Taking Back the Em Dash

There was a time when the em dash was a powerful tool in the writer’s arsenal—used to interrupt, to emphasize, to inject tone or rhythm into a sentence. I’ve used it for years, even had to Google it more times than I care to admit just to copy and paste the damn thing. And then AI came along. Now, you can barely read an article without seeing em dashes everywhere. It’s become something of a tell. If you see a piece overloaded with them, chances are someone’s whispering, “This was written by a GPT.” Now, don't get me wrong. I use AI. I like AI. This very post even had some AI input. But let’s be clear: my voice is my own. I’m not giving up my favorite punctuation mark because the bots happen to like it a little too much. I’m taking back the em dash. Not because it’s trendy or controversial. Because it’s useful. Because sometimes a comma is too weak, and a period is too final. Because sometimes, an em dash says exactly what I want to say with just the right pause. So if you see one in my writing, don’t assume anything—except that I meant to use it.

May 29, 2025 - 16:50

There was a time when the em dash was a powerful tool in the writer’s arsenal—used to interrupt, to emphasize, to inject tone or rhythm into a sentence. I’ve used it for years, even had to Google it more times than I care to admit just to copy and paste the damn thing.

And then AI came along.

Now, you can barely read an article without seeing em dashes everywhere. It’s become something of a tell. If you see a piece overloaded with them, chances are someone’s whispering, “This was written by a GPT.”

Now, don't get me wrong. I use AI. I like AI. This very post even had some AI input. But let’s be clear: my voice is my own. I’m not giving up my favorite punctuation mark because the bots happen to like it a little too much.

I’m taking back the em dash.

Not because it’s trendy or controversial. Because it’s useful. Because sometimes a comma is too weak, and a period is too final. Because sometimes, an em dash says exactly what I want to say with just the right pause.

So if you see one in my writing, don’t assume anything—except that I meant to use it.