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How to Use Em Dashes (–), En Dashes (–), and Hyphens (-)

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650 points Stratoscope | 3 comments | 27 Mar 25 20:19 UTC | HN request time: 0.686s | source
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bangaladore ◴[27 Mar 25 21:08 UTC] No.43498204[source]▶
Somewhat off topic, however, I'm thoroughly convinced that there is a very high probability something is AI generated when I see Em dashes. Anyone else noticing this?

ChatGPT for example almost always uses them. I'm sure they are more common in academic writing, but its now super common on boards like Reddit.

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1. culi ◴[27 Mar 25 21:49 UTC] No.43498586[source]▶
Everyone I know that writes a lot, especially for copy or product design, seems to use em dashes more heavily. I've even seen a Drake format meme where he is shaking his head at parantheses, commas, and colons but—finally—nodding in approval at the em dash.

I wonder if it's a more recent phenomenon.

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2. jyunwai ◴[28 Mar 25 04:04 UTC] No.43501413[source]▶
Em and en dash usage is officially part of style guides such as The Chicago Manual of Style [1], so it's often a work requirement for many writers and editors to use them in writing. This is why these kinds of dashes are everywhere in newspaper and magazine articles.

Eventually, people learn to include them out of habit—especially as most people see them as aesthetically nicer than a simple hyphen (-).

[1] https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/H...

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3. bangaladore ◴[28 Mar 25 14:03 UTC] No.43505568[source]▶
Exactly. If I see an Em/En dash in a publication of really any kind, I don't think twice. Because that's the traditional context for them. Professional writing.