Why is everyone removing em dashes?
The em dash (—) became the single most recognized sign of AI-generated writing. Language models use it at several times the human rate — for asides, for emphasis, for connecting clauses — and readers have learned the pattern. Whether it's an email, a LinkedIn post, or a report, heavy em-dash use now makes people ask "did a bot write this?"
What this tool does
- Replaces em-dash asides with commas by default (usually the grammatically correct swap)
- Lets you choose periods, hyphens, or plain removal instead — see Options above
- Preserves en dashes in number and date ranges (2019–2026, pages 10–20)
- Optionally fixes smart quotes, hidden characters, and markdown leftovers in the same pass
FAQ
Are em dashes wrong?
Not at all — they're legitimate punctuation. The problem is frequency: AI models use them constantly, so prose dense with em dashes reads as machine-written in 2026. Sparse, intentional use is still fine.
Is my text stored or sent anywhere?
No. This page has no server. The replacement happens in your browser with JavaScript and works offline.