Back when I was the Director of Communications for a national nonprofit, my colleagues would often call me the em Dash Queen.
Not only did I love that little piece of punctuation, but I’d get on everyone about the proper usage for it.
It’s a great bit of grammar that works perfectly in speeches and scripts, and for casual writing. It’s versatile and serves a specific purpose in writing—one that needs protecting.
But now that awesome dash is being sullied by AI. It plunks it down everywhere, even when it’s not warranted. Often, it uses it incorrectly or as an excuse to include redundant information…and it drives me nuts.
I know things change. Language gains new words while old words morph into pale comparisons of their former selves and lose what made them special (do not even get me started on how the word “reticent” went from meaning “a reluctance to speak” to a fancy synonym for “reluctant”—which we already had!).
Now the em dash hovers on the brink of being cancelled.
AI seems determined to drive it from human communication and I, for one, am not ready for that to happen.
The em dash still has its purpose. It remains a powerful tool for writers. So I’m ready to fight back.
I’ll start by sharing how the -em dash should be used, and then by detailing how and why AI gets it wrong.
The Mighty -Em Dash
The em dash (—) functions like a comma, colon, semicolon, or parenthesis. (See, it’s versatile!)
It sets off an idea for emphasis. The dash appears before a clause that explains or expands on what preceded it in the sentence.
You can only use one em dash per sentence, as it splits the sentence in half. (This is controversial. There are those who insist it can be used in pairs, but that should be reserved for the en dash—see below.)
It is the length of a capital M and takes up visual space on the page. Depending on which style guide you use, it is typically used without spaces around it.
The Ways It Can Be Used
The em dash can be used in several ways:
She placed the delicate cake in the oven knowing it would turn out beautifully—too bad she’d promised it to that grumpy neighbor of hers.
”I don’t want a cookie—no, wait. I do!”
The fire raged out of control—the heat climbed with the flames.
The bakery was skilled in pastries—croissants, profiteroles, cannolis.
They offered cookies of all types—snickerdoodles, chocolate chips, peanut butter, oatmeal raisin.
”Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar.”—E.B. White
The Rhythm of Em Dashes
But the main reason em dashes work so well is because they create a pause that plays into the rhythm of the sentence. It’s a longer pause than a comma, but a shorter one that the full stop of a period.
This longer pause allows the rhythm of the sentence to come to life. This matters in speeches and scripts where you need to establish a cadence and rhythm to the sentences to pull in the audience.
The em dash is musical in nature, which is why you see a lot of them in poetry.
There’s a certain quality you can get with them you can’t from any other form of punctuation, whether that’s on paper, screen, or for the ear.
Em dashes have rhythm, both visually and aurally.
When an Em Dash Isn’t Right
An em dash should not be used to repeat information without enhancing it.
AI often uses it like this. It slips in an em dash as a way to repeat what it has already said without adding anything important. That is not how it should be used.
The em dash allows you to expand on an idea or change direction in dialogue. It is not an excuse to be redundant.
There’s also a misunderstanding about em dashes that they can be used to replace parenthetical phrases. They should not. That is the purview of the en dash. (Before my grammar police buddies get upset, please see the note below.)
The En Dash
The en dash (–) is a cousin to the em dash. It is longer than a hyphen, but shorter than an em dash. It takes up the space of a lower case n and can be used in place of parenthesis.
For example:
When you use an en dash (option + the hyphen key on a Mac) it sets information apart that could otherwise be used in parenthesis.
vs.
When you use an en dash – option + the hyphen key on a Mac – it sets information apart that could otherwise be used in parenthesis.
Other Uses
En dashes also are used in ranges of dates or numbers:
Pages 57–79
1976–1987
Between two related items to show a connection (replacing the word to:
The boat runs from Seattle–Whidbey Island.
The em dash–en dash debate
Or in compound adjectives where the one of the elements is itself a compound:
Post–World War II
Pre–Colonial Era
In these examples, the en dash should appear without spaces around it.
But when using two en dashes in place of a parenthetical phrase, they should appear with spaces around them for easier reading. (Again, see note below.)
The bank resumed normal hours of operation – 8am to 5pm – after the robbery.
The Wrap Up
Normally, I do not write grammar blogs. Inevitably, when I try they are rife with grammatical errors—as if the universe is mocking me for my hubris. But mostly because my focus is on story and neuroscience.
But with AI trying to sully the lovely em dash, I had to speak up.
I’m going to keep using them. I have for decades and I am not going to stop because some robot appears obsessed with them (even if it can’t figure out how to use them properly).
As a writer, I believe in using all the tools at my disposal—dashes, parenthesis, ellipses (yes, those too), and all the lovely words in our English language.
In my next blog, I will tackle the other things AI is doing to our beleaguered language and why it doesn’t work.
Disclaimer: For the record, I do not hate AI. I use it. It’s great for research (Perplexity and NotebookLM are my favs). It’s wonderful at summarizing things I’ve written to use in other applications. I also love my custom GPTs from Kate at HelloFunnels. They help me strategize, outline funnels, and all sorts of other things. But for writing? Not so much. That’s best left to humans, I think. Anything creative needs that human touch. Programming isn’t enough to bridge that gap.
Note:
My use of en dashes as parenthetical replacements is controversial and somewhat old school. Many use the em dash instead for this capacity because it’s easier to type them (double hyphen on the keyboard rather than option+hyphen for the en dash).
The problem with using em dashes in this instance lies in how they are read. The longer em dash indicates a longer pause, which isn’t warranted with a parenthetical phrase or aside, particularly in a script or speech. It sends the wrong cue to the narrator when recording. That’s why I use en dashes when needed.
The en dash keeps the pause to the proper length of time. It’s also easier on the eye within the confines of the sentence.
I find using em dashes looks clunky when there are more than one used per sentence. It is far easier to read when you use a pair of en dashes with spaces around them—and readability is paramount.
If you choose to use em dashes in pairs, omit the spaces around them. And, as always, pick one style and remain consistent throughout all your writing.