My Longtime Love Affair with a Misunderstood Punctuation Mark
In writing recently, I’ve caught myself replacing my beloved em dash with other punctuation—most notably the semicolon. While the semicolon is a great mark, it’s not the same.
Why Replace the Em Dash?
AI engines are huge users of this punctuation mark and “everyone” is saying that the use of the em dash signals that the piece is written by AI and not a person. Excusez-moi?!? I’ve been heavily using the em dash for fourteen plus years now—long before AI came on the scene. And now I’m supposed to give it up because it’s suddenly “suspicious”?
Absolutely not! I’m hereby taking back and owning my em dash usage—starting with humor, clarity, and just a little bit of grammar therapy.
Don’t get me started on the use of the word “just”. Although maybe that should be a different blog post—one featuring my friends ellipses, brackets, and more…
Why I Fell In Love With the Em Dash
Some people fall in love with sunsets, coffee, flowers, or pets. While I admit to fondness for those as well, my writers love is for a punctuation mark that is trying to make a dramatic entrance.
The em dash is:
- Bold
- Flexible
- A little chaotic
- And perfect… for those who think in layers, side comments, and dramatic pauses.
It’s the punctuation equivalent of someone who walks into a room and says, “Okay, listen—I’ve got something to say.”
Why It Isn’t an AI Tell
Let’s clear this up. AI didn’t invent the em dash. Emily Dickinson practically built her career using it. Modern journalists use it constantly. Email writers rely on it to soften the blow of “per my last message.” (Please tell me it’s not just me doing that in email!!)
If anything, AI is late to the party—and now it’s trying to take credit for bringing the snacks.
The reason people think all writing using the em dash comes from AI now is because:
- They’re easy to overuse.
- They’re dramatic.
- They show up in AI-generated text because they’re a shortcut for rhythm.
- So many people never used them before and now we are seeing them everywhere.
But people have been using them for centuries. Like in the late 1980s and 1990s for me with the Harbrace College Handbook; the standard freshman‑composition grammar/style guide I had to purchase when entering college. For those doing the math, yes, I’ve been using this for more than 14 years; however my heavy usage began later than college.
It appeared in the chapter ‘The Period and Other Marks,’ described as a mark that creates a sudden interruption or sharp shift in a sentence—stronger than a comma and more dramatic than parentheses.
How to Use the Em Dash Without Fear (or Shame)
| Usage | Details Example |
| Use it for emphasis | Sometimes a comma is too weak and a period is too final. Ex. I opened the door—and instantly regretted it. |
| Use it to insert a thought | Parentheses whisper. Em dashes interrupt. Ex. The meeting—which could have been an email—lasted two hours. |
| Use it to introduce something dramatic | Colons are formal. Em dashes are theatrical. Ex. There’s only one thing I won’t give up—my em dash. |
| Use it to show interruption | Perfect for dialogue, texting, or any moment where someone gets cut off. Ex. “I thought you said—” |
Why I’m Not Giving It Up
The em dash is part of my voice, my writing personality. It’s expressive and fun. Most importantly, it lets me write the way I think—with pauses, pivots, and personality.
If people present the em dash as AI’s signature move and readers think I don’t write my own content, I’ll switch to something even more chaotic, like semicolons used in ways that make English teachers sweat. (Just joking, but in my first few blogs, I did replace my beloved em dash with semicolons… and it hurt to do so—like the emotional betrayal of being forced into a punctuation relationship I never asked for.)
Why the Semicolon Is a Terrible Replacement
The semicolon is a rule-follower. It’s tidy and polite. It’s the punctuation mark that doesn’t want to cause trouble; it just wants to connect two independent clauses in a responsible manner.
Trying to replace the em dash with a semicolon feels like:
- Wearing dress shoes to the beach
- Hiking in flip flops
- Replacing your favorite swear word with “gosh darn it”
Meanwhile, the em dash is saying: “Actually—I’m going to interrupt myself now.”
Technically possible, but emotionally devastating.
Final Thoughts—and a Friendly Rebellion
If you love the em dash, keep using it.
If someone accuses you of sounding like AI, tell them you’ve been using this punctuation long before AI was around for the general public.
Language evolves. Writing evolves. But the em dash? It endures—stylish, dramatic, and unapologetically used by humans just like me.
The em dash isn’t a crutch. It’s a choice. A voice. And for some of us, a signature.