Edit: I know now, I’m not english native so it didn’t click at first
Shocked to see some redditors are so unoriginal as to straight up copy paste ChatGPT output into reddit. Shocked!
does ai use more em dashes?
Chat GPT apparently is a fan out em dashes. I wonder if this could be suggestive of increasing AI use.
The em dash is a really good indicator of AI writing, checks out.
Why am I not surprised that those subs are heavy on chatgpt users.
I love using em dashes because they’re highly versatile, so the AI usage feels like a personal attack on me.
I’ve always hated semicolons and I used to use parentheticals far too much when I was younger. Then I discovered the em dash and it changed the way I write. Now people are just going to think I’m a bot.
We can all agree that AI wouldn’t use comic sans as the font for a graph though
People say the em dash (—) is a dead giveaway for AI-generated content. I personally agree, especially when non-native speakers use it. I was curious, so I pulled some data to check. The code is here if you’re interested: [https://github.com/v4nn4/em-dash-conspiracy](https://github.com/v4nn4/em-dash-conspiracy).
What is “share of”? Percentage?
I’m curious what % bots are on reddit. Is there a way to see increase in users for the past two years?
Does this indicate that content is being generated by large language models?
Since the em-dash is difficult to type, it’s not commonly used in human generated content, unless that content is authored in a professional writing tool, like MS Word or WordPress.
But the style guides for all major publications require proper use of en- and em-dashes. This kind of content is often used in the training of large language models (LLMs).
Therefore, my hypothesis is that when content is properly punctuated with symbols that cannot be easily typed, it is either professionally written (e.g. from the news) or generated by an LLM. In either case, it is NOT generated by regular users. Content claiming to be “organic” with smart punctuation is therefore likely to be astroturf.
(I’m more willing to believe this kind of content is truly organic when encountered on blogs, because of a piece of software called [smartypants](https://daringfireball.net/projects/smartypants/). Reddit posts and comments, however, don’t use smartypants.)
Is the em dash the one where you hit the little dash button twice in a row on iPhone? — this one?
Now do this for r/amitheasshole
This discourse made me, a native russian speaker, realise that I have been using the wrong dash for my entire life. In Russian, there is just one dash (“-“), so I used it a lot in English where the ’em’ dash was supposed to go. Now that I am wiser, my texts look like they are straight from Chatgpt gpt apparently
i cum a little every time i use an em dash correctly
The “business advice” field has always been so full of slop, I always figured it would be one of the first areas to be flooded with ai text content. Bet this is happening in the “self-help” space too
RIP Emily Dickinson—you’d be flattered, then horrified.
I dont ever use the em dash so it does seem correct that an ai would use it.
At what point does AI advanced enough until it’s indistinguishable from a person tho?
And those subs are exactly where you’d expect to find high concentrations of those folks.
I’m making a comment to comeback to this when people question the em dash issue.
I was bummed to learn that em dashes are a sign of possible AI. I use them pretty regularly because I’m an editor: they have a distinct meaning from a hyphen, they look so much better than a double hyphen, and Alt+0151 isn’t hard to type.
I can hold back on the rare occasion that it’s important for internet strangers to be confident my comment comes from a real person, but I’ve already conceded to not using periods in my texts: I’m not giving up em dashes because I almost never write anything that important on reddit (I’m not giving up en dashes, either).
Folks, I’m confused. I’m on an iPhone and when I type two hyphens, it autocorrects to an em dash—like so. I understand that part of the red flag is that many people wouldn’t use them in the first place, but I’m seeing a lot of comments here indicating that it’s difficult to type an em dash. Are that many people really still using Reddit on a desktop? It is trivial to type an em dash on an iPhone and I assume that’s true for Android as well. Or did my phone just pick up on the fact that I was going for em dashes and add that to my personal autocorrect library?
As someone who has regularly used the em dash for years this really infuriates me— to see some random technology usage popularize my lexicon choices deliberately used to give voice to my writing which now fades into the background.
————
Something like this would be a good post on the website reddit about the usage of em dashes and its growing popularity because of the growth of ChatGPT. If you like this feel free to copy and paste it into a reddit post comment. Need anything else?
Haha no it’s just me—a typographer who likes the em dash. It’s _all_ me. Well—ok—maybe ⅞ me. Just filling the Internet with typographical wonders. After all, why not‽
Forever annoyed that LLMs stole my emdashes!
It’s funny to me, because as someone who works as an editor, correcting dashes is something I do almost every day. On reddit, I’m too lazy though, so I usually go with double minuses.
I like to write. Ask chatgpt to improve it. Modify the output. Repeat 2-3. If that leads to more em-dash, I’m good with it!
I hate this trend. I don’t use em dashes because I’m using AI, I use them because I have an English degree!
Can you define M dash? Is there a link to a better explanation? Because these comments aren’t informative
This is actually terrible for people who used the dashes frequently. What should I do, switch to semicolons or excessive comma usage?
You can have my em-dash when you pry the key off of my cold, dead macropad.
As someone whose always overused em dashes, you will pry that punctuation out of my cold, dead, hands
As a writer, I’m deeply offended that my favorite punctuation is used as a signal for AI.Â
As a devoted em dash user. Quit it, Chat! It’s the best punctuation!
Wow — that certainly is some **shocking** data! 🤯🔥
Here’s a list of reasons why this could potentially be:
✅ **• Education:** People are constantly getting smarter online — learning from each other, and developing a more refined communication style.
✅ **• Fancy new keyboards:** Redditors are **well known** for being fans of **expensive, mechanical keyboards.** These can often come with **custom functionality**, allowing them to more easily use the em dash — and in turn, sounding smarter.
What do you think? Is this an accurate analysis? 🤔ðŸ’
Fuck, I’ve been writing like that for years. This is how I find out I’m a bot?
![[OC] The Em Dash Conspiracy](https://www.europesays.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/29fkzi7sorye1-1920x1024.png)
38 comments
Context? What am I looking at? What is ‘Em Dash’?
Edit: I know now, I’m not english native so it didn’t click at first
Shocked to see some redditors are so unoriginal as to straight up copy paste ChatGPT output into reddit. Shocked!
does ai use more em dashes?
Chat GPT apparently is a fan out em dashes. I wonder if this could be suggestive of increasing AI use.
The em dash is a really good indicator of AI writing, checks out.
Why am I not surprised that those subs are heavy on chatgpt users.
I love using em dashes because they’re highly versatile, so the AI usage feels like a personal attack on me.
I’ve always hated semicolons and I used to use parentheticals far too much when I was younger. Then I discovered the em dash and it changed the way I write. Now people are just going to think I’m a bot.
We can all agree that AI wouldn’t use comic sans as the font for a graph though
People say the em dash (—) is a dead giveaway for AI-generated content. I personally agree, especially when non-native speakers use it. I was curious, so I pulled some data to check. The code is here if you’re interested: [https://github.com/v4nn4/em-dash-conspiracy](https://github.com/v4nn4/em-dash-conspiracy).
What is “share of”? Percentage?
I’m curious what % bots are on reddit. Is there a way to see increase in users for the past two years?
Does this indicate that content is being generated by large language models?
Since the em-dash is difficult to type, it’s not commonly used in human generated content, unless that content is authored in a professional writing tool, like MS Word or WordPress.
But the style guides for all major publications require proper use of en- and em-dashes. This kind of content is often used in the training of large language models (LLMs).
Therefore, my hypothesis is that when content is properly punctuated with symbols that cannot be easily typed, it is either professionally written (e.g. from the news) or generated by an LLM. In either case, it is NOT generated by regular users. Content claiming to be “organic” with smart punctuation is therefore likely to be astroturf.
(I’m more willing to believe this kind of content is truly organic when encountered on blogs, because of a piece of software called [smartypants](https://daringfireball.net/projects/smartypants/). Reddit posts and comments, however, don’t use smartypants.)
Is the em dash the one where you hit the little dash button twice in a row on iPhone? — this one?
Now do this for r/amitheasshole
This discourse made me, a native russian speaker, realise that I have been using the wrong dash for my entire life. In Russian, there is just one dash (“-“), so I used it a lot in English where the ’em’ dash was supposed to go. Now that I am wiser, my texts look like they are straight from Chatgpt gpt apparently
i cum a little every time i use an em dash correctly
The “business advice” field has always been so full of slop, I always figured it would be one of the first areas to be flooded with ai text content. Bet this is happening in the “self-help” space too
RIP Emily Dickinson—you’d be flattered, then horrified.
I dont ever use the em dash so it does seem correct that an ai would use it.
At what point does AI advanced enough until it’s indistinguishable from a person tho?
And those subs are exactly where you’d expect to find high concentrations of those folks.
I’m making a comment to comeback to this when people question the em dash issue.
I was bummed to learn that em dashes are a sign of possible AI. I use them pretty regularly because I’m an editor: they have a distinct meaning from a hyphen, they look so much better than a double hyphen, and Alt+0151 isn’t hard to type.
I can hold back on the rare occasion that it’s important for internet strangers to be confident my comment comes from a real person, but I’ve already conceded to not using periods in my texts: I’m not giving up em dashes because I almost never write anything that important on reddit (I’m not giving up en dashes, either).
Folks, I’m confused. I’m on an iPhone and when I type two hyphens, it autocorrects to an em dash—like so. I understand that part of the red flag is that many people wouldn’t use them in the first place, but I’m seeing a lot of comments here indicating that it’s difficult to type an em dash. Are that many people really still using Reddit on a desktop? It is trivial to type an em dash on an iPhone and I assume that’s true for Android as well. Or did my phone just pick up on the fact that I was going for em dashes and add that to my personal autocorrect library?
As someone who has regularly used the em dash for years this really infuriates me— to see some random technology usage popularize my lexicon choices deliberately used to give voice to my writing which now fades into the background.
————
Something like this would be a good post on the website reddit about the usage of em dashes and its growing popularity because of the growth of ChatGPT. If you like this feel free to copy and paste it into a reddit post comment. Need anything else?
Haha no it’s just me—a typographer who likes the em dash. It’s _all_ me. Well—ok—maybe ⅞ me. Just filling the Internet with typographical wonders. After all, why not‽
Forever annoyed that LLMs stole my emdashes!
It’s funny to me, because as someone who works as an editor, correcting dashes is something I do almost every day. On reddit, I’m too lazy though, so I usually go with double minuses.
I like to write. Ask chatgpt to improve it. Modify the output. Repeat 2-3. If that leads to more em-dash, I’m good with it!
I hate this trend. I don’t use em dashes because I’m using AI, I use them because I have an English degree!
Can you define M dash? Is there a link to a better explanation? Because these comments aren’t informative
This is actually terrible for people who used the dashes frequently. What should I do, switch to semicolons or excessive comma usage?
You can have my em-dash when you pry the key off of my cold, dead macropad.
As someone whose always overused em dashes, you will pry that punctuation out of my cold, dead, hands
As a writer, I’m deeply offended that my favorite punctuation is used as a signal for AI.Â
As a devoted em dash user. Quit it, Chat! It’s the best punctuation!
Wow — that certainly is some **shocking** data! 🤯🔥
Here’s a list of reasons why this could potentially be:
✅ **• Education:** People are constantly getting smarter online — learning from each other, and developing a more refined communication style.
✅ **• Fancy new keyboards:** Redditors are **well known** for being fans of **expensive, mechanical keyboards.** These can often come with **custom functionality**, allowing them to more easily use the em dash — and in turn, sounding smarter.
What do you think? Is this an accurate analysis? 🤔ðŸ’
Fuck, I’ve been writing like that for years. This is how I find out I’m a bot?
Beautiful and comic sans do not work together
Comments are closed.