# Um...how long is an ellipsis again?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-how-long-is-an-ellipsis-again/355143>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 2, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-how-long-is-an-ellipsis-again/355143 "2006-05-02T19:58:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-how-long-is-an-ellipsis-again/355143/1 "2006-05-02T19:58:50Z")

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From the brief poking around I’ve done on the Internet, it seems that an ellipsis is always given as a series of three dots\*, like so:

…

But I seem to recall being taught in my youth that if you were going to end a sentence in an ellipsis, it should be with four dots instead of three, like so…

So, is this just my imagination, or does this memory have some basis in reality?  
\*I realize that an ellipsis can be a different mark altogether, but I want to focus on the one using periods for the purpose of my questions.

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**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-how-long-is-an-ellipsis-again/355143/2 "2006-05-02T20:05:23Z")

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The ellipsis itself is three points, yes. The fourth dot used in ending a sentence with an ellipsis is the period. (Technically the first dot is the period, but you get the idea.) Reference: _Chicago Manual of Style,_ 15th ed., para. 11.57.

There are other styles of ellipsis, but this is the one you’re asking about.

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**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-how-long-is-an-ellipsis-again/355143/3 "2006-05-02T20:46:45Z")

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It’s ALT+0133 long.

…

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**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-how-long-is-an-ellipsis-again/355143/4 "2006-05-02T20:59:51Z")

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Well, the famous one in Washington, D.C. appears to be about 960 feet. . . oh. . .wait. . . .  
_nevermind_

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**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\
**Post date:** [May 2, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/um-how-long-is-an-ellipsis-again/355143/5 "2006-05-02T22:38:58Z")

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Thank you, **Scarlett** , for the helpful info.

I have nothing to say to the rest of you. 🙂