The Em Dash— Refined Writing or ChatGPT Hyphen?
- Melchior Antoine
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
ChatGPT loves the em dash, and people are noticing. The punctuation mark, according to some reports, has even been called the ChatGPT hyphen by Generation Z. The rise of generative AI has led to a peculiar phenomenon. While people boast about the potential of AI to replace human writers, others still feel that using AI is a sign of cheating or not being honest.
There are people now dedicated to discovering the use of AI. And as far as they are concerned, using em dashes is a sure sign that you use ChatGPT. These people include the following:
—content managers looking out for writers with real talent,
—LinkedIn influencers scolding people for misusing AI, and
—techbros who have never written a thing in their life, unaided by AI.
They are almost always from the world of content marketing. That is the world of blogging and copywriting, as opposed to the fields of creative and academic writing, where people are familiar with em dash usage. The commentary associated with this controversy is unusual. The people commenting don’t necessarily have a problem with AI being used.
They simply think that not removing or editing out the em dashes is a sign of being sloppy. Like a thief robbing a bank without wearing gloves and leaving his fingerprints all over the place. Also, AI is seen as having a false tone of voice, with the em dash being a sure sign of it, since most people never use that punctuation mark. To see what we have to say about using AI-written content, you can check out the following article: How to Humanize AI Content.
This is strange as style guides such as the Chicago Manual of Style, APA, and Associated Press all provide specific details on how to use a punctuation mark such as the em dash (or should I say ChatGPT hyphen?). It was also popular among creative writers, with the American poet Emily Dickinson being prominent among them.
These commentators simply seem unaware of the fact. They seem genuinely frustrated and confused as to why people keep using this strange-looking punctuation mark that looks like an extra-long hyphen. It leads to contentious debate throughout social media, even inducing anxiety in writers who know how to properly wield this punctuation mark. Some writers have even decided to remove the em dash from their writing altogether to avoid accusations of using AI.
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What's up with the ChatGPT hyphen?
ChatGPT is a large language model (LLM) trained on the best examples of writing. This writing usually takes the form of academic and creative writing, written according to the rules of style guides such as CMoS or APA.
These style guides, as mentioned before, define the rules by which you should use the em dash. And they treat the em dash as a punctuation mark that is used as a mark of style and sophisticated punctuation usage. Most writers outside of academics and the creative field have no use for the em dash.
Some of them even admit to not knowing what it is and not being familiar with it before the rise of ChatGPT. The em dash is a versatile punctuation mark that falls somewhere between a comma, parentheses, and a colon. It is used to do the following:
—indicate an interruption in a sentence,
—set off parenthetical material, or
—emphasize a point.
It is also sometimes used as a replacement for bullet points in a list. So, there really is nothing wrong with using the em dash as intended. However, ChatGPT remains wonky software, and it tends to overuse the em dash. The app, like most other AI software out there, excels at being a mediocre human when it comes to certain tasks. All style guides caution overuse of the em dash as it leads to the mark losing its potency.
Still, a qualified writer or editor should be able to spot when this punctuation mark is being used effectively. But that is the problem right there. Many of those who are so sure about the em dash being a sure sign of AI are not in any position to know anything about the craft of writing beyond blogging and social media posts.
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2025, July 09). The Em Dash— Refined Writing or ChatGPT Hyphen? EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/is-the-em-dash-a-sign-of-chatgpt-content |
