The little diagonal line. You see it everywhere. It's on your coffee shop menu as "Decaf/Regular," it’s in your work emails as "and/or," and it's definitely all over your social media feed. But honestly, using a conjunction with a slash is one of those linguistic habits that drives editors absolutely insane while the rest of us just try to save a few keystrokes.
It’s fast. It’s dirty. It’s the "slash."
Technically called a solidus or a virgule, this mark has a weird history. Back in the day, it was actually used as a comma. If you look at old medieval manuscripts, you’ll see slashes everywhere acting as pauses. Fast forward to today, and we’ve repurposed it into a sort of "choose your own adventure" punctuation mark. People use it to mean "and," "or," or even "but," often without thinking about how it messes with the flow of a sentence.
Most people use a conjunction with a slash—specifically "and/or"—because they are terrified of being imprecise. They want to cover all their bases. If I say "You can have cake and ice cream," maybe you think you must have both. If I say "You can have cake or ice cream," maybe you think you can’t have both. So, you write "cake and/or ice cream" to be safe. But let’s be real: it’s clunky. It reads like a legal contract, not a conversation.
When the slash becomes a problem
You’ve probably noticed that reading a sentence full of slashes feels like hitting a speed bump every three words. It breaks the rhythm. Formal style guides, like the Chicago Manual of Style or the APA Publication Manual, generally tell you to avoid using a slash as a substitute for a conjunction in formal writing. They aren't just being stuffy. There’s a logic to it.
When you use a conjunction with a slash, you’re forcing the reader to do the mental work of deciding which word fits best. If you write "The actor/director arrived," are you talking about one person with two jobs or two different people? Without the slash, you’d have to be specific. You’d write "The actor and the director" (two people) or "The actor-director" (one person with a hyphen). The slash creates a weird ambiguity that can actually lead to legal disputes.
Believe it or not, courts have actually had to weigh in on the "and/or" debacle. Judges have called it a "polluting" expression. In the 1930s, the Wisconsin Supreme Court famously referred to "and/or" as a "visual monstrosity" and a "fraudulent" expression. They hated it because it makes it impossible to know exactly what a contract requires. If a contract says "The tenant shall pay utilities and/or taxes," is it their choice? The landlord's choice? Both? It’s a mess.
The "and/or" trap and how to escape it
Look, I get it. Sometimes "and/or" feels like the only way to say exactly what you mean. But most of the time, you can just pick one.
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In most English sentences, "or" is inclusive. If a waiter asks if you want cream or sugar, they aren't going to tackle you if you reach for both. The "and/or" is implied by the context. If you really need to be crystal clear, just use more words. "A, B, or both" is infinitely more readable than "A and/or B."
Then there’s the "slash as a replacement for 'and'" move. Think of phrases like "the singer/songwriter." This is actually one of the few places where the slash is generally accepted. It denotes a hybrid identity. It’s shorthand. But even here, you have to be careful. If you’re writing a professional bio, a hyphen or just the word "and" often looks more polished. "The singer and songwriter" feels intentional. "Singer/songwriter" feels like a LinkedIn headline written in a rush.
Is the slash ever actually better?
Kinda. In digital spaces, brevity is king. If you’re designing a user interface (UI) or writing a tweet where every character counts, the conjunction with a slash is a lifesaver. It’s a visual signal that tells the eye "these two things are linked."
In technical writing or data sets, the slash is a workhorse. It separates units ($km/h$) and dates ($10/15/2026$). In these contexts, using a full conjunction would be ridiculous. Imagine writing "kilometers per or hour." No thanks.
But we aren't talking about math. We're talking about prose. And in prose, the slash is usually a sign of lazy thinking. It means the writer didn't want to take the three seconds required to figure out the actual relationship between two ideas. Are the ideas contrasting? Use "but." Are they additive? Use "and." Are they alternatives? Use "or."
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Breaking down the style guides
If you’re writing for a specific audience, you should know that the "experts" are pretty divided, though they mostly lean toward "don't do it."
- The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook: They aren't fans. They suggest avoiding "and/or" unless it's absolutely necessary for a very specific technical meaning. They prefer you just use "or" or rewrite the sentence.
- The New York Times: They are notoriously strict. You will rarely see a slash acting as a conjunction in a Times op-ed. They value the flow of the sentence over the shorthand of the slash.
- Scientific Writing: This is where it gets interesting. In some peer-reviewed journals, the slash is used to indicate a ratio or a relationship between variables. But even then, they usually tell you to define the relationship clearly in the text.
The reality is that language evolves. What was a "visual monstrosity" in 1935 is now a standard key on every smartphone keyboard. We use slashes because we think in fragments. We’re used to the "this/that" duality of the internet.
Why you should probably stop using it in your emails
Think about the last "and/or" you sent in a Slack message or an email to your boss. You probably thought it made you sound efficient. "I’ll send the report on Monday and/or Tuesday."
What does that actually tell the recipient? Basically nothing. It says you might send it Monday, you might send it Tuesday, or maybe you’ll send parts on both days. It’s a verbal shrug. It’s non-committal.
If you want to sound authoritative, you have to ditch the conjunction with a slash. Replace it with a firm choice. "I'll send the report by Tuesday" is much better. It’s clear. It’s professional. It doesn't leave your boss wondering what the heck you're planning.
Surprising origins and the future of the virgule
The slash has had a wild ride. In ancient Roman inscriptions, they used dots. In the medieval era, the slash was the "virgula suspensiva." It was a literal slash through the line of text. It eventually shrank and curved into the comma we use today (,). So, in a way, the slash is the ancestor of most of our punctuation.
As we move further into a world dominated by AI and rapid-fire communication, the slash is likely to become even more common. It fits the "shorthand" vibe of the 21st century. But that doesn't mean it's good writing. Good writing is about clarity and resonance. A slash is a divider; it creates a gap between words. If you want your writing to feel cohesive, you want to build bridges, not fences.
Actionable steps for better flow
If you’ve realized your writing is looking a bit too much like a series of "and/or" and "his/her" statements, here is how you fix it without losing your mind.
Replace "and/or" with "or both"
Instead of saying "We need to hire a designer and/or a developer," try "We need to hire a designer, a developer, or both." It sounds more natural and less like a grocery list.
Ditch the "his/her" for "their"
This is a big one. For a long time, the conjunction with a slash was the standard way to avoid gendered language. "Every student must bring his/her book." It’s clunky. Just use the singular "their." Most modern style guides—including the AP and the Oxford English Dictionary—now accept "their" as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun. It’s smoother and more inclusive.
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Use a hyphen for compound roles
If you’re talking about someone who holds two titles, use a hyphen or a space. "Writer-director" looks much cleaner than "Writer/Director."
Read it out loud
This is the ultimate test. When you hit a slash in a sentence, do you say "slash" out loud? Usually not. You probably pause or stumble. If you can’t read the sentence fluidly, the slash shouldn't be there. Replace it with the word you would actually speak.
Save the slash for the right stuff
Keep the slashes for what they do best: dates, fractions, and URLs. In those cases, they are essential. Everywhere else, they are usually just a distraction.
By making these small shifts, you move from writing that looks like a technical manual to writing that feels human. It’s about taking responsibility for your meaning rather than hiding behind a diagonal line. Your readers—and your old grammar teacher—will definitely thank you for it.