Semicolonoscopy
Some call it unnecessary; to others, it is essential.
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The semicolon has a long and contentious history; of late, it seems to be entering endangered species territory.
Writers of all types have varied opinions on the semicolon:
Edward Abbey called it the “most obscene of all punctuation marks.”
Kurt Vonnegut gave this advice to writers, opting to use an ellipsis for syntax while doing so: “Do not use semicolons. . . All they do is show you’ve been to college.” (Wouldn’t it have been deliciously ironic if he had used a semicolon to separate those independent clauses?)
Abraham Lincoln was more of an admirer, using it appropriately in his praise: “I have a great respect for the semi-colon; it’s a useful little chap.”
However you feel about semicolons (you have taken the time to consider them, haven’t you?), they do have a purpose and some guidelines. More on that below.
The Semicolon Origin Story
In the world of punctuation, the semicolon is a relative newcomer. The Venetian printer, humanist, and publisher Aldus Pius Manutius1 introduced the semicolon in 1494, signifying a pause somewhere between that of a comma and a colon.
The first Latin text he published was De Aetna, about climbing volcanic Mount Etna in Italy.2 You can see four examples of the new punctuation mark in this excerpt:
Because he ran the Aldine Press, Manutius had some influence over how punctuation was read and accepted. Other printing houses in Europe took note and began adapting the semicolon in their work; variations proliferated based on the fonts they chose.3
Clear Origin, Uncertain Future
The rise in popularity of the semicolon is undisputed: a search via the Google Books Ngram, which includes novels, nonfiction, and even scientific literature, shows that semicolon use in English rose by 388% between 1800 and 2006.
It then fell by 45% over the next 11 years. And according to a recent survey by Babbel, semicolon usage in British English books has fallen by nearly 50% in the past two decades.4
The survey — issued as an interactive quiz — also produced these results:
28% of young Britons don’t use the semicolon at all. 39% of students claim to rarely use semicolons; just 11% of respondents described themselves as frequent users of the semicolon.
Over half (54%) of young Britons don’t know the rules around semicolon usage (4 of the 5 most poorly-answered questions required respondents to identify when to replace a comma with a semicolon). UK students scored 49% on average on the semicolon quiz.
However, we shouldn’t confuse a survey with empirical data. According to Ngram again, if we look at the use of semicolons in publications, beginning 2017 it started a gradual recovery, with a 27% rise by 2022.
Perhaps there’s still hope?
Semicolon Rules
The most common way to use semicolons is to link two independent clauses that are part of the same thought.
For example, “Tonight, I’m going out for ice cream; my favorite flavor is Rocky Road.”
A handy use of semicolons is within a list of terms that already include commas. “Some of my favorite cities are Boston, Massachusetts; Sydney, Australia; and London, England.”
Avoid using a capital letter immediately after a semicolon unless the word is a proper noun, and don’t use a conjunction (“and,” “or,” “but,” etc.) either. Except in the case of a list as above.
Finally, if you’re in a particularly jaunty mood, you can use a semicolon if you’re building a punctuation-based emoji; it serves as the eyes for a wink emoji. ;)
One Final Thing
In Semicolon: The Past, Present, and Future of a Misunderstood Mark, Cecelia Watson charts the rise and fall of this infamous punctuation mark, which for years was the trendiest one in the world of letters. But in the nineteenth century, as grammar books became all the rage, the rules of how we use language became both stricter and more confusing, with the semicolon a prime victim.
In this fun biography, Watson writes a guide to grammar that explains why we don’t need guides at all, and refocuses our attention on the deepest, most primary value of language: true communication.
Where do you come down on semicolon usage?
There’s so much to learn,
Aldus Manutius: Italics, the Semicolon, and Pocket Books, UT Blog, November 26, 2015
Mount Etna experienced a major eruption just this week - Sicily’s Mount Etna erupts with columns of smoke and ash AP News, June 2, 2025
The Birth of the Semicolon, Cecelia Watson, The Paris Review, August 1, 2019
Babbel survey, May 20, 2025
Best; Subject Line; Ever.