Why Using a Period at the End of a Sentence Sounds So Angry

The smallest piece of punctuation in our arsenal might actually be the most powerful

Danny Wallace

Published in

Forge

3 min readDec 5, 2019

I recently received a request for some outstanding work that ended with the words “Many thanks.”

The period drove me insane.

Had my associate written “Many thanks!” I might have taken that little bat and ball of an exclamation mark as a jolly request for work I did genuinely owe them. Had they written “Many thanks,” and signed off with their name, I might have found the phrasing cold but professional.

But the simple, formal nature of “many thanks,” coupled with the tiny on-screen bullethole of a period? Well, that screamed “shots fired.” (See also: “Thanks in advance.” or: “Happy to discuss this in person.”)

In an era when every digital exchange must be carefully signposted with 👍 and 🙂 at regular intervals to maintain a relentlessly upbeat tone, we might think of the simple period as an old-fashioned piece of punctuation that escapes such self-conscious scrutiny. After all, from an early age, we’re taught that sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a period.

But as text speak becomes a parallel language with its own norms and rules, every bit of punctuation can carry an additional weighty meaning. And on WhatsApp, text messaging, and Slack, the period’s function is changing.

Research from Binghamton University suggests that the period now signals a lack of sincerity. In digital communication, it’s a tiny clue at the end of a sentence, one that seems to contradict the words that precede it.

The period does not simply end the message. It is the message itself. It has been grammatically weaponized. It’s the little bomb your ex put there to be stared at for hours, wondering, “what does that dot really mean?”

Consider this exchange: