The em dash is not easy to find on your keyboard. Why? Because it was never meant to be used the way we (cough ChatGPT) are using today.
It is a punctuation that is most relevant in hand written content.
And if I remember correctly, it is also a punctuation that I was never actively taught how to use. It was mostly an art of imitation because the literary giants used it.
But why is everyone suddenly so hellbent on using it?
What is its significance and all the hullabaloo about? Come, let’s do a quick History lesson followed by English Grammar revision today.
The History of Em Dash
Although presented to us in a modern context today, the em dash has a surprisingly rich typographic lineage. Anybody who has picked up a few books by popular literary figures would be familiar with this punctuation.
What is an Em Dash?
An em dash is a dash the width of the letter ‘M’, making it distinctively longer than a hyphen or an en dash, which is the width of the letter ‘N’.
The em dash was standardized in the 15th century with the rise of wood- and metal-set typography. It was defined as a horizontal stroke which was the width of a capital ‘M’.
Printers used it to save space and link clauses more tightly. Over time, it took on multiple roles and often acted as a substitute for commas, colons, parentheses, and even quotation marks.
Literature and Em Dash
In early literature, namely 17th-century works, including Shakespeare’s plays, used various types of dashes.
These were often long horizontal lines or clusters of hyphens. They marked interruptions in speech, pauses, or moments of hesitation.
By the 18th and 19th centuries:
- The em dash became more common in English writing.
- Authors began using it to break away from rigid grammatical rules.
It offered a way to introduce sudden turns of thought or insert brief asides
In stream of consciousness writing:
- The em dash helped reflect the disordered and flowing nature of thought.
- It allowed writers to move quickly between ideas, emotions, and images.
Unlike parentheses or commas, the em dash doesn’t impose a strong pause or rigid structure. The structure became loose, echoing how the human mind moves in real time.
Virginia Woolf, a pioneer of stream of consciousness technique, amongst other modernist writers, used em dashes extensively to reflect the inner landscape of her characters.
Here is a very good read if you want to learn about stream of consciousness.
The Decline of Em Dash
The decline began with the invention of the typewriter in the 1860s.
Christopher Latham Sholes, creator of the QWERTY keyboard, omitted dedicated keys for the em dash, offering only the hyphen.
Initially typists substituted two hyphens instead, but the results looked bad and em dash faded away.
Style guides and writing instruction often avoided teaching the em dash, favoring more traditional marks like commas, colons, and semicolons. It was seen as informal, a placeholder for those unwilling to choose a precise structure.
The bias ran deeper.
Though stream of consciousness writing was also used by male modernists, the fluid, nonlinear, emotional form was often viewed as feminine.
In literary and academic circles shaped by gendered assumptions, this too worked against the em dash.
To learn more, read Thao Thai’s – A Brief History of the Em Dash
How to Use the Em Dash
The em dash is a flexible punctuation mark that adds rhythm, emphasis, or interruption to a sentence.
It can take the place of commas, parentheses, or colons, depending on the tone you want to create.
1. To Add Extra (Parenthetical) Information
The em dash is used to insert additional details that interrupt the main sentence. Unlike commas or parentheses, it adds emphasis and draws attention to the inserted thought.
Why not use commas or parentheses? Commas may not provide enough separation. Parentheses feel more detached and formal. Em dashes sit in the middle — visible, but still part of the flow.
Examples:
- Her answer — calm and measured — changed the tone of the room.
- Her answer, calm and measured, changed the tone of the room. (Less emphasis, blends in more.)
- The path — covered in wildflowers — led straight to the river.
- The path (covered in wildflowers) led straight to the river. (Feels like a quiet aside, not part of the rhythm.)
2. To Introduce or Emphasize the End of a Sentence
Use an em dash to set up a dramatic or emotional conclusion. It works like a colon, but the pause is more dramatic.
Why not use a colon? Colons feel formal and direct. Em dashes create more narrative pause or emotional tension.
Examples:
- She knew what she needed — time.
- She knew what she needed: time. (More mechanical, less reflective.)
- He carried one thing — regret.
- He carried one thing: regret. (Colons are correct, but not as subtle.)
3. To Show a Break or Interruption in Thought
This is common in dialogue and reflective writing. The em dash mimics real speech patterns — when someone pauses, rethinks, or gets interrupted.
Why not use a period or ellipsis? A period ends the thought. An ellipsis suggests trailing off. The em dash signals an interruption or shift mid-thought.
Examples:
- I was going to tell you — but I changed my mind.
- I was going to tell you. But I changed my mind. (Feels final, loses hesitation.)
- “Don’t go — not yet,” she said.
- “Don’t go… not yet,” she said. (Softer, less urgent.)
4. To Break Up Descriptive Elements in Complex Sentences
When the descriptive phrase already has commas, the em dash keeps the sentence clean and readable. It prevents confusion.
Why not use commas? Too many commas can make the sentence hard to follow. The em dash signals a clear boundary.
Examples:
- Their team — design, content, and product — presented the pitch.
- Their team, design, content, and product, presented the pitch. (Harder to comprehend on first read.)
- Her collection — poetry, essays, and letters — filled two shelves.
- Her collection, poetry, essays, and letters, filled two shelves. (Looks cluttered.)
Why is ChatGPT Obsessed with the Em Dash?
ChatGPT and other language models use em dashes far more liberally than most human writers.
This pattern has become so prominent that some people refer to the em dash as the “ChatGPT hyphen”. This is also one of the most highlighted giveaways of a content being AI written vs Human written.
Whether it is true or not, is something that continues to be debated and is a point of discussion for later.
Why does it use it so much then?
> The em dash can do the job of a comma, colon, or parentheses. So when a sentence gets complex, ChatGPT often picks it as the easiest option to keep things flowing.
> The model is trained on books, articles, and essays where the em dash shows up often and is used well. Naturally, it picks up that habit and repeats it more than most people do.
> Most of us skip the em dash because typing it takes effort. ChatGPT doesn’t deal with keyboards or shortcuts, so it uses it freely wherever it fits.
> The em dash can make writing feel more polished or dramatic. Since the model often leans toward formal or refined language, it ends up using the em dash even when something simpler might work.
I have another hypothesis.
AI is not human, but it wants to write like one. Em dashes are very human, its usage makes any written content seem like it is fresh out of the human thinking process.
To avoid getting it sprinkled across all your content, you can simply ask the language model to not use it at all. (Might take a few iterations :D)
Also, I came across The Am Dash, if the literary bug has bitten you, do go through this.
Quick Grammar Class: What’s the difference between an em dash, en dash, and hyphen?
Here is a quick refresher of the differences:
At the End
Just because everyone is using it or defending it doesn’t mean it fits your style. Yes, correct grammar is non-negotiable. But who hasn’t taken a few liberties with it?
Having said that, the em dash is not the garam masala of your content. DO NOT use it generously unless it is a creative piece where you CAN take liberties with it. Exercise caution. Exercise control.
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