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Q&A When to use semicolons and when to use em dashes?

Sometimes I can't decide whether to use a semicolon or a em dash. Usually, I start with semicolons and, once I notice there are too many of them, I start replacing a few with em dashes (as I read s...

1 answer  ·  posted 10y ago by Alexandro Chen‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T03:00:40Z (over 4 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/8519
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by user avatar Alexandro Chen‭ · 2019-12-08T03:00:40Z (over 4 years ago)
Sometimes I can't decide whether to use a semicolon or a em dash. Usually, I start with semicolons and, once I notice there are too many of them, I start replacing a few with em dashes (as I read somewhere they are interchangeable). I also use em dashes to replace parenthesis.

What other criteria should I use while deciding when to use the first or the latter?

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2013-07-28T15:20:33Z (over 10 years ago)
Original score: 2