How to Insert an Ellipsis (“Three Dots” … ) in Word

Insert the Ellipsis Symbol ( … ) in Word

by | Mar 2, 2024 | Mac Tips and Resources, Windows Tips and Resources

Those sentences that will not end… can now end properly with ellipses. Find out here how to insert the ellipsis symbol (“three dots”) in Word (for Windows, Mac, web and as mobile apps) to indicate any omission in typographic style (and without typing just three periods).

First, an Inventor “Borrows” Blotting Paper from Her Children’s Textbooks

Melitta Bentz liked coffee enough to tolerate the grounds that used to gather at her every cup’s bottom—and enough to want to do something against them.

Practical thinker and tinkerer that she was, she turned to her boys’ exercise books and… experimented with blotting paper as a filter. It worked so well that Melitta Bentz received a patent for her invention in 1908—and the company she founded successfully produces, of course, Melitta coffee filters to this day.

Now, want to filter out something from a sentence? Want all the taste but not grind all of the words? Want to, umm, percolate three little drops (or dots) in just the right places? Well, you pick your image and metaphor:

How to Insert an Ellipsis (“Three Dots” … ) in Word

Word for Windows

Time needed: 1 minute

To insert an ellipsis of three dots Microsoft Word or another Office application on Windows:

  1. Position the text cursor where you want to insert the ellipsis character.

    Here’s where: The ellipsis represents at least one missing character or word. Whitespace around the ellipsis is matter of taste, however. You can choose to either surround it with whitespace or use it like an em dash—with no whitespace separating the character from its surroundings. This site uses no whitespace before but one whitespace character following the ellipsis.

  2. Press Ctrl Alt . (dot).

    Autocorrect: You can have Word for Windows replace three dots with ellipses; see below.
    Default autocorrect: Word is usually and by default set up to replace three dots in succession (...) with an ellipsis.

Using the “Symbol” Dialog

You can also use the Symbol dialog, of course, to input an ellipsis:

  1. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
  2. Select Symbol | More Symbols… in the ribbon.
  3. Go to the Special Characters tab.
  4. Double-click … Ellipsis.

Word for Mac

To use ellipses in Word for Mac:

  1. Put the text cursor where you want to ellipsis character to appear.
  2. Press Option . (period).
    Mac keyboard shortcut: This is the standard macOS keyboard shortcut for the ellipsis.
    Word-only shortcut: You can set up a different, additional shortcut for inserting an ellipsis in Word; see below.
    Autocorrect: You can also let Word for Mac auto-correct to input an ellipsis; by default, three dots (...) are replaced with an ellipsis.

Using the Word for Mac “Symbol” Dialog

To use the Symbol dialog to add an ellipsis in Word for Mac:

  1. Select Insert | Advanced Symbol… from the menu in Word for Mac.
  2. Go to the Spacial Characters tab.
  3. Highlight … Ellipsis.
  4. Click Insert.

Word on the Web

To insert an ellipsis using Word on the Web )at Office.com):

  1. Put the text cursor where you want to insert the thee elision dots.
  2. Go to the Insert tab on the ribbon.
  3. Select Symbol | More Symbols… in the ribbon.
  4. Highlight the Horizontal Ellipsis character.
  5. Click Insert.
    Insert an ellipsis using Word on the Web

Using Google Docs? How to Insert an Ellipsis ( … ) in Google Docs

Word for iOS and Android

To insert an ellipsis in a document using Word for Android or iOS:

How to Insert an Ellipsis (“Three Dots” … ) in Word: FAQ

Can I set up Word to replace … (three dots) with … (ellipsis)?

Yes, you can have Office applications automatically replace dots with ellipses (using autocorrect):

  1. Open AutoCorrect options for the Office application where you want ellipses auto-inserted.
    Examples: In Outlook, select File | Options, go to the Mail category, click Editor Options…, then AutoCorrect Options….
    In Word, select File | Options, go to the Proofing category and click AutoCorrect Options….
  2. Check Replace text as you type.
  3. Verify an entry exists for replacing three dots with an ellipsis.
    Out of its box: Office ships with this useful expansion; to create it yourself, type ... under Replace: and … under With:, then click Add.
  4. Click Ok (as many times as it will take to exit Office options).

Can I change the keyboard shortcut for the ellipsis?

Yes.

To choose a different (or additional) keyboard shortcut for inserting ellipses in Word:

  1. Open the Symbol dialog in Word.
    Word for Windows: Select Symbol | More Symbols… on the Insert tab in the ribbon.
    Word for Mac: Select Insert | Advanced Symbol… from the menu.
  2. Go to the Special Characters tab.
  3. Highlight … Ellipsis.
  4. Click Shortcut Key… (Windows) or Keyboard Shortcut… (Mac).
  5. Press the key combination you want to use for the ellipsis in the Press new shortcut key field.
  6. Click Assign.
  7. Now click Close (Windows) or OK (Mac).

(How to insert the ellipsis symbol (three dots) tested with Word for Windows Version 2308–2402 and for Mac as well as Word on the Web; updated March 2024)

Home » Windows Tips and Resources » How to Insert an Ellipsis (“Three Dots” … ) in Word