Writing Lessons & Advice: Forward Slashes
- Katie Johns
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
While looking back over some of my writing, I’ve noticed I get a little “slash-happy” every once in a while. Perhaps I incorporate the slash mark (/) without a lot of thought, so I looked for some official guidance to help me rethink my usage. Here’s what I find that may help you too.
In English writing, the mark is called either a forward slash or simply a slash. Less common names for it include stroke, solidus, diagonal, or oblique. The punctuation has roots in Roman cursive (like the ampersand). Even back then, it had versatile uses, like as a comma, period, or mathematic mark. The forward slash should not be confused with the backslash (\), which is used more in computer coding.
A well-placed slash helps promote clarity in reading or writing and it can (still) serve in a number of contexts. One grammar checker tool notes that “it often represents division or separation between items...This symbol [also] helps convey alternatives or choices, such as ‘and/or,’ so readers can quickly understand multiple options.” Here are the common contexts with the slash “in action”:
*Line breaks in poetry, songs, or plays.
Example: There's an axolotl on the pink, stairs/ Is an axolotl supposed to be, there? /If you ask an axolotl, /If they'll be back tomorrow,/ A penguin waddles in and then the axolotl's gone.
Interchangeability or alternatives.
Examples: If/when this happens... his/her belongings... On weekends, I like to do chores, stay home, and/or sleep in.
Connections between words or phrases.
Examples: X/Twitter Generation Y/Millenials
*Dates, units of measurement or rate values, fractions, and some shorthand abbreviations.
Examples: 01/29/2025 $10/hour 1/2 w/o (short for “without”)
The only caveat to using slashes is that formal writing allows only very specific cases* for using them, which can depend on the style guide being followed. Less formal writing can be more open to them, albeit with some discretion so as not to defeat their purpose. The guides I looked at share the following advice:
Choose one or the other between “and” and “or”. Doing so invokes a more decisive tone. Example: On weekends, I like to do chores, stay home, and sleep in.
The idea in the earlier sentence paints a hazy picture. It implies that I may do any or all of those things on a weekend. However, in this second sentence, using a single conjunction clears any doubt in the tasks I'll do on Saturdays and Sundays.
Do not use slashes when spelling out units of measurement. Again, reserve them for abbreviations or shorthand.
Do not use slashes if an alternative is not intended. Either an em dash can be used or the phrase can be reworded. Incorrect: Trump/Vance administration Correct: Trump-Vance administration
From what I’ve learned, the forward slash is a quintessential “punctuation spice”. It’s perfectly fine in some projects but should be used sparingly. I’ll certainly keep this guidance in mind and I hope it helps you too!
If there’s a topic you want me to cover in the future, you’re welcome to reach out to me on the web chat features or socials!
Sources/further reading:
"There's an Axolotl... Lyrics." Lyrics.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 30 Jan. 2025. <https://www.lyrics.com/sublyric/185329/Doctor+Waffle/There%27s+an+Axolotl...>.
Comments