Note: This is the one post where I’m continuing to use the em dash — just to show everyone how pretty it is! No, I’m not a robot :-)
I’ve always liked using the em dash – some may call it the “long dash”. There’s something about how it breaks up a sentence — smoother than a comma, less formal than parentheses — that adds a bit of style and flow. It looks nice on the page and feels natural when I write.
But lately, like a lot of other people, I’ve been thinking twice about using it — because the em dash has actually started raising red flags for AI writing for many.
The Em Dash and AI: Why It’s Becoming Controversial
A lot of AI-generated content uses em dashes. So if you use it in your writing, it’s AI generated content? That’s what a lot of people are saying, and they’re flagging the em-dash as a red flag indicating you use ChatGPT, Gemini, or some other AI. The funny part is that the AI learned to use em dashes from very human literary writers, like Emily Dickenson or James Baldwin, and other journalists and essayists in general.
And now there’s this weird reversal where educated/literary prose sometimes gets mistaken for AI because AI learned from educated/literary prose.
Whoah – there’s an em dash. Is this content authentic? Some might even stop reading when they spot one.
How Easy Is It to Type an Em Dash?
Some people think it’s hard to use an em dash — and why not just use a simple hyphen (-) instead? It’s “easier”, it doesn’t carry that AI “signature,” and it still creates a pause — though it’s not exactly the same as a proper em dash.
Here’s the thing: typing an em dash isn’t actually hard.
- On a Mac, just press Option + Shift + Hyphen (-).
- On Windows, it’s Alt + 0151 on the numeric keypad.
- Or, if you’re using Word, typing two hyphens (–) often converts automatically.
So the technical barrier isn’t the issue.
Messaging: Reader Perception
The question is more about perception. Will people read your content differently? Will they trust it less or even stop reading if they see em dashes? That’s something to seriously consider these days.
After all, the em dash wasn’t invented by AI — it’s been around forever. And AI learned to use it because humans use it so much. Now, it’s caught in the middle of a shift in writing where authenticity is constantly being questioned.
Should You Keep Using the Em Dash?
So, while the em dash looks nice and feels good to use, it might be worth experimenting with alternatives or using it more sparingly. It’s not about right or wrong — it’s about thinking strategically how your writing will be received. AI writing is everywhere and readers are more alert to red flags, so even something as small as a punctuation mark can influence how your content is judged.
In the end, punctuation is a tool. But sometimes, even a tiny punctuation mark can affect how your message lands.
Bonus Tip: Converting Em Dashes to Hyphens Automatically
If you want to avoid em dashes but have too many posts to change manually, you can easily convert them to regular hyphens with a simple PHP script—ideal for WordPress blogs or any PHP/MySQL-based site like UltimateWB.
Search for the em dash character “—” or its HTML version “—” in your database, and replace it with a plain hyphen “-”. Just make sure to back up your database before making any bulk updates!
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