Gen Z discovers hack to reveal who’s using ChatGPT — and this common punctuation mark is the telltale sign of AI writing

NY Post ^ | April 14, 2025 | Brooke Steinberg

[DoodleBob]

Gen Z thinks they’ve figured out a dead giveaway that someone has used ChatGPT — and it might surprise you.

The em dash (—) is punctuation loved by writers everywhere, functioning like a comma, colon or a pair of parentheses. It can be used to sum up information at the end of a sentence, encase supplementary information within a sentence, emphasize a point or expand upon something that comes before it, according to Merriam-Webster.

But according to Gen Z, the dash is actually a so-called “ChatGPT hyphen.”

The phenomenon started gaining attention online after podcasters Daisy Reed and Sapna Rao, co-hosts of the “LuxeGen Podcast,” discussed it in a recent episode.

The clip went viral on X after a user shared it and wrote the caption, “The fact that Zoomers are unironically referring to the em dash as ‘the ChatGPT hyphen’ is wild.”

Reed pointed out that clothing brand PrettyLittleThing announced a rebrand on social media, and the top comment under the new ad copy was: “Including the ChatGPT hyphen is insane.”

The hosts jokingly shared a “public service announcement” to delete em dashes from your writing if you don’t want to be accused of using AI.

[blackberry1]

All my Freeper posts have been written by Chat. I’ve been out by the hyphen. It’s over for me.....

[RoosterRedux]

I’ve always used mdashes and semicolons and the like, but will have to admit that ChatGPT is also quite fond of them.

[RoosterRedux]

I submitted that article to Grok and asked if it looks like an AI written article. Here's Grok's response:

The article reads like human-authored journalism, with a coherent narrative, detailed sourcing, and nuanced tone. It lacks AI hallmarks like repetitive phrasing, unnatural transitions, or vague attributions.

[Hot Tabasco]

The em dash (—) is punctuation loved by writers everywhere,

I'm still trying to figure out when to use a semicolon.

[Chickensoup]

So this line- is substituting for this one. ...

A sort of shudder passed through Tom ... a feeling of lonesomeness and homesickness was creeping over him ... but he gave no sign.

[MayflowerMadam]

“I’m still trying to figure out when to use a semicolon.”

The way I learned it is that you have two complete sentences that are so closely connected that a period would tend to dilute the full meaning.

Of course, in lists ...

[freepertoo]

I’m a fiction writer and I’ve always used M dashes and not because Chat GPT is doing my writing. I use Chat GPT for research and review. I’m sorry to read this.

[rarestia]

I was an English major in college and NEVER heard of using - for ANY kind of punctuation....NOT EVER!

Same. I have a graduate degree in English, and our professors would gratuitously mark up our papers if we used dashes or emdashes. They were "lazy punctuation" according to two of them. If you don't know how to effectively use commas and semicolons, you're missing out on basic sentence structure.

[subterfuge]

The stupid dash is just lazy writing.

[A_perfect_lady]

Older writing uses it a lot. Fiction from the 1700s and 1800s, for instance. There's over 450 of them in Pride and Prejudice alone:

“Oh, you mean Jane, I suppose, because he danced with her twice. To be sure that did seem as if he admired her—indeed, I rather believe he did—I heard something about it—but I hardly know what—something about Mr. Robinson.”

[trebb]

I use the N-Dash a lot - not too often I use the M-Dash - unless it’s to show a pause - and them I usually use ....

[gloryblaze]

I was taught in English class that a dash is to be used when nothing else is perfectly fitting. I use one quite a bit.

[Salman]

So reprogram the 'bot not to use the em-dash.

Problem solved. { snicker }

[gundog]

I wonder if anyone ever mispronounced her name as “Lehyphena.’

[Cloverfarm]

I’m GenX (I think — because the Boomers were my older sibs and cousins who got to have all the fun) and my kids were taught cursive in school.

However they were told to use either print or cursive for written work, whichever they preferred.

[Bob434]

Use it where a transition word can be used, ie:

I bought a motorcycle; life is too short 5o care about safety.

Transition word would be “because”

I bought a bike b3cause life is too short to care about safety

I went to the ballgame; Shelly went to the park

Transition word would be “while”

I went to the ballgame while Shelly went to the park

Or

I went to the ballgame because Shelly went to the park

; links two things

: before lists, ie Frank had a million things to do: milk the cows, feed the chickens, wash the car, mow the grass, rob a bank, slap his neighbor, harvest the marijuana crop, make meth, brush his tooth

Ther3 are other uses too for both, but those are the basics

[fuzzylogic]

I do find that I use it a lot. That said, you can actually ask ChatGPT to ‘write at an 8-grade level’, it will comply!

[Bob434]

They are also used to to indicate breaks or cutoffs in speech when writing bookw, usually fiction.

Fred looked at Galena like she had three eyes. “Ypu seriously think i give a rats rearend what—” (actually they use an M dash or em dash, not the two dash lines)

Galena shot Frank an atomic stink eye from one of her three eyes that glued his flappy yappy lips shut mid sentence. He knew that if he continued, he would be ‘what’s for dinner’ that day.

[Bob434]

Dont’t be, it’s common use and had been for ages in writing. Especially in fiction writing.

[[em dashes have been around for centuries, wielded by writers from Emily Dickinson to Vladimir Nabokov to add rhythm, emphasis, and personality to their prose]]

https://medium.com/@pratikmore.work/the-em-dash-paradox-authenticity-ai-and-the-evolution-of-writing-c952624c0653

They have been aroud for ever practically- even before the typewriter was invented- they fell out of use because there was no em dash key n the typewriters back when.

[Bob434]

Just to add on to last post a bit. They can be used for instance to SHOW (instrad of tell about) a character always interrupting others, or show a person who is timid who always lets others speak over them ane cut them off. It can show someone who indecisive, unsure, etc.