How to Use Ellipses in Writing (With Examples)
Ellipses – those familiar “dot, dot, dot” marks – have a surprising range of uses. In this guide, we explore what ellipses are, when to use them, how to format them correctly, and how you can help your clients make the most of them in their writing.
What Are Ellipses?
An ellipsis (singular) is a punctuation mark made up of three dots (or periods). Multiple ellipsis marks are known as ellipses (plural).
For example, this sentence contains an ellipsis:
He must have left … about an hour ago.
And this sentence contains multiple ellipses:
He must have left about an hour ago … I think … or maybe earlier …
When to Use Ellipses
Ellipses create a longer, less abrupt pause than other forms of punctuation, such as dashes, colons, and semicolons. Writers can use them to:
- Indicate hesitation (“I wonder … maybe we should wait.”)
- Show that a speaker trails off or leaves words unspoken (“If only I’d … never mind.”)
- Build suspense (“When the door creaked open, they saw … nothing.”)
- Mark an omission in quoted text (essential in academic and journalistic writing)
To make the most of ellipses, avoid overusing them – sprinkling them into every other sentence can make prose feel muddled and sap their dramatic effect. Save them for moments where a genuine pause, omission, or sense of uncertainty matters.
How to Use Ellipses
To use ellipses well, you need to decide on a consistent format, know how they work inside prose, and apply them correctly when trimming quotations.
How to Format Ellipses
You can format ellipses in several ways – different style guides prefer different spacing conventions. Below are the four main formats you’re likely to encounter. The key is consistency; pick one approach (or defer to your client’s guide), and apply it throughout.
| Format Style | Example |
| Spaces before and after | This is one way … to format an ellipsis. |
| Spaces before, after, and between dots | This is another way . . . to format an ellipsis. |
| No spaces at all | This is a third way…to format an ellipsis. |
| Spaces between dots only | This is a fourth way. . .to format an ellipsis. |
Ellipses may also be followed by punctuation, such as a comma, depending on the spacing convention. As always, check the style guide and ensure consistent treatment throughout.
How to Use Ellipses in Fiction
In fiction, authors often use ellipses to convey uncertainty, hesitation, and thoughts that trail off. Ellipses are most commonly found in dialogue but can also appear in the narration itself:
She appeared wearing a neon green and pink hat. “Oh,” said her mother, “that looks … nice.”
“I just wanted to say … that …” His voice faded out.
There was nothing else they could do …
Authors also use ellipses to create suspense by delaying the revelation of certain information:
It almost looked like … no, surely it couldn’t be …
They peered out of the dark window and saw … no one at all.
While ellipses can be a useful tool, they shouldn’t be overused. Too many ellipses can weaken their dramatic effect and make the text difficult to read.
How to Use Ellipses in Quotes
In formal writing, journalism, and academic texts, writers often use ellipses in direct quotes. The ellipses show that the writer has omitted words or sentences because they aren’t relevant or make the quotation less concise.
Consider this line from Ursula K. Le Guin:
“A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it. Writers know words are their way toward truth and freedom, and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight.”
To shorten the quote, we can omit the middle clause and replace it with an ellipsis:
“A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it … and so they use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight.”
You should remove any punctuation on either side of the ellipsis unless it’s grammatically necessary.
When your client has used an ellipsis to omit part of a quotation, you’ll need to make sure that the remaining sentence is grammatically correct. The quoted text should read smoothly, as if your client removed nothing. The following example would not be correct:
“A writer is a person who cares what words mean, what they say, how they say it … use them with care, with thought, with fear, with delight.”
If your client has introduced errors by using ellipses in a direct quote, you may not have access to the full quotation and, therefore, may not be able to fix the issue yourself. When this happens, you should leave a comment for your client, explaining the issue.
When you use ellipses to indicate omissions in quoted text, you can present the ellipsis in square brackets: […]. This formatting isn’t always necessary but can help prevent the ambiguity that occurs when writers use ellipses within one passage to indicate both omissions and uncertainty. Your client’s style guide may also recommend using square brackets with ellipses in this way.
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