The semicolon is the comma's first cousin, but it works a little bit harder; it also makes you look smarter. Find out when to use a semicolon. Skip to main content.

Not only are semicolons evidently becoming more rare, but young people are less aware of how to use them, according to a ...

You can also use a semicolon as a sort of extra-strength comma to separate items in a list that contain other commas. In this case, the semicolons are there to help avoid confusion.

1. Use a semicolon to separate items in a list or series containing internal punctuation. This is the most common and essential use of the semicolon.

Semicolons can also be used when writing a list. In most lists, it’s enough to use commas to separate the items: "When I go to the seaside, I make sure I have my sunglasses, suncream, sandals ...

The age-old semicolon is dying out as Britons admit to never or rarely using the punctuation mark. In English-written 19th century literature it appeared once in every 205 words, but today it is ...

There's one punctuation mark Gen Z wants you to stop using. Here's what it is—and why it's falling out of favor.

So some people see the semicolon as pompous, while others find it overly confusing. Those might be good enough reasons to ...

The New Yorker: “Sympathy for the Semicolon” — “Among my fellow punctuation nerds, I have a reputation as someone who has no use for semicolons. I don’t hate semicolons; I hate writing ...

So some people see the semicolon as pompous, while others find it overly confusing. Those might be good enough reasons to avoid using it. But here’s a better one, at least to me: it’s mostly ...

The age-old semicolon is dying out as Britons admit to never or rarely using the punctuation mark, a study has found. In 19th century English literature it appeared once in every 205 words, but ...