Study finds a 50% decline in the use of semicolons over the last two decades (theconversation.com)

with where we are heading, we might see the 90% drop in the use of –

I think they forgot to include *.js *.ts *.c *.cpp *.java

Commas, on the, other hand, are turning up, everywhere.

https://theonion.com/commas-turning-up-everywhere-1819569774...

The semicolon has always been the neglected underdog of punctuation; I try to sneak one in wherever I think I can get away with it.

I would like to say this about colons. Semicolons means the sentence is too hard, sometimes it will look easier with parentheses.

The utility : pretentiousness ratio is too low.

Personally I have been using em dash(or some other kind of dash) for everything these days.

I know it's probably wrong, but I got the feeling that people won't roast me over a fire if I use it incorrectly.

It's certainly a crisis in the Lisp world; everyone seems to be writing fewer comments.

Outside of coding, I seldom use semicolons; however, they do have their uses in certain cases—when there are two complete thoughts in the sentence.

The cited Guardian article is worth reading as well if you're interested; there's a usage quiz with it: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/18/marked-decli...

I will miss the semicolon, but I'm more concerned about punctuation in general. If I punctuate a text message my teenage daughter will respond "are you mad at me"

So I guess we are doing our part here ? Trying to sneak one semicolon for the count ? I'm not sure even when to even use them correctly. They always fall flat or make sound pretentious; both of which I try to avoid.

I'm more curious about the usage of em/en dash, most people in my life had no idea it existed.

I myself only discovered them for the first time when reading a punctuation site to ensure I was using semicolons grammatically correctly.

The semicolon was always a confusing symbol; it makes even less sense in typical text-style conversations on phones. you can use a period in its place most of the time.

"I have great respect for the semicolon; it is a mighty handy little fellow." — Abraham Lincoln

The crazy thing about semicolons is that they were once common in books intended for young adults/middle readers. See E. Nesbit and co. When I read the childrens' authors of early 20C Britain, I often think their writing is more demanding that books marketed to today's adults.

Good riddance. I'll go with what Vonnegut said on them.

“Here is a lesson in creative writing. First rule: Do not use semicolons. They are transvestite hermaphrodites representing absolutely nothing. All they do is show you've been to college.”