Remove em dashes from ChatGPT text
Paste any text and strip the em dashes (—) that ChatGPT and other models lean on. The cleaner runs in your browser the moment you paste. Nothing is uploaded. En dashes in number ranges (2019–2023) stay put.
How many em dashes does AI actually use?
In our study of 300 questions, modern AI answers used 4.5 em dashes per 1,000 words vs 0.21 for humans answering the same questions — about 21× as many. gpt-6-luna hit 8.06. ChatGPT in December 2022 used 0.06. The habit is recent. Full table and method: ChatGPT em dash data.
Replacement options
| Option | Example |
|---|---|
| Smart context (default) | Picks among the rows below from the sentence. |
| Comma | "The plan — for now — is to wait" → "The plan, for now, is to wait" |
| Period | "We shipped it — users loved it" → "We shipped it. Users loved it." |
| Spaced hyphen | "We shipped it — users loved it" → "We shipped it - users loved it" |
| Parentheses | "The results — surprisingly — were flat" → "The results (surprisingly) were flat" |
| Number ranges | "2019—2023" or "2019–2023" stays "2019–2023" |
Smart context turns a short aside into parentheses, a following capital letter into a period, a short explanation into a colon ("One problem remains — cost" → "One problem remains: cost"), and everything else into a comma.
Stop ChatGPT using em dashes
Put this in Custom Instructions (Settings → Personalization), a Claude Project, or a Gemini Gem:
Never use em dashes (—) or en dashes (–). Use commas, periods, colons or parentheses instead. Do not use bold text unless I ask for it.
Models still slip. Paste the output into the box at the top before you publish. For agents, add the same line to the unslop skill. More on why the habit appeared: ChatGPT em dashes, with the data.
Dashes are only one tell
Removing em dashes will not fix "It's important to note that" or a closing "If you tell me more…". For phrasing, paste the cleaned text into the unslop tool, or see ChatGPT words to avoid.
Free: 3 AI rewrites a day (up to 300 words) and unlimited quick clean. Need more? A $5 pack of 50 rewrites never expires, or go Pro at $12/month · $79/year. See plans.
FAQ
What does this em dash remover do?
It finds em dashes (—) in your text and replaces them with punctuation you choose: smart context, commas, periods, spaced hyphens or parentheses. It runs instantly in your browser and never uploads the text. En dashes in number ranges such as 2019–2023 are kept.
What is smart context?
Smart context picks the replacement from the sentence, the way an editor would: parentheses for a short aside between two dashes, a period when the next part is a new sentence, a colon before a short explanation, and a comma otherwise.
Will it change number ranges like 2019–2023?
No. En dashes (and em dashes mistakenly used) between digits are kept as an en dash. Only standalone em dashes used as punctuation are replaced.
How do I stop ChatGPT from using em dashes?
Add this to ChatGPT Custom Instructions (Settings → Personalization): "Never use em dashes (—) or en dashes. Use commas, periods, colons or parentheses instead." Models still slip, so paste the output here before you publish.
Is an em dash always a sign of AI writing?
No. Human writers use them too. But in our study, modern AI used 4.5 em dashes per 1,000 words vs 0.21 for humans answering the same questions, so a dense cluster of them is a common tell.
Is this free?
Yes. This remover is free, unlimited and runs on your device. If you also want filler phrases and rhythm cleaned up, the unslop rewrite on the homepage gives you 3 free AI rewrites a day.