Ellipsis Shortcut (…)
To type a real ellipsis character (…): press ⌥; (Option+semicolon) on a Mac, or hold Alt and type 0133 on the numeric keypad on Windows. This is one character, not three dots.
| Action | Mac | Windows | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ellipsis … | ⌥; | Alt+0133 | |
| Ellipsis (copy) | … | … | |
| Three periods | ... | ... | |
| Em dash — | ⌥⇧- | Alt+0151 |
The ellipsis on Mac vs Windows
The ellipsis (…) is a single typographic character, not three separate periods. On a Mac press ⌥; (Option + semicolon). On Windows, hold Alt and type 0133 on the numeric keypad, then release. Word and Google Docs also auto-correct three dots into … as you type.
… vs ... (three periods)
The single-character ellipsis (…) keeps even spacing and never breaks across lines, which is why publishers prefer it. Three typed periods (...) can space unevenly and wrap awkwardly. For clean copy, use the real … character.
FAQ
What is the ellipsis shortcut?
On a Mac press ⌥; (Option+semicolon). On Windows hold Alt and type 0133 on the numeric keypad, then release Alt.
Is … different from three periods?
Yes. … is a single character with even spacing that never breaks across lines; ... is three separate periods.
How do I type … without a number pad?
Copy the … from this page, or type three periods and let Word or Google Docs auto-correct them. On Mac ⌥; works on any keyboard.