# \enspace

Used to insert a half-em horizontal space in math expressions when manual spacing is desired.

https://texform.dev/latex/commands/enspace

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Topic | [Spacing](https://texform.dev/latex/topics/spacing) |
| Packages | base, textmacros |
| Allowed mode | math, text |
| Tags | spacing |
| Commonality | low |
| Kind | prefix |

## Syntax

### base

Argument specification: ``

Used to insert a half-em horizontal space in math expressions when manual spacing is desired.

### textmacros

Argument specification: ``

Insert a fixed half-em horizontal space in text, especially between short text fragments inside math via \text{...}.

## Examples

```latex
a \enspace b
```

[Open in Playground](https://play.texform.dev/?input=a+%5Censpace+b)

```latex
\text{a\enspace b}
```

[Open in Playground](https://play.texform.dev/?input=%5Ctext%7Ba%5Censpace+b%7D)

## Package variants

| Package | Argument specification | Allowed mode | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| base |  | math | Used to insert a half-em horizontal space in math expressions when manual spacing is desired. |
| textmacros |  | text | Insert a fixed half-em horizontal space in text, especially between short text fragments inside math via \text{...}. |

## Renderer support

| Package | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| base | full | full | full |
| textmacros | full | full | full |

## Usage frequency

0.10% of formulas in the measured corpus contain this entry, rank 110 of 263 entries with frequency data.

## In TeXForm

TeXForm parses this entry as prefix syntax; the package determines its argument specification.

### [base/double-enspace-to-quad](https://texform.dev/rules/base/double-enspace-to-quad)

Rewrite two adjacent enspaces to one exact-width quad.

Level: authoring. Fidelity: render.

```latex
\enspace\enspace
```

→

```latex
\quad
```

```latex
A\enspace\enspace B
```

→

```latex
A\quad B
```

### [base/enspace-drop](https://texform.dev/rules/base/enspace-drop)

Drop enspace in math mode and collapse each text-mode enspace run to one ordinary space.

Level: equiv. Fidelity: reading.

```latex
\enspace
```

→

```latex

```

```latex
A\enspace B
```

→

```latex
AB
```

## Equivalent forms

```latex
\hspace{0.5em}
```

exact. 

```latex
\hspace{0.5em}
```

exact. 

## See also

- [\\,](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/-2c-)
- [\\;](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/-3b-)
- [\\:](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/-3a-)
- [\\!](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/-21-)
- [\\>](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/-3e-)
- [\\negmedspace](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/negmedspace)
- [\\negthickspace](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/negthickspace)
- [\\negthinspace](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/negthinspace)
- [\\qquad](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/qquad)
- [\\quad](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/quad)
- [\\thinspace](https://texform.dev/latex/commands/thinspace)

## Test cases

### base

| Input | Case | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| \enspace | Positive: baseline | Pass | Pass | Pass |

### textmacros

| Input | Case | MathJax | KaTeX | XeTeX |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| \enspace | Positive: baseline | Pass | Pass | Pass |