The word you’re looking for is usually “ellipsis.”

What “…” is called

When you see three dots like this — ... — in writing, that punctuation mark is called an ellipsis.

It’s used to show:

  • Omitted words in a quote.
  • A trailing off or unfinished thought.
  • A pause or hesitation in informal writing.

Example:

“I was going to tell you something, but… never mind.”

In typography and coding:

  • The single-character version is … (Unicode ellipsis).
  • The three-dot version ... is also commonly used in plain text.

Mini SEO-style structure

H1: What is “...” called?

The “three dots” you often see in text are called an ellipsis , a punctuation mark that indicates omission, pause, or an unfinished thought.

H2: Quick Scoop

  • Name: Ellipsis.
  • Looks like: … or ....
  • Used for: Omissions, pauses, trailing thoughts.
  • Common in: Books, chats, forum posts, and headlines.

H3: Related terms people mix up

  • Period / full stop: Single dot, ends a sentence.
  • Colon: Two stacked dots : used before lists or explanations.
  • Ellipsis: Three dots … or ..., shows omission or trailing off.

If you meant a different “what is … called” (for example, three dots in math menus, app UIs, etc.), tell me the context (writing, app button, math, etc.) and I’ll narrow it down.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.