View source for Ellipsis

{{short description|Triple-dot punctuation mark}}
{{about|the punctuation mark|the syntactic omission of words|Ellipsis (linguistics)|other uses}}
{{redirect|...|other uses|Three dots (disambiguation)}}
{{distinguish|Ellipse}}
{{bots|deny=AWB}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2020}}
{{Infobox punctuation mark|mark = … <!-- leave this as the Unicode ellipsis character. [[MOS:ELLIPSIS]] does not apply in this specific context. -->
|name = Ellipsis
|other_names =
|unicode = {{unichar|2026|HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS|html=}}
|variant1 = ...|caption1 = [[AP Stylebook|AP format]]<!--
-->|variant2 = .&nbsp;.&nbsp;.|caption2=[[The Chicago Manual of Style|Chicago format]]<!--
-->|variant3 = ⋯|caption3=Mid-line ellipsis<!--
-->|variant4 =  ⋮|caption4=Vertical ellipsis}}
The '''ellipsis''' ({{IPAc-en|ə|ˈ|l|ɪ|p|s|ɪ|s}}, plural '''ellipses'''; from {{langx|grc|ἔλλειψις}}, {{lang|grc-Latn|élleipsis}}, {{lit|leave out}}<ref name=OED>{{Cite web|title=ellipsis|url=https://www.lexico.com/definition/ellipsis|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200714180356/https://www.lexico.com/definition/ellipsis|archive-date=14 July 2020|work=Oxford English Dictionary|publisher=Lexico.com|access-date=13 July 2020}}</ref>), rendered {{char|...}}, alternatively described as '''suspension points'''<ref name="MerriamWebster">{{cite book |title=Merriam-Webster's Manual for Writers and Editors |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |year=1998 |isbn=978-0-87779-622-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7C6V9zRxSPkC |access-date=2024-10-16}}</ref>{{rp|19}}/'''dots''', <!--'''suspension''', --> '''points'''<ref name="MerriamWebster" />{{rp|19}}/'''periods of ellipsis''', or '''ellipsis points''',<ref name="MerriamWebster" />{{rp|19}} or [[colloquialism|colloquially]], '''dot-dot-dot''',<ref name="Toner">{{cite book |first=Anne |last=Toner |title=Ellipsis in English Literature: Signs of Omission |location=Cambridge, England |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2015 |page=151}}. According to Toner it is difficult to establish when the "dot dot dot" phrase was first used. There is an early instance, which is perhaps the first in a piece of fiction, in [[Virginia Woolf]]'s short story "An Unwritten Novel" (1920).</ref><ref>Source for ''suspension'': {{cite web |last=Trask |first=Larry |author-link=Larry Trask |title=Quotation Marks and Direct Quotations |work=Guide to Puntuation [sic.] |date=1997 |publisher=Department of Informatics, [[University of Sussex]] |url= https://www.sussex.ac.uk/informatics/punctuation/quotes/marks |access-date=1 January 2024}}{{not verified in body|date = July 2024}}</ref> is a  [[punctuation mark]] consisting of a series of three dots. An ellipsis can be used in many ways, such as for intentional omission of text or numbers, to imply a concept without using words.<ref name=OED /> Style guides differ on how to render an ellipsis in printed material.

==Style==
Opinions differ on how to render an ellipsis in printed material and are to some extent based on the technology used for rendering. According to ''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'', it should consist of three [[full stop|period]]s, each separated from its neighbor by a [[non-breaking space]]: {{char|.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.}}.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|title=Ellipses defined |url=https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/part2/ch13/psec050.html|encyclopedia=The Chicago Manual of Style Online|year=2010|edition=16th}}</ref> According to the ''[[AP Stylebook]]'', the periods should be rendered with no space between them: {{char|...}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bkacontent.com/ap-style-how-to-use-ellipses/|last=Fung|first=Henry|year=2016|title=AP Style: How to Use Ellipses|access-date=10 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181211010236/https://www.bkacontent.com/ap-style-how-to-use-ellipses/|archive-date=11 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> A third option {{endash}} available in electronic text {{endash}} is to use the [[precomposed character]] U+2026 {{char|…}} {{sc|Horizontal ellipsis}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://practicaltypography.com/ellipses.html|last=Butterick|first=Matthew|title=Butterick's Practical Typography|edition=2nd|access-date=2018-12-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214070726/https://practicaltypography.com/ellipses.html|archive-date=2018-12-14|url-status=live}}</ref>
When text is omitted following a sentence, a period (full stop) terminates the sentence, and a subsequent ellipsis indicates one or more omitted sentences before continuing a longer quotation. ''[[Business Insider]]'' magazine suggests this style<ref>{{cite web |title=Here's how to use the four-dot ellipsis like a pro |first=Melia |last=Robinson |date=30 April 2016 |work=BusinessInsider.com |publisher=[[Insider Inc.]] / [[Axel Springer SE]] |url= https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-use-the-four-dot-ellipsis-2016-4 |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171224064651/https://www.businessinsider.com/when-to-use-the-four-dot-ellipsis-2016-4 |archive-date=24 December 2017 |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> and it is also used in many [[academic journal]]s. The ''Associated Press Stylebook'' favors this approach.<ref>{{cite web |title=Using AP Style Ellipses Correctly |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=5 December 2017 |work=WordAgents.com |location=Lindenhurst, New York |publisher=Word Agents |url=http://wordagents.com/ap-style-ellipses/ |access-date=27 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727212231/http://wordagents.com/ap-style-ellipses/ |archive-date=27 July 2018 |url-status=live}} {{better source|date=July 2018|reason=Just some blog; better to get this from official AP materials, but this will do for now.}}</ref>

When a sentence ends with ellipsis, some style guides indicate there should be four dots; three for ellipsis and a period. ''Chicago'' advises it,<ref>''The Chicago Manual of Style'', 17th edition (2017), §13.51–52.</ref> as does the ''[[Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association]]'' (APA style),<ref>Summarized here: {{cite web |first=Paige |last=Jackson |title=Ellipses–When and How? |date=22 April 2011 |work=Blog.APAStyle.org |publisher=[[American Psychological Association]] |url= http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/04/ellipses-when-and-how.html |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171210122450/http://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2011/04/ellipses-when-and-how.html |archive-date=10 December 2017 |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> while some other style guides do not; the ''[[Merriam-Webster]] Dictionary'' and related works treat this style as optional, saying that it "may" be used.<ref>{{cite web |title=Usage Notes: All About Ellipses – It's time to stop calling them 'dot dot dot' |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2017 |work=Merriam-Webster.com |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |url= https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/ellipses-definition-uses |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170531171513/https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/ellipses-definition-uses |archive-date=31 May 2017 |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref>

==In writing==
In her book on the ellipsis, ''Ellipsis in English Literature: Signs of Omission'', Anne Toner suggests that the first use of the punctuation in the English language dates to a 1588 translation of [[Terence]]'s ''[[Andria (comedy)|Andria]]'', by [[Maurice Kyffin]].<ref name="Toner" /> In this case, however, the ellipsis consists not of dots but of short dashes.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/dot-dot-dot-how-the-ellipsis-made-its-mark |first=Alex |last=Buxton |title=... dot, dot, dot: How the ellipsis made its mark |work= Research |date=21 October 2015 |location=Cambridge, England |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |url-status=live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180104063312/https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/dot-dot-dot-how-the-ellipsis-made-its-mark |archive-date=4 January 2018 |access-date=27 July 2018}}</ref> "Subpuncting" of [[medieval]] manuscripts also denotes omitted meaning and may be related.<ref>{{cite news |last=McNabb |first=Cameron Hunt |title=The Mysterious History of the Ellipsis, From Medieval Subpuncting to Irrational Numbers |url=http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2016/08/17/the_ellipsis_in_medieval_manuscripts_how_subpuncting_in_the_middle_ages.html |access-date=18 August 2016 |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=17 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818080323/http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2016/08/17/the_ellipsis_in_medieval_manuscripts_how_subpuncting_in_the_middle_ages.html |archive-date=18 August 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The popularity of the ellipsis took off after Kyffin's usage; containing three examples in his 1588 translation of ''Andria'', by the 1627 translation of the same play there were 29 examples of its usage.<ref name="CUP"/> They appear in [[William Shakespeare]]'s plays in addition to [[Ben Jonson]]'s.<ref name="CUP"/> In 1634, John Barton, an English schoolmaster, wrote in ''The Art of Rhetorick'' that "eclipsis" is much used in playbooks “where they are noted thus ---”.<ref name="CUP">{{cite news |title=… dot, dot, dot: how the ellipsis made its mark |url=https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/dot-dot-dot-how-the-ellipsis-made-its-mark |access-date=25 December 2024 |publisher=University of Cambridge}}</ref> In the first folio edition of Shakespeare’s ''[[Henry IV, Part 1]]'', Toner writes, "Hotspur dies on a dash", with his last words cut short.<ref name="CUP"/>

Different types of ellipsis faced opposition. In the 18th-century, [[Jonathan Swift]] rhymed "dash" with "printed trash", while [[Henry Fielding]] chose the name 'Dash' for an unlikeable character in his 1730 play ''[[The Author's Farce]]''.<ref name="CUP"/> It has also been championed by writers such as [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]], [[Jane Austen]] and [[Virginia Woolf]].<ref name="CUP"/> According to Toner, an early example of the dot dot dot phrase is in Woolf's short story "[[A Haunted House and Other Short Stories|An Unwritten Novel]]" (1920).<ref name="Toner"/>

Occasionally, it would be used in [[Pulp magazine|pulp fiction]] and other works of early 20th-century fiction to denote expletives that would otherwise have been censored.<ref>Raymond Chandler, Frank MacShane. ''Raymond Chandler: Stories and Early Novels''. First Edition. [[New York City|New York]]: [[Library of America]]. 1995. ''Note on the Texts''.</ref>

An ellipsis may also imply an unstated alternative indicated by context. For example, "I never drink wine&nbsp;..." implies that the speaker does drink something else{{mdash}}such as vodka.

In reported speech, the ellipsis can be used to represent an intentional silence.

In poetry, an ellipsis is used as a thought-pause or [[Line break (poetry)|line break]] at the [[caesura]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://classroom.synonym.com/ellipses-poem-3994.html|title=What Are Ellipses in a Poem?|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305173518/http://classroom.synonym.com/ellipses-poem-3994.html|archive-date=5 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> or this is used to highlight [[sarcasm]] or make the reader think about the last points in the poem.

In news reporting, often put inside square [[brackets]], it is used to indicate that a quotation has been condensed for space, brevity or relevance, as in "The President said that [...] he would not be satisfied", where the exact quotation was "The President said that, for as long as this situation continued, he would not be satisfied".

[[Herb Caen]], Pulitzer-prize-winning columnist for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', became famous for his "three-dot journalism".<ref name=Caen>[http://www.deseretnews.com/article/492296/HERB-CAEN-WAY----HONORS-SF-COLUMNIST.html `HERB CAEN WAY . . .' HONORS S.F. COLUMNIST] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170905231945/http://www.deseretnews.com/article/492296/HERB-CAEN-WAY----HONORS-SF-COLUMNIST.html |date=2017-09-05 }}, in the ''[[Deseret News]]''; published May 29, 1996; retrieved September 5, 2017</ref>

Depending on context, ellipsis can indicate an unfinished thought, a leading statement, a slight [[Pausa|pause]], an echoing voice, or a nervous or awkward silence. [[Aposiopesis]] is the use of an ellipsis to trail off into silence—for example: "But I thought he was..." When placed at the end of a sentence, an ellipsis may be used to suggest melancholy or longing.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ellipsis |url=http://www.bookdesign.ca/31a_Ellipsis.htm |access-date=2021-04-29 |website=bookdesign.ca | year=2011}}</ref>

In newspaper and magazine columns, ellipses may separate items of a list instead of paragraph breaks.<ref name="MerriamWebster" />{{rp|21}}

[[Merriam-Webster]]'s ''Manual for Writers and Editors'' uses a line of ellipsis to indicate omission of whole lines in a quoted poem.<ref name="MerriamWebster" />{{rp|147}}

==In different languages==
===In English===
<!-- Ellipsis in English redirects here -->

====American English====
''[[The Chicago Manual of Style]]'' suggests the use of an ellipsis for any omitted word, phrase, line, or paragraph from within but not at the end of a quoted passage. There are two commonly used methods of using ellipses: one uses three dots for any omission, while the second one makes a distinction between omissions within a sentence (using three dots:&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.) and omissions between sentences (using a period and a space followed by three dots:&nbsp;.&nbsp;...). The ''Chicago Style'' [[wikt:Q and A|Q&A]] recommends that writers avoid using the precomposed {{char|…}}&nbsp;(U+2026) character in manuscripts and to place three periods plus two nonbreaking spaces (.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.) instead, leaving the editor, publisher, or typographer to replace them later.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/SpecialCharacters/SpecialCharacters09.html |title=Chicago Style Q&A: How do I insert an ellipsis in my manuscript? |year=2010 |work=[[The Chicago Manual of Style]], edition 16 |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |access-date=2011-02-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010042223/http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/CMS_FAQ/SpecialCharacters/SpecialCharacters09.html |archive-date=2010-10-10 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Modern Language Association]] (MLA) used to indicate that an ellipsis must include spaces before and after each dot in all uses. If an ellipsis is meant to represent an omission, [[square bracket]]s must surround the ellipsis to make it clear that there was no pause in the original quote: {{char|[&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;]}}. Currently, the MLA has removed the requirement of brackets in its style handbooks. However, some maintain that the use of brackets is still correct because it clears confusion.<ref>Fowler, H. Ramsey, Jane E. Aaron, Murray McArthur. ''The Little, Brown Handbook''. Fourth Canadian Edition. [[Toronto]]: [[Longman|Pearson Longman]]. 2005. p. 440.</ref>

The MLA now indicates that a three-dot, spaced ellipsis {{char|&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;}} should be used for removing material from within one sentence within a quote. When crossing sentences (when the omitted text contains a period, so that omitting the end of a sentence counts), a four-dot, spaced (except for before the first dot) ellipsis {{char|.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;.&nbsp;}} should be used. When ellipsis points are used in the original text, ellipsis points that are not in the original text should be distinguished by enclosing them in square brackets (e.g. {{char|text [...] text}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.uhv.edu/student-success-center/resources/e-p/ellipsis-use-in-mla-style/|last=Jones|first=Karalyn|title=Using Ellipsis in MLA Style|institution=[[University of Houston–Victoria]]|year=2009|access-date=2018-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612140911/https://www.uhv.edu/student-success-center/resources/e-p/ellipsis-use-in-mla-style/|archive-date=2018-06-12|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://naropa.edu/documents/programs/jks/naropa-writing-center/citation-comparison.pdf |title=Home Page |access-date=2016-06-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804045039/http://naropa.edu/documents/programs/jks/naropa-writing-center/citation-comparison.pdf |archive-date=2016-08-04 |url-status=live}}</ref>

According to the Associated Press, the ellipsis should be used to condense quotations. It is less commonly used to indicate a pause in speech or an unfinished thought or to separate items in material such as show business gossip. The stylebook indicates that if the shortened sentence before the mark can stand as a sentence, it should do so, with an ellipsis placed after the period or other ending punctuation. When material is omitted at the end of a paragraph and also immediately following it, an ellipsis goes both at the end of that paragraph and at the beginning of the next, according to this style.<ref>Goldstein, Norm, editor. "Associated Press Stylebook and Briefing on Media Law". 2005. pp.328–329.</ref>

According to Robert Bringhurst's ''[[Elements of Typographic Style]]'', the details of typesetting ellipses depend on the character and size of the font being set and the typographer's preference. Bringhurst writes that a full space between each dot is "another Victorian eccentricity. In most contexts, the Chicago ellipsis is much too wide"—he recommends using flush dots (with a normal word space before and after), or [[thin space|''thin''-spaced]] dots (up to one-fifth of an [[em (typography)|em]]), or the prefabricated ellipsis character {{unichar|2026|HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS|html=}}. Bringhurst suggests that normally an ellipsis should be spaced fore-and-aft to separate it from the text, but when it combines with other punctuation, the leading space disappears and the other punctuation follows. This is the usual practice in typesetting. He provides the following examples:

{| summary="six examples of setting ellipsis" style="margin-left:3em;font-family: serif;"
|-
| style="width:5em;" | i&nbsp;... j
| style="width:5em;" | k....
| style="width:5em;" | l..., l
| style="width:5em;" | l,&nbsp;... l
| style="width:5em;" | m...?
| style="width:5em;" | n...!
|}

In legal writing in the United States, Rule 5.3 in the ''[[Bluebook]]'' citation guide governs the use of ellipses and requires a space before the first dot and between the two subsequent dots. If an ellipsis ends the sentence, then there are three dots, each separated by a space, followed by the final punctuation (e.g. {{char|Hah . . . ?}}). In some legal writing, an ellipsis is written as three [[asterisk]]s, {{char|***}} or {{char|*&nbsp;*&nbsp;*}}, to make it obvious that text has been omitted or to signal that the omitted text extends beyond the end of the paragraph.

====British English====
''The [[Hart's Rules|Oxford Style Guide]]'' recommends setting the ellipsis as a single character {{char|…}} or as a series of three (narrow) spaced dots surrounded by spaces, thus: {{char|{{nbsp}}.{{thinsp}}.{{thinsp}}.{{nbsp}}}}. If there is an ellipsis at the end of an incomplete sentence, the final full stop is omitted. However, it is retained if the following ellipsis represents an omission between two complete sentences.<ref>''New Hart's Rules: The Oxford Style Guide''. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2014.</ref>

<blockquote><poem>The ... fox jumps ...
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. ... And if they have not died, they are still alive today.
It is not cold ... it is freezing cold.</poem></blockquote>

Contrary to ''The Oxford Style Guide'', the ''University of Oxford Style Guide'' demands an ellipsis not to be surrounded by spaces, except when it stands for a pause; then, a space has to be set after the ellipsis (but not before), and it states that an ellipsis should never be preceded or followed by a full stop.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ox.ac.uk/sites/files/oxford/University%20of%20Oxford%20Style%20Guide%20%28updated%20Hilary%20term%202016%29.pdf | title = University of Oxford Style Guide: Hilary term 2016 | location = Oxford |publisher = University of Oxford | date= 2016 | page=15 |access-date= 18 May 2017}}</ref>

<blockquote><poem>The...fox jumps...
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog...And if they have not died, they are still alive today.
It is not cold... it is freezing cold.</poem></blockquote>

===In Polish===
When applied in [[Polish language|Polish]] syntax, the ellipsis is called {{lang|pl|wielokropek}}, literally "multidot". The word ''wielokropek'' distinguishes the ellipsis of Polish syntax from that of [[mathematical notation]], in which it is known as an {{lang|pl|elipsa}}. When an ellipsis replaces a fragment omitted from a quotation, the ellipsis is enclosed in parentheses or square brackets. An unbracketed ellipsis indicates an interruption or pause in speech. The syntactic rules for ellipses are standardized by the 1983 Polska Norma document [[PN-83/P-55366]], {{lang|pl|Zasady składania tekstów w języku polskim}} (Rules for Setting Texts in Polish).

===In Russian===
The combination "ellipsis+period" is replaced by the ellipsis. The combinations "ellipsis+exclamation mark" and "ellipsis+question mark" are written in this way: !.. ?..

===In Japanese===
The most common character corresponding to an ellipsis is called ''3''-ten rīdā ("''3''-dot leaders", {{lang|ja|…}}). 2-ten rīdā exists as a character, but it is used less commonly. In writing, the ellipsis consists usually of six dots (two ''3''-ten rīdā characters, {{lang|ja|……}}). Three dots (one ''3''-ten rīdā character) may be used where space is limited, such as in a header. However, variations in the number of dots exist. In horizontally written text the dots are commonly vertically centered within the text height (between the [[Baseline (typography)|baseline]] and the ascent line), as in the standard Japanese [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] fonts; in vertically written text the dots are always centered horizontally. As the Japanese word for dot is pronounced "{{lang|ja-Latn|ten}}", the dots are colloquially called "{{lang|ja-Latn|ten-ten-ten}}" ({{lang|ja|てんてんてん}}, akin to the English "dot dot dot").<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20170605/geo17060514190023-n1.html |title=秋元順子、古希に得意のダジャレ 「あまり"コキ"使わないでください」 |trans-title=Junko Akimoto used puns she was good at on Koki: "Please don't push me around too much." |date=5 June 2017 |website=SANSPO.COM |publisher=SANKEI DIGITAL Inc. |access-date=10 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190309024932/https://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/20170605/geo17060514190023-n1.html |archive-date=9 March 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=<!--not stated--> |date=2021-01-15 |title=語尾が「…」ばかり「三点リーダー症候群」 相手のせいにするズルさも |trans-title=The ending is just "..." "Three-point leader syndrome" |url=https://www.news-postseven.com/archives/20210115_1627800.html?DETAIL |work=NEWSポストセブン |location= |access-date=2022-03-27}}</ref>

In text in Japanese media, such as in [[manga]] or video games, ellipses are much more frequent than in English, and are often changed to another punctuation sign in translation. The ellipsis by itself represents speechlessness, or a "[[pregnant pause]]". Depending on the context, this could be anything from an admission of guilt to an expression of being dumbfounded at another person's words or actions.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mandelin |first1=Clyde |title=Legends of Localization: How Japanese Ellipsis Usage Compares with English |url=https://legendsoflocalization.com/qa-japanese-ellipsis-usage-and-english-translation/ |website=Legends of Localization |access-date=14 December 2018 |language=en |date=8 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214164227/https://legendsoflocalization.com/qa-japanese-ellipsis-usage-and-english-translation/ |archive-date=14 December 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> As a device, the ''ten-ten-ten'' is intended to focus the reader on a character while allowing the character to not speak any dialogue. This conveys to the reader a focus of the narrative "camera" on the silent subject, implying an expectation of some motion or action. It is not unheard of to see inanimate objects "speaking" the ellipsis.

===In Chinese===
In [[Chinese written language|Chinese]], the ellipsis is six dots (in two groups of three dots, occupying the same horizontal or vertical space as two characters). In horizontally written text the dots are commonly vertically centered along the midline (halfway between the Roman descent and Roman ascent, or equivalently halfway between the Roman [[Baseline (typography)|baseline]] and the capital height, i.e. {{lang|zh|⋯⋯}}). This is generally true of [[Traditional Chinese]], while [[Simplified Chinese]] tends to have the ellipses aligned with the baseline;<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2019-07-21 |title=Designing with the Hanzi script – Keith Tam |url=https://keithtam.net/designing-with-the-hanzi-script/ |access-date=2024-07-22 |language=en-GB}}</ref> in vertically written text the dots are always centered horizontally (i.e. {{lang-zh|{{Vertical text|︙︙}}}}).<ref>{{Citation |title=省略号 |date=2024-07-14 |work=维基百科，自由的百科全书 |url=https://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E7%9C%81%E7%95%A5%E5%8F%B7&oldid=83402231 |access-date=2024-07-22 |language=zh}}</ref> Also note that Taiwan and China have different punctuation standards.<ref name=":0" />

===In Spanish===
In [[Spanish language|Spanish]], the ellipsis is commonly used as a substitute of ''[[et cetera]]'' at the end of unfinished lists. So it means "and so forth" or "and other things".

Other use is the suspension of a part of a text, or a paragraph, or a phrase or a part of a word because it is obvious, or unnecessary, or implied. For instance, sometimes the ellipsis is used to avoid the complete use of expletives.

When the ellipsis is placed alone into a [[Bracket|parenthesis]] (...) or—less often—between [[bracket]]s [...], which is what happens usually within a text [[Transcription (linguistics)|transcription]], it means the original text had more contents on the same position but are not useful to our target in the transcription. When the suppressed text is at the beginning or at the end of a text, the ellipsis does not need to be placed in a parenthesis.

The number of dots is three and only three.<ref name="RAE">{{cite web |title=Puntos suspensivos |url=https://www.rae.es/buen-uso-espa%C3%B1ol/los-puntos-suspensivos-i-usos-principales|website=[[Real Academia Espanola]]|access-date=2024-10-03}}</ref> They should have no space in between them nor with the preceding word, but there should be an space with the following word (except if they are followed by a punctuation sign, such as a comma).<ref name="RAE"/>

===In French===
In [[French language|French]], the ellipsis is commonly used at the end of lists to represent {{lang|la|et cetera}}. In French typography, the ellipsis is written immediately after the preceding word, but has a space after it, for example: {{lang|fr|comme ça... pas comme ceci}}. If, exceptionally, it begins a sentence, there is a space before and after, for example: {{lang|fr|Lui&thinsp;? ... vaut rien, je crois...}}. However, any omitted word, phrase or line at the end of a quoted passage would be indicated as follows: [...] (space before and after the square brackets but not inside), for example: {{lang|fr|... à Paris, Nice, Nantes, Toulouse [...]}}.

===In German===
In [[German language|German]], the ellipsis in general is surrounded by spaces, if it stands for one or more omitted words. On the other side there is no space between a letter or (part of) a word and an ellipsis, if it stands for one or more omitted letters, that should stick to the written letter or letters.

Example for both cases, using German style: ''The first el...is stands for omitted letters, the second ... for an omitted word.''

If the ellipsis is at the end of a sentence, the final full stop is omitted.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rechtschreibrat.com/DOX/rfdr_regeln_inkl_Nachtraegen.pdf |title=Deutsche Rechtschreibung. Regeln und Wörterverzeichnis |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=2010 |publisher=Rat für deutsche Rechtschreibung |access-date=2015-10-18 |quote=$ 100: Stehen die Auslassungspunkte am Ende eines Ganzsatzes, so setzt man keinen Satzschlusspunkt. |page=100 |language=German |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170426151612/http://www.rechtschreibrat.com/DOX/rfdr_regeln_inkl_Nachtraegen.pdf |archive-date=2017-04-26 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Example: ''I think that ...''

=== In Italian ===
The {{lang|it|Accademia della Crusca}} suggests the use of an ellipsis ({{lang|it|"puntini di sospensione"}}) to indicate a pause longer than a period and, when placed between brackets, the omission of letters, words or phrases.<ref>{{Cite web|title=La punteggiatura|url=https://accademiadellacrusca.it/it/consulenza/la-punteggiatura/143|access-date=September 1, 2021|website=[[Accademia della Crusca]]}}</ref> {{Blockquote|{{lang|it|"Tra le cose più preziose possedute da Andrea Sperelli era una coperta di seta fina, d'un colore azzurro disfatto, intorno a cui giravano i dodici segni dello Zodiaco in ricamo, con le denominazioni […] a caratteri gotici."}} (Gabriele D'Annunzio, ''Il piacere'')<ref>{{Cite web|title=Puntini di sospensione|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/puntini-di-sospensione_%28La-grammatica-italiana%29/|access-date=1 September 2021|website=[[Treccani]]}}</ref>}}

==In mathematical notation==
An ellipsis is used in [[mathematics]] to mean "and so forth"; usually indicating the omission of terms that follow an obvious pattern as indicated by included terms.

The whole numbers from 1 to 100 can be shown as:

: <math>1,2,3,\ldots,100</math>

The positive whole numbers, an infinite list, can be shown as:

: <math>1,2,3,\ldots</math>

To indicate omitted terms in a repeated operation, an ellipsis is sometimes raised from the baseline, as:<ref name="MerriamWebster" />{{rp|115}}

: <math>1+2+3+\cdots+100</math>

But, this raised formatting is not standard. For example, Russian mathematical texts use the baseline format.<ref>Мильчин А. Э. [http://slovari.yandex.ru/~книги/Издательский%20словарь/Многоточие%20в%20математических%20формулах/ Издательский словарь-справочник] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326175211/https://slovari.yandex.ru/~%D0%BA%D0%BD%D0%B8%D0%B3%D0%B8/%D0%98%D0%B7%D0%B4%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9%20%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%8C/%D0%9C%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B3%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%BE%D1%87%D0%B8%D0%B5%20%D0%B2%20%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B5%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D1%85%20%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D1%83%D0%BB%D0%B0%D1%85/ |date=2015-03-26 }}.— Изд. 3-е, испр. и доп., Электронное — М.: ОЛМА-Пресс, 2006. (in Russian)</ref>

The ellipsis is not a formally defined [[mathematical symbol]]. Repeated summations or products may be more formally denoted using [[Capital sigma notation|capital sigma]] and [[capital pi notation]], respectively:

: <math>1+2+3+\cdots+100\ = \sum_{n=1}^{100} n = 100?</math> (see [[termial]])
: <math>1 \times 2 \times 3 \times \cdots \times 100\ = \prod_{n=1}^{100} n = 100!</math> (see [[factorial]])

Ellipsis is sometimes used where the pattern is not clear. For example, indicating the indefinite continuation of an [[irrational number]] such as:

: <math>\pi=3.14159265\ldots</math>

It can be useful to display an expression compactly, for example:

: <math>1+4+9+\cdots+n^2+\cdots+400</math>

In [[set notation]], the ellipsis is used as horizontal, vertical and diagonal for indicating missing [[Matrix (mathematics)|matrix]] terms, such as the size-''n'' [[identity matrix]]:

: <math>I_n = \begin{bmatrix}1 & 0 & \cdots & 0 \\0 & 1 & \cdots & 0 \\\vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\0 & 0 & \cdots & 1 \end{bmatrix}</math>

==In computer programming==
Some [[programming language]]s use [[Ellipsis (programming operator)|ellipsis]] to indicate a range or for a variable argument list.

The CSS <code>text-overflow</code> property can be set to <code>ellipsis</code>, which cuts off text with an ellipsis when it overflows the content area.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/text-overflow|title=text-overflow|website=Mozilla Developer Network|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111172018/https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS/text-overflow|archive-date=11 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://drafts.csswg.org/css-ui-3/#text-overflow|title=CSS Basic User Interface Module Level 3 (CSS3 UI)|website=drafts.csswg.org|access-date=12 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180111171232/https://drafts.csswg.org/css-ui-3/#text-overflow|archive-date=11 January 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==In computer user interface==

===More===
An ellipsis is sometimes used as the label for a button to access user interface that has been omitted {{endash}} probably due to space limitations {{endash}} particularly in [[mobile app]]s running on small screen devices. This may be described as a "more button".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://medium.com/@jsaito/the-mighty-ellipsis-6c2c00ddc864 |title=The Mighty Ellipsis – How 3 little dots can say so much|access-date=2019-11-06 |date=2016-09-06}}</ref>

Similar functionality may be accessible via a button with a [[hamburger icon]] ('''≡''') or a narrow version called the [[kebab icon]] which is a '''vertical ellipsis''' ('''{{char|⋮}}''').

===More info needed===
[[Image:Menu (computing) example.PNG|thumb|A [[drop-down menu]] of [[file operation]]s]]
According to some style guides, a [[Menu (computing)|menu item]] or [[button]] labeled with a trailing ellipsis requests an operation that cannot be completed without additional information and selecting it will prompt the user for input.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://developer.apple.com/macos/human-interface-guidelines/menus/menu-anatomy/ |title=developer.apple.com: Menu and Menu Item Titles |access-date=2018-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131140912/https://developer.apple.com/macos/human-interface-guidelines/menus/menu-anatomy/ |archive-date=2018-01-31 |url-status=live}}</ref> Without an ellipsis, selecting the item or button will perform an action without user input.

For example, the menu item "Save" overwrites an existing file whereas "Save as..." prompts the user for save options before saving.

===Busy/progress===
Ellipsis is commonly used to indicate that a longer-lasting operation is in progress like "Loading...", "Saving...".

Sometimes progress is animated with an ellipse-like construct of repeatedly adding dots to a label.

==In texting==
In text-based communications, the ellipsis may indicate:
* Floor holding, signal that more is to come, for instance when people break up longer turns in chat.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Simpson|first=J|title=Meaning-making online: Discourse and CMC in a Language learning community|journal=Recent Research Developments in Learning Technologies|year=2005|citeseerx = 10.1.1.108.463}}</ref>
* Politeness, for instance indicating topic change or hesitation.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Erika|first=Darics|title=Relational work in synchronous text-based CMC of virtual teams|journal=Handbook of Research on Discourse Behavior and Digital Communication: Language Structures and Social Interaction|year=2010|url=http://eprints.port.ac.uk/3682/|access-date=2012-07-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405090849/http://eprints.port.ac.uk/3682/|archive-date=2014-04-05}}</ref>
* [[Turn construction unit]] to signal silence, for example when indicating disagreement, disapproval or confusion.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ong|first=Kenneth Keng Wee|title=Disagreement, Confusion, Disapproval, Turn Elicitation and Floor Holding: Actions accomplished by Ellipsis Marks-Only Turns and Blank Turns in Quasisynchronous Chat|journal=Discourse Studies|year=2011|volume=13|issue=2|pages=211–234|doi=10.1177/1461445610392138|hdl=10220/7160 |s2cid=220786774 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>

Although an ellipsis is complete with three periods (...), an ellipsis-like construct with more dots is used to indicate "trailing-off" or "silence".<ref name=dots>{{cite conference|url=http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/facultyprofiles/files/publications/ADmanessj/Maness--The%20Power%20of%20Dots%28personal%29.pdf|title=The Power of Dots: Using Nonverbal Compensators in Chat Reference|first=Jack M.|last=Maness|year=2007|conference=Annual Meeting of ASIS&T|conference-url=http://www.asis.org/Conferences/AM07/|book-title=Proceedings of the 2007 Annual Meeting of ASIS&T|publisher=University Libraries − [[University of Colorado at Boulder]]|access-date=24 October 2011|doi=10.1002/meet.1450440341|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203091642/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/facultyprofiles/files/publications/ADmanessj/Maness--The%20Power%20of%20Dots%28personal%29.pdf|archive-date=3 December 2012|doi-access=free}}</ref> The extent of repetition in itself might serve as an additional contextualization or paralinguistic cue; one paper wrote that they "extend the lexical meaning of the words, add character to the sentences, and allow fine-tuning and personalisation of the message".<ref>{{Citation |last1=Kalman |first1=Yoram M. |title=CMC Cues Enrich Lean Online Communication: The Case of Letter and Punctuation Mark Repetitions |date=2010 |url=https://www.scholars.northwestern.edu/en/publications/cmc-cues-enrich-lean-online-communication-the-case-of-letter-and- |work=Proceedings of the Fifth Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208021439/http://www.kalmans.com/MCIS2010Cues.pdf |access-date=2023-03-02 |archive-date=8 December 2013 |last2=Gergle |first2=Darren Robert}}</ref>

While composing a text message, some environments show others in the conversation a [[typing awareness indicator]] ellipsis to indicate remote activity.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gardiner |first1=Michael E. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iiQlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA147 |title=Boredom Studies Reader: Frameworks and Perspectives |last2=Haladyn |first2=Julian Jason |date=2016-10-04 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-317-40361-6 |page=147 |language=en}}</ref>

==Computer representations==
In [[computing]], several ellipsis [[character (computing)|characters]] have been codified.

===Unicode===

[[Unicode]] defines the following ellipsis characters:

* {{unichar|2026}}
* {{unichar|0EAF}}
* {{unichar|1801}}
* {{unichar|0E2F}}
* {{unichar|22EE}}
* {{unichar|22EF}}
* {{unichar|22F0}}
* {{unichar|22F1}}
* {{unichar|FE19}}

Unicode recognizes a series of three [[full stop|period]] characters ({{unichar|002E}}) as [[Unicode equivalence|compatibility equivalent]] (though not canonical) to the horizontal ellipsis character.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.unicode.org/Public/UNIDATA/UnicodeData.txt |title=Unicode Data |quote=2026;HORIZONTAL ELLIPSIS;Po;0;ON;&lt;compat> 002E 002E 002E;;;;N;;;;; }}</ref>

===HTML===

In [[HTML]], the horizontal ellipsis character may be represented by the entity reference <code>&amp;hellip;</code> (since HTML 4.0), and the vertical ellipsis character by the entity reference <code>&amp;vellip;</code> (since HTML 5.0).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-html5-20110113/named-character-references.html#entity-vellip |title=W3C Working Draft: HTML5: 8.5 Named character references |year=2011 |access-date=2012-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123052235/http://www.w3.org/TR/2011/WD-html5-20110113/named-character-references.html#entity-vellip |archive-date=2012-11-23 |url-status=live }}</ref> Alternatively, in HTML, [[XML]], and [[SGML]], a [[numeric character reference]] such as <code>&amp;#x2026;</code> or <code>&amp;#8230;</code> can be used.

===TeX===

In the [[TeX]] typesetting system, the following types of ellipsis are available:
{| class="wikitable"
! Name !! Glyph !! TeX markup
|-
| Lower ellipsis
| style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;"| <math>\ldots</math>
| <code>\ldots</code>
|-
| Centred ellipsis
| style="text-align:center;"| <math>\cdots</math>
| <code>\cdots</code>
|-
| Diagonal ellipsis
| style="text-align:center;"| <math>\ddots</math>
| <code>\ddots</code>
|-
| Vertical ellipsis
| style="text-align:center;"| <math>\vdots</math>
| <code>\vdots</code>
|}

In [[LaTeX]], the reverse orientation of <code>\ddots</code> can be achieved with <code>\reflectbox</code> provided by the <code>graphicx</code> package: <code>\reflectbox{\ddots}</code> yields [[File:Iddots black.svg|18px]].

With the <code>amsmath</code> package from [[AMS-Latex|AMS-LaTeX]], more specific ellipses are provided for math mode.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20180619212427/ftp://ftp.ams.org/pub/tex/doc/amsmath/amsldoc.pdf ''User's Guide for the <code>amsmath</code> Package'']. American Mathematical Society, 1999, p. 12.</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Markup !! Usage || Example || Output
|-
| <code>\dotsc</code> || dots with commas || <code>1, 2, \dotsc , 9</code> || <math>1, 2, \dotsc , 9</math>
|-
| <code>\dotsb</code> || dots with binary operators/relations || <code>1 + 2 + \dotsb + 9</code> || <math>1 + 2 + \dotsb + 9</math>
|-
| <code>\dotsm</code> || dots with multiplication || <code>A_1 A_2 \dotsm A_9</code> || <math>A_1 A_2 \dotsm A_9</math>
|-
| <code>\dotsi</code> || dots with integrals || <syntaxhighlight lang="tex" inline>\int_{A_1}\int_{A_2}\dotsi\int_{A_9}</syntaxhighlight> || <math>\int_{A_1}\int_{A_2}\dotsi\int_{A_9}</math>
|-
| <code>\dotso</code> || other dots || <code>123 \dotso 9</code> || <math>123 \dotso 9</math>
|}

===Other===

The horizontal ellipsis character also appears in older character maps:

* in [[Windows code page|Windows-1250—Windows-1258]] and in IBM/MS-DOS [[Code page 874]], at [[code point|code]] 85 (hexadecimal)
* in [[Mac-Roman encoding|Mac-Roman]], [[Macintosh Central European encoding|Mac-CentEuro]] and several other Macintosh encodings<!-- surely, in MacCyrillic, but I am not willing to check how many Mac CPs have … at this code point --Incnis Mrsi -->, at code C9 (hexadecimal)
* in [[Ventura International encoding]] at code C1 (hexadecimal)

Note that [[ISO/IEC 8859]] encoding series provides no code point for ellipsis.

As with all characters, especially those outside the [[ASCII]] range, the author, sender and receiver of an encoded ellipsis must be in agreement upon what bytes are being used to represent the character. Naive text processing software may improperly assume that a particular encoding is being used, resulting in [[mojibake]].

===Input===
In Windows using a suitable code page, {{unichar|2026}} can be inserted with {{key press|Alt|0}}{{key press|1}}{{key press|3}}{{key press|3}}, using the numeric keypad.

In macOS, it can be inserted with {{key press|Opt|;}} (on an English language keyboard).

In some Linux distributions, it can be inserted with {{key press|AltGr|.}} (this produces an [[interpunct]] on other systems), or {{key press|[[Compose key|Compose]]|.|.|chain=}}.

In Android, ellipsis is a long-press key. If [[Gboard]] is in alphanumeric layout, change to numeric and special characters layout by pressing {{key press|?123}} from alphanumeric layout. Once in numeric and special characters layout, long press {{key press|.}} key to insert an ellipsis. This is a single symbol without spaces in between the three dots ( {{key press|…}} ).

In [[Chinese language|Chinese]] and sometimes in [[Japanese language|Japanese]], ellipsis characters are made by entering two consecutive ''horizontal ellipses'', each with [[Unicode]] code point U+2026. In vertical texts, the application should rotate the symbol accordingly.

==See also==
* {{anli|Aposiopesis}}
* {{anli|Caesura}}
* [[Code folding]] or holophrasting – switching between full text and an ellipsis
* {{anli|Cohesion (linguistics)}}
* {{anli|Dinkus}} – a row of three dots (usually widely separated) alone in the middle of a gap between two paragraphs, to indicate a sub-chapter.
* An [[em dash]] {{char|—}} is sometimes used instead of an ellipsis, especially in written dialogue.
* {{anli|Elision}}. In written text, this is sometimes denoted using the horizontal ellipsis.
* {{anli|Leader (typography)}}
* {{anli|Leiden Conventions}}
* {{anli|Line (poetry)|Line break (poetry)}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bringhurst |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Bringhurst |year=2002 |title=The Elements of Typographic Style |title-link=The Elements of Typographic Style |edition=Version 2.5 |publisher=Hartley & Marks |location=[[Point Roberts, Washington]] |isbn=978-0-88179-132-7 |oclc=50848361 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780881791327/page/82 82–83]}}
* Halliday, M. A. K., and Ruqayia, H. (1976), ''Cohesion in English'', London: Longman.
* {{cite book |last=Morris |first=William |year=1980 |title= The Houghton Mifflin Canadian Dictionary of the English Language |location= [[Markham, Ontario]] |publisher= [[Houghton Mifflin]] Canada|isbn= 978-0-395-29654-7|oclc= 8063090|page= 424 (spacing of dots: . . .)}}
{{refend}}

== External links ==
* {{Wiktionary inline}}
* {{Commons category inline|Ellipses (punctuation)}}

{{Navbox punctuation}}

[[Category:Mathematical notation]]
[[Category:Punctuation]]
[[Category:Typographical symbols]]
[[Category:Dot patterns]]