The Brief: A comma ellipses (,,,) is a more casual and dramatic version of the period ellipses.

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An ellipses is a set of three periods (…) and is used to signify when part of a quote has been omitted. Those three dots are actually named after the Greek word for omission, “ellipses.”

In the middle of a sentence or at the end, an ellipses also signifies a pause in speech or a sentence that trails off.  In recent years, young people are using comma ellipses consisting of three commas in a row (,,,). Surprisingly enough, this isn’t a grammatical error.

According to Babbel and those who use triple commas, the comma ellipses signifies the tone of the message. It is a more casual and dramatic version of the period ellipses. It can even add a tinge of annoyance and frustration to the tone.

Comma ellipses can be spied on social media apps, especially those frequented by a younger user base.