Word inconsistent changing double hyphen to dash unless hit enter?

[Dana Not Scully]

I am trying to figure out how to solve a problem in Word 2000. I frequently
use dashes instead of double hyphens but Word seems to be inconsistent about
changing them as I type even though I have selected the "AutoFormat As You
Type" option to replace hyphens with dashes.

Is there a solution for this other than the obvious one of upgrading?

 

[debra]

Exuse me if I'm stating the obvious, but you have to
choose the same check box in "autoformat" tab.

 

[Allan S. Warrior]

Word can be rather picky about the sequence for autocorrecting those. If I
type "end--except " the correction to an "em-dash" will be made once I type
the space after "except." If I type "end-except" and then go back and add
the additional hyphen, it will not autocorrect. Same if I'm trying for an
"en-dash", it must be "end - except " (space-hyphen-space word
space-or-punctuate). There are a couple of other ways you can inadvertently
circumvent the AutoCorrect, not the least of which is importing text that did
not use them. Autoformat as You Type options only work "as you type." And
often only "as you type cleanly and without making mistakes."

An alternative is to use Replace to look for and replace any you may have
missed.

Good luck!