Gen Z Is Fed Up With 'Boomer Ellipses'. What Is It And Why Is It Driving Them Crazy?

Let’s be honest: we all have specific lifestyle habits we adhere to, and when things aren’t done our way, it can be pretty annoying. Texting habits are a prime example of this. In our fast-paced digital world, every generation has developed its unique style of slang and messaging, leading to some friction between Gen Z and older adults.

A notable instance is the use of “Boomer ellipses,” where multiple dots are inserted between sentences. For older generations, these ellipses serve as a natural pause or a way to break up thoughts. However, younger individuals often find this practice confusing or even unsettling, which can lead to miscommunication and frustration.

Earlier this year, a Reddit user sparked a lively discussion with the question, “What, exactly, is going on with boomers and ellipses?” They expressed their frustration with how older generations often use ellipses in text messages, noting a specific example where their neighbour replied with “Thanks…” after a question about the post office. This prompted confusion and annoyance, leading the user to wonder why simpler responses like “Thanks!” or “Thanks :)” weren’t used instead.

The user highlighted that this use of ellipses often comes off as passive-aggressive or unnecessarily vague, stating, “It drives me up a wall.” This sentiment resonates with many younger individuals who find this texting habit perplexing and irritating, leading to a broader conversation about communication styles between generations.

The thread quickly filled with others sharing their thoughts. One commenter explained, “I learned it’s their generations way of emojis, it’s a way to imply there’s more to be said that doesn’t need to be said, or to build a playful suspense, it’s a really a multi use thing for them, I learned this from boomers Emails and silent gens texts but also I have a friend born same year as me, 1992, who does this.”

“As a GenX I use elipses, but only where there’s an unsaid implication. Sort of like “You said you’d think about the answer and get back to me in 5 minutes. It has been 10, so…” Something like “Thanks…” implies to me they’re not sure about saying thank you, or there’s more to come. Leaving that hanging is just idiotic,” another user added.

A millennial chimed in with, “I suppose it is to sound more casual. For example, “bye…” looks more friendly than “bye.” Another use would be to use them like a seperator kinda like a paragraph,” one wrote.

“My mom is genX and does the “Thanks…” all the time. It messes with me cause to me it seems sarcastic but that’s just how she texts,” someone else wrote.

Earlier, in an Instagram video, Adam Aleksic, also known as the “etymology nerd,” shared his thoughts on why Boomers tend to use ellipses more often than Gen Z. He explained that Boomers grew up with a different approach to informal communication. “Nowadays, if you want to separate an idea, you just press enter and start a new line with a new thought,” he said.

He pointed out that in the past, especially when writing postcards or letters, space was limited, so people used ellipses to break up their thoughts. With the rise of unlimited texting, it became easier to separate different ideas with individual messages which became the “new grammatical standard online.”

Aleksic went on to explain that ellipses sometimes “violate the maxim of quantity,” meaning they add more information than necessary, which can make it seem like there is something unsaid. To younger people, this often comes across as “hesitation, annoyance, or passive aggressiveness,” since that is how younger people typically use ellipses.

“But we should understand that all boomers are trying to do is send multiple messages in the space of one message,” he concluded.