Punctuation That Has Changed in the Last 50 Years
The Em Dash Is Back
Technology has made writing shorter, faster, and more conversational than ever before, and punctuation is adapting accordingly. One mark that is rising to the occasion is the em dash (—). Used to denote emphasis or an interruption, it can replace commas, parentheses, or colons.
The em dash is more informal than other forms of midsentence punctuation. It creates a colloquial tone that is hard to replicate with other types of punctuation, such as the semicolon, which feels stiff in comparison. This form of punctuation has been heavily influenced by online journalism and texting, mimicking spoken conversation more than printed prose.
Although it has seen a rise in popularity during the 2020s, the extended dash dates back centuries and is found in various languages, where it indicates a long pause. In printing, the name “em dash” appeared in English during the mid-19th century. The name came about because the dash is the width of a letter “m.” (Similarly, the en dash, commonly used in ranges of numbers, is the width of the letter “n.”) Typewriters complicated matters because most lacked a dedicated em dash key, leading many writers to substitute two hyphens instead. But the em dash’s recent resurgence marks a new era.
There’s a widespread misconception that the use of an em dash is a sign that something was written by AI. That’s not a good litmus test for AI usage, however. The AI models were trained on real writing found all across the web, and many professional writers use the em dash regularly. If someone presents writing with an em dash, it doesn’t necessarily mean it comes from AI — they might just be demonstrating their punctuation chops.
Periods Aren’t Used in Texts
Perhaps the most essential of all punctuation marks, the humble period has been ending sentences for more than 500 years. As the quintessential way to signal a full stop and start a new thought, this mark has played a consistent role in sentence structure for centuries — until the rise of cellphones and texting.
By the 2010s, the period began to carry emotional weight as texters and emailers sought to replace telltale markers of verbal tone in their digital conversations. The solution to conveying annoyance or anger became the period. Soon, “OK.” denoted anger, while “OK” (sans punctuation) appeared more relaxed or sincere. In one study of 9 million social media interactions, the appearance of a period was highly correlated with angry words and phrasing.
As a result, many people now omit periods in brief messages altogether to avoid sounding unintentionally stern. In longer writing, however, the period remains as essential as ever. Its changing reputation is a direct reflection of how language is always evolving.
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