The punctuation mark “…” that indicates omitted words is called an ellipsis. It consists of three dots and can show that words, phrases, lines, or paragraphs have been left out, especially in quotations. For example, “The report concluded that … further testing was needed” signals that part of the original text has been removed.
An ellipsis can also suggest an unfinished thought, hesitation, a pause, or a trailing-off voice: “I thought you said …” These expressive uses are related to omission but are not identical to cutting words from a quotation. Context tells readers whether the writer is signaling missing text or a speaker’s uncertainty.
Typography and style guides vary. Some styles use three closely spaced periods, while others use the single character “…”; an omission spanning sentence boundaries may be represented with four dots, including the sentence-ending period. An ellipsis is not the same as a dash: a dash usually marks interruption or a sharp break, whereas an ellipsis more often suggests suspension or material left out.