GlossaryPage elements
Ellipsis (...)
Also: ... · dot dot dot · trailing off
An ellipsis is three dots (...). In dialogue it shows a character trailing off, hesitating, or leaving a thought unfinished. Where a dash is a sharp stop, an ellipsis is a soft fade.
Use an ellipsis when a character searches for words, loses their nerve, or lets a sentence hang. It gives the actor room for a pause without you writing "(pause)."
A little goes a long way. A speech full of dots reads as vague rather than emotional, so save it for the moments where the hesitation itself is the point.
SAM
I wanted to say... never mind.
It doesn't matter now.