Using the Ellipsis
The ellipsis is three dots that stand for something left out. In a quotation it marks words you have removed; in dialogue or a caption it marks a pause or a thought that fades away. The single Unicode character packs all three dots into one glyph so they stay together at a line break and keep even spacing in every font, which three typed periods cannot promise.
Spacing rules
Style guides disagree on how much air the dots need, and the answer decides whether you should use the character at all.
- AP and most web writing: three unspaced dots treated as a word, with a space on each side: "the report … was late". The single character is ideal here.
- Chicago (books): three spaced periods with a space between each: "the report . . . was late". Chicago allows the single character as a substitute in manuscripts.
- MLA and academic quoting: square brackets around the dots, […], to show the cut is yours and not in the original.
When the omission comes at the end of a complete sentence, keep the sentence's own period and then add the ellipsis, giving four dots. Never put more than one ellipsis in a row, and do not use it as a substitute for "etc."
In quotes
Cut words only from the middle or end of a quotation, never in a way that changes the meaning. If you drop the beginning of a sentence, most guides say you do not need dots at all; simply start the quote at the first word you keep and lowercase it inside brackets if necessary. Pair the mark with proper quotation marks rather than straight ticks in anything typeset.
In messages and bios
A trailing "ok…" reads as reluctant, sarcastic or hurt, depending on the relationship, and the tone shift is well known enough to be a running joke about how parents text. In captions and bios the ellipsis suggests suspense ("new drop tomorrow…") or a shrug. The character is safe on every platform because it belongs to Windows-1252 and Mac Roman as well as Unicode, and it is a common ending for display names that want an unfinished, aesthetic feel next to a cursive font tagline.
In software
Menu items that end with an ellipsis ("Save As…") signal that a dialog will open before anything happens; those without one act immediately. Loading indicators, truncated headlines and the "typing…" status in chat apps all use it, and Apple's and Microsoft's interface guidelines specify the single character rather than three periods.
Lookalikes
Maths uses raised dots ⋯ between terms of a sequence and vertical dots ⋮ inside matrices; the vertical form has also become the "more options" icon in Android and Google apps. Chinese and Japanese writers often type three ideographic full stops 。。。 in chat, although the proper CJK ellipsis is six dots, written as two of the standard character (……).