Evidently different sized dashes were used in my data set. Using gsub or some other method, is there a way to use a consistent dash? With the different dash types it is difficult to build histograms, tables, barplots and perform other analysis. Thanks again for your help and insights. 1 - Type1 1 – Type1 2 - Type2 2 – Type2 3 - Type3 3 – Type3 4 - Type4 4 – Type4 5 - Type5 5 – Type5 Etc. [[alternative HTML version deleted]]