I keep seeing posts saying that using em dashes means something was written by AI.
Which is deeply irritating.
Because I’ve used em dashes for years. Not because a machine told me to. Because they sound like me. They let a sentence wander a little. Stretch. Change direction halfway through a thought.
This isn’t about grammar. It’s about voice. Punctuation is tone. It’s timing. It’s the difference between someone speaking in a flat line and someone thinking out loud on the page.
Same as type. Same as spacing. Same as choosing a serif that feels like it’s exhaling rather than posing. These things aren’t technical decisions to me. They’re emotional ones. I notice when a typeface feels a bit too stiff. When the spacing is just slightly off. When a full stop lands like a door slamming shut. Small things. But small things carry the mood.
A very unscientific guide to dashes
Hyphen (-)
Sticks words together. Keeps things neat. Useful. I still resent it.
En dash (–)
Ranges, relationships, quiet transitions. Understated. Does its job without needing applause.
Em dash (—)
Interrupts. Expands. Changes the pace mid-sentence. A thought taking a side road.
I space mine — like this — because I prefer the softness. Most style guides disagree. I’m fine with that.
Yes, a machine can copy a pattern. But patterns aren’t taste. Taste is knowing when a sentence should drift instead of march. When a headline needs air. When something looks technically correct but feels slightly dead. That sensitivity doesn’t come from rules. It comes from paying attention.
Every detail is a choice. This one’s mine.
I’m keeping my em dash, thank you very much.