“…” in text shows just how mailable language is. If we read “…” in a book, it’s clear what it means, it’s just a long pause to build suspense. But in text, themeaning changes, and to make things even more confusing, even in text “…” doesn’t always have the same meaning. Today, we’ll look at the four possible meanings of “…” in text, explaining what each of them is when they might be used, and we’ll also be providing some examples to help you.
What does… mean in text?
“…” in a text can have four meanings.
1. “I am thinking of a response”
2. “Go away you creep”
3. “That’s weird”
4. “I don’t know”.
I am thinking of a response
The first meaning of “…” in text is “I am thinking of a response”. If you imagine if you’re talking to someone face to face, if they ask you a question that you don’t know the answer to right away, you will likely pause for a minute before answering their question.
Just like how “…” indicates a pause in a book, it does the same in text. The only difference is, you’re not pausing for suspense, you’re pausing so that you have a chance to think.
Usually, you would use this after someone has asked you a question.
5 examples of … meaning “I am thinking of a response”
Rodger: Hey, what time is English class tomorrow?
Alex: …
Alex: I think it’s at 5 PM
Alex: Hey Rodger. Do you know what the powerhouse of the cell is called?
Rodger: …
Rodger: It’s the hypochondria
Rodger: I’m going to England soon. I want to visit the capital city. Do you know what it is?
Alex: …
Alex: The capital of England is London.
Alex: How often should I want my Siberian Snake Plant?
Rodger: ….
Rodger: Once a week should be plenty
Rodger: What year was the battle of Hastings
Alex: …
Alex: That was in 1066.
Go away creep
On social media, particularly if you happen to be a woman, it’s only a matter of time before you meet someone who doesn’t exactly represent the ideal gentleman.
Sometimes, they ask you for pictures, send pictures of themselves, write explicit messages, or ask you to meet up. And when you receive these kinds of messages, many of us won’t automatically know how to respond to them.
One answer that many women have started using is “…”
If you’re speaking to someone in real life and they say something inappropriate, you might just look at them in disgust without saying anything. “…”is the virtual version of that.
4 examples of … meaning “Go away creep”
Alex: Hey Sarah! You look really nice. I was wondering if you could by any chance send me a picture of you in your bra? That would honestly make my day.
Sarah: …
Rodger: Heyyyyy, I hope you like that picture of my p*nis I just sent you.
Emily: …
Alex: Yo Meghan Wanna meet up sometime. My parents are away, and I’ve been really h*rny recently.
Meghan: …
Rodger: Daphne, now we’ve been speaking for about a week, I was just wondering if there’s any chance of being able to see what you look like without clothes on?
Daphne: ….
That’s weird
The third meaning of “…” might seem similar to the second, but there are some key differences between weird and creepy.
When someone is being creepy, they are making you feel uncomfortable, they would probably be embarrassed if you show their messages to their mother.
Weird on the other hand isn’t a reflection of the person sending it, and whilst it might make you raise an eyebrow, they’ve probably said similar things to their parents.
As in real life, when someone texts us something weird, we don’t always know how to respond.
5 examples of … meaning “that’s weird”
Alex: Did you know that there are more elephants on Mars than fish on Venus?
Rodger: ….
Rodger: If a group of cells are called “tissue”, does that mean that tissues are made of tissue?
Alex: …
Alex: Would you rather fight a Rhino with the brain of a lion or a lion with the brain of a rhino?
Rodger: ….
Rodger: I gave my plant cola instead of water because I thought it would make it grow apples that tasted of cola. I was wrong.
Alex: …
Alex: I ate glue and now I can’t talk
Rodger: …
I don’t know
And the final meaning of “…” is quite simply “I don’t know”. Unless you happen to be a super genius (and if you need to read this, you’re not), none of us knows everything. And sometimes, you just have to admit that you don’t know.
In real life, if someone asks you something that you don’t know the answer to, you will likely remain silent.
The use of “…” for “I don’t know” goes back to when computers were first becoming a thing. Computers would say “…” when there was no data for your search.
7 examples of … meaning “I don’t know”
Rodger: How many elephants would fit on the surface of Mars?
Alex: …
Alex: How many elephants would it take to fill Mars?
Rodger: …
Rodger: What is the most energy-efficient way of getting an elephant to Mars?
Alex: …
Alex: Has NASA ever researched sending elephants on a spaceship to Mars?
Rodger: …
Rodger: How do we convince the government to make sending elephants to Mars a policy?
Alex: …
Alex: Do you think an elephant would like it on Mars?
Rodger: …
Rodger: Can Elephants breathe on Mars?
Alex: …
Conclusion
And there we have the four different meanings of “…” in text. If you’re wondering what meaning the person you’re talking to means, look at what you sent to them and use that to figure it out.
And now you know what “…” means, not only will you be better at understanding what other people mean by it, but you will also be in a better position to be able to use it yourself. Because you never know when it might come in handy.
The fact that “…” has 4 different meanings in text just goes to show how strange and malleable the English language is. But that’s part of the reason why it’s so great and why learning it is such fun.
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Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.
