Never use hyphens when you want to list things. Use a colon.
These examples are wrong:
- We are a family of three- my husband, me, and our lovely cat.
- Here’s my son’s Christmas list-a new bike, a jigsaw puzzle and a football.
These examples are correct:
- We are a family of three: my husband, me, and our lovely cat.
- Here’s my son’s Christmas list: a new bike, a jigsaw puzzle and a football.
