You’ve probably seen AI use an excessive amount of em dashes, you know —those long — horizontal lines that — appear in the — middle of — sentences, creating a rhythm that feels robotic. This is one of the telltale signs of AI-generated content, and understanding the difference between em dashes, en dashes, and hyphens can help you spot it.
Let’s break down these three punctuation marks, when to use each one, and why AI models have developed an addiction to the em dash.
The Three Dashes: What’s the Difference?
The Hyphen (-)
What it looks like: The shortest of the three dashes.
When to use it:
- To join compound words (full-time, self-employed, well-known)
- To connect prefixes (re-enter, pre-approval, non-essential)
- In phone numbers (02-9876-5432)
- To break words at the end of lines
Example: “Our SEO-focused approach helps small-to-medium businesses rank higher in search results.”
The En Dash (–)
What it looks like: Slightly longer than a hyphen, about the width of the letter ‘n’.
When to use it:
- To show ranges of numbers, dates, or times (2020–2025, pages 45–67, Monday–Friday)
- To connect things with inherent opposition or relationship (Melbourne–Sydney flight, cost–benefit analysis)
- As a minus sign in equations
Example: “The 2023–2024 financial year saw a 25–30% increase in organic traffic for our clients.”
The Em Dash (—)
What it looks like: The longest dash, about the width of the letter ‘m’.
When to use it:
- To set off parenthetical information with more emphasis than commas (but less formal than parentheses)
- To show an interruption or an abrupt change in thought
- Before attribution in quotes
- Sparingly, for dramatic effect
Example: “The algorithm update—Google’s most significant in years—completely changed our SEO strategy.”
Why AI Loves Em Dashes
If you’ve read AI-generated content, you’ve probably noticed an overwhelming abundance of em dashes. It’s become so predictable that many readers now use it as a litmus test for detecting AI writing.
The Technical Reason
Large language models like GPT, Claude and Gemini are trained on massive datasets of written content, much of it from formal writing, journalism, and academic texts, where em dashes appear regularly. During training, these models learn patterns and probabilities, including the likelihood that an em dash might appear in a given context. Basially they are trying to copy the smart kids’ essay and passing it off as theirs, but their em dashes are just really poorly placed.
The Stylistic Problem
Em dashes create a strange rhythm, one that feels lifeless, overly explanatory and just not human. When overused, they make content feel as if the writer couldn’t decide what was important, resulting in a disjointed reading experience.
Human writers naturally vary their sentence structure. We use commas, semicolons, periods, and the occasional em dash. AI, however, latches onto the em dash as its go-to punctuation for any situation requiring additional information or emphasis.
The Marketing Implication
For businesses creating content, this matters enormously. Google’s algorithms are increasingly sophisticated at detecting AI-generated content, and they prioritise authentic, human-created material that demonstrates expertise and genuine value. Content littered with em dashes, especially when combined with other AI tells like perfect grammar, lack of personal anecdotes, and overly formal language, sends a signal that the content might not be original and in today’s landscape, where people want to feel content, it just won’t do if you want that personal connection to your customer, and please don’t use AI photos or Art (we can tell).
How to Write Better
If you’re creating content for your business, whether using AI assistance or not, here’s how to avoid the em dash trap:
Review ruthlessly. Search your document for em dashes. If you have more than two in a 1,000-word article, consider replacing most of them with commas, parentheses, or separate sentences.
Read aloud. Em dashes create a specific cadence. If your content sounds breathless or overly dramatic when spoken, you’ve probably overused them.
Vary your punctuation. Use the full toolkit available to you. Commas, semicolons, colons, and even the humble period can all do the work you’re assigning to em dashes.
Develop a style guide. Decide how your brand uses punctuation and stick to it. This consistency creates authenticity that AI struggles to replicate.
Add human touches. Include personal anecdotes, regional expressions, and the occasional deliberate informality that AI wouldn’t generate.
What This Means
Understanding the difference between hyphens, en dashes, and em dashes isn’t just about correct grammar. It’s about creating content that feels genuine, reads naturally, and doesn’t immediately flag itself as AI-generated.
For Australian businesses competing in the SEO landscape, this matters more than ever. Google wants to serve its users authentic, valuable content written by real experts. Content that reads as if it came from a template, complete with excessive em dashes and mechanical precision, won’t cut it anymore.
Use your punctuation thoughtfully. Write like a human. And if you must use an em dash, make it count.
Because in 2026, the quality of your punctuation might just be the difference between ranking on page one and getting lost in the AI-generated noise.