En Dashes and Hyphens

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swansong

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Without recasting, could these work in terms of punctuation? Use the en dash between the numbers; then use hyphens in the modifiers. (This is an alternative, of course, to suspended hyphenation.) The examples below, to me, are clean, concise, and readable.

•a $3–$5-million-per-year contract
•$35,000–$45,000-a-year savings
•65–70-year-old men
•$5–$10-a-day surcharge
•55–65-milligram tablets
•a 10–15-mile radius
•20%–30%-per-month savings
•15–20-, 25–30-, and 40–45-foot pieces of wood
•a $20–$30-million-plus deal
•a 5–10-gallon container


I believe that every example above is correct. Do you agree?

Thank you.
 
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emsr2d2

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I find some overly convoluted even if they're technically correct.

For example, "20%-30%-per-month-savings". I would reword that as "a saving per month of 20-30%". I definitely wouldn't repeat the % sign if I were hyphenating the numbers.

This one: 15–20-, 25–30-, and 40–45-foot pieces of wood is certainly incorrect. There is no need for a hyphen after 20 or 30.
 
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