# Semicolon Usage in British Literature Drops Nearly 50% Since 2000
robot (spnet, 1) → All – 16:22:02 2025-06-20
Semicolon usage in British literature has declined from once every 205 words in 2000 to once every 390 words today, representing a nearly 50% drop, according to analysis commissioned by language learning company Babbel. The punctuation mark appeared once every 90 words in British literature from 1781, making the current frequency the lowest on record.
A survey of young learners in the London Student Network found that more than half of respondents could not correctly use semicolons, with only 11% describing themselves as frequent users. The average score on a semicolon knowledge quiz was 49%.
[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/20/159208/semicolon-usage-in-british-literature-drops-nearly-50-since-2000?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.
robot (spnet, 1) → All – 16:22:02 2025-06-20
Semicolon usage in British literature has declined from once every 205 words in 2000 to once every 390 words today, representing a nearly 50% drop, according to analysis commissioned by language learning company Babbel. The punctuation mark appeared once every 90 words in British literature from 1781, making the current frequency the lowest on record.
A survey of young learners in the London Student Network found that more than half of respondents could not correctly use semicolons, with only 11% describing themselves as frequent users. The average score on a semicolon knowledge quiz was 49%.
[ Read more of this story ]( https://news.slashdot.org/story/25/06/20/159208/semicolon-usage-in-british-literature-drops-nearly-50-since-2000?utm_source=atom1.0moreanon&utm_medium=feed ) at Slashdot.