Overview

• Research commissioned by Babbel reveals a 47% decline in semicolon usage in English-language books since 2000, with a slight recovery of 27% between 2017 and 2022.
• Lisa McLendon’s study found that 67% of British students rarely or never use semicolons, and over half cannot apply them correctly.
• The semicolon, first introduced by Aldus Pius Manutius in 1494, has long divided opinion, with critics like Kurt Vonnegut dismissing it and others, including Virginia Woolf, championing its stylistic value.
• Educational shifts, the rise of digital communication, and AI-generated text are contributing to the punctuation mark’s decline among younger generations.
• Despite its reduced presence, the semicolon remains a vital tool for nuanced writing, with historical and contemporary advocates emphasizing its utility in creating rhythm and clarity.