your service provider before creating an email address.

When Can an Email Address Have a Dash?

Let’s talk about some instances where you can use a dash or hyphen in your email addresses.

In the Middle of the Username

As mentioned before, you’re able to use a dash to separate words or phrases of your username. For instance, [email protected] is fine. However, what if you wanted to use three words in your username to add more context to it? In that case, you can use two dashes without a problem. For instance, [email protected] is fine too.

In the Middle of the Domain

You can also add a hyphen/dash/minus sign in the middle of your domain name. To do that, you’ll have to purchase the exact domain name beforehand. For instance, to create an email address “[email protected]”, you’ll have to purchase “x-yz.com”.

When Can an Email Address Not Have a Dash?

Let’s talk about the situations where you can’t (or, shouldn’t) use a dash in an email address.

As the First Letter (Domain and Username)

Most email service providers won’t let you add a dash at the start of your:

1. Username

2. Domain part

Examples:

• [email protected]

• [email protected]

Using dashes at the start will mostly render your email address invalid.

As the Last Letter (Domain and Username)

Similarly, you can’t add a dash or hyphen after the username and domain part. Here's what your email addresses shouldn’t look like:

• [email protected]

• [email protected]

In conclusion, avoid adding a dash:

1. Before and after the username

2. Before and after the domain part

About Email Syntax

Creating an email address, especially with a service like Gmail, is super easy and intuitive. You can then sign up for multiple services and platforms using a single email. However, email marketers should create professional email addresses to stand out. Plus, they need to understand the syntax of a typical email address.

This is to make sure you stay in the good books of all email spam filters. Otherwise, your emails may be getting into the junk or spam folder of your audience.

A typical email address consists of two parts:

1. The username

2. The domain part

Generally, the username of an email address can have words, letters, and dashes. The dashes, as discussed earlier, shouldn’t be at the start or the end. The domain part of an email address starts after the “@” symbol. This part depends on your domain name or the email service provider. You can generally add different characters like a hyphen/dash. The important thing is to be careful about the placement of these characters.

Check The Validity of Your Address

Once you’ve created your new email address, be sure to check if it’s correct. An effective way to do that is by sending an email to yourself. See if it lands in your inbox. If you receive a return message or any other error, you’ll have to create a different one.

How to Create Valid Email Addresses (Best Practices)

Keep it Simple

Try to keep your email address as simple as possible. Use letters, numbers, and dashes wherever appropriate within the username part of the email address. Creating a simple email address helps you avoid email spam filters. Plus, difficult email addresses are difficult to communicate and remember.

Make it Clear

Communicate the fact that your email address has a dash in it while giving it out to anyone. This will prevent returning errors and make sure the email gets to your primary inbox.

Keep it Readable

Unless it’s necessary, avoid using special characters in your email address. You want to make sure your email address is easy to read, remember, and type.

Check Knowledgebase

Most of the time, email service providers have a dedicated knowledge base or a frequently asked questions section. If you’re facing any issues with using dashes in your email, explore the knowledgebase for answers or potential solutions.

In addition to that, you can always reach out to the customer service of the ESP you’re using.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let’s address the most frequently asked questions about using hyphens, minus signs, and dashes in email addresses.

Wrapping Up

So, can email addresses have hyphens, minus signs, and dashes in them? The short answer is yes, they can. The important thing is to make sure you’re not placing them in the wrong places, i.e., before and after the username part; before and after the domain part.

• Save

Before sending any email marketing campaign, you need to know if the addresses on your list are valid.  If you have an email list and you want to validate it, there’s nothing better than DeBounce.  All you need to do is create a free account and upload your email addresses in bulk. DeBounce will take care of the rest.