Keep the Em Dash Human
Writers, don't surrender your punctuation to a machine. The em dash isn't a tell of fakery - it's a tool of voice. Treating it like contraband because AI tools overuse it is lazy thinking.
The em dash carries momentum in a way a comma can't and a colon won't. It lets you punch, pivot, and sharpen tone without bloating a sentence. Great authors have leaned on it for years. Markus Zusak opens "The Book Thief" with, "Does this worry you? I urge you - don't be afraid. I'm nothing if not fair." That line works because the dash works.
Why AI Detectors Are Tagging Your Dashes
ChatGPT responses often lean on em dashes, so detectors started flagging them as a pattern. Pattern ≠ intent. The result: false positives that put real writers on the defensive.
Even major AI labs have acknowledged detector limits and high error rates. If your work gets flagged, it's not proof - it's a prompt for review, not a verdict. See documented issues with AI-written-text detection here: OpenAI on classifier reliability.
Use the Em Dash Well
- Emphasis: Break a sentence where attention should spike - then finish the thought with intent.
- Contrast and asides: Swap a pair of commas or parentheses with dashes for a cleaner, stronger aside.
- Clarity: Don't stack more than two dashes in a single sentence. If you need more, rewrite.
- Pacing: Put the most important word or phrase right after the dash to make it land.
- Spacing: Most US style guides prefer no spaces around an em dash - like this. Pick a standard and stay consistent.
- Input shortcuts: Mac: Option + Shift + - (hyphen). Windows: Alt + 0151 (numeric keypad). Many editors auto-replace "--" with "-".
If you want a quick refresher on dashes, this is solid: Purdue OWL: Dashes.
Protect Your Voice From False AI Flags
- Vary your punctuation mix: commas, semicolons, periods, and dashes. Intentional variety reads human.
- Cut fluff. Clear sentences with concrete nouns and verbs reduce the "synthetic" vibe.
- Keep receipts: notes, drafts, timestamps, version history. Authorship trails matter.
- If flagged, ask for a human review. Request criteria beyond "style markers," share your drafts, and cite detector limits.
- Follow your house style. If your guide permits em dashes, say so and keep writing.
A Practical Standard for Writers
Use the em dash to amplify meaning - not as a crutch. If it clarifies, keep it. If it muddies, cut it. That's the bar.
Don't let a tool that imitates writing dictate how you write. Punctuation is part of your signature. The em dash is a line with weight - use it with intent and keep it yours.
Optional: If you're incorporating AI into your workflow without losing your voice, these resources can help you set smart guardrails: AI courses by job.
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