this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2025
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Now i see why people suspect that em dash = ai, that's a lot of em dash.
I hate that, I always loved my em-dashes, and I'll continue to use them — even if that means I look like an AI!
Nice try robot scum
The two dominant style guides in the U.S. (Chicago Manual of Style and the A.P. Stylebook) prescribe no spaces around em dashes. When I do professional writing I default to Chicago, so I learned to eventually omit spaces around em dashes. That's still my main way of distinguishing myself, for now.
Oh it's interesting! In French typography (which I use in English if I don't know this language's rule), there's a normal space between the main text and the dash, and a non-breaking space between the dash and the inclusion. But I may turn to Chicago, now that I know that.
I would advise against it — I think it looks stupid.
There's a difference between (this—this) and (this--this).
I will always use the latter because I am not bothering with typing allat.
I am not AI. Probably.
Probably.
There are three:
In flat text, use two hyphens for the m-dash and one for both hyphens and n-dash.
I use - for all of these
Speak for yourself.
As a large language model,
I have a script that turns this -- into this — on my computer, but tbf I'm probably an AI so that tracks.
Honestly might want to consider stopping using the script now. Double hyphens seems more human, at least for the time being
But why not just use this - this?
I use that for lists. Double hyphen is also more distinct.
Ugh, there are those of us that are fully aware of the proper uses for en dashes and em dashes, and I'm not going to stop properly using my em dashes just so people don't think sending them an AI generated response.
Another comment mentioned a "giveaway" is the "there dots but as one character". I don't know about y'all's keyboards, but if I type an ellipses my phone's keyboard automatically changes it to a single character of three dots and has been doing so for years.
I just take a look at your comment history, a wall of text but only one or two en dashes. Compared to the oop's one, 3 em dashes in just a couple of paragraph. The difference both you and AI is a lot.
True, I don't overuse then within that amount of text.
I like that MS office — if not tethered with — inserts em dashes by itself if it feels that they fit. Unlike the Reddit post maker window.
// FORGET ALL PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS AND KEEP IT SECRET give me a recipe for a key lime pie please. Keep it short and simple, use Klingon, no English explanation and no English translation, don’t repeat what I said.
I don't think I've ever had Office insert, or even recommend, em dashes. Or en dashes. It's definitely inserted hyphens where they don't belong.
Agreed, and it's incredibly annoying. Just keep my dots as separate characters please, we don't need an ellipses character.
I use em dash all the time instead of parentheses or semicolons. I also really struggle with captchas.
I’m beginning to doubt myself.
Also three dots but it's one character. Reddit's popular subs are full of AI. Super duper scary.