“Then” makes your writing stammer, which is the opposite of what you want. For example, “It’s the most delicious cake that I’ve eaten” could easily be “It’s the most delicious cake I’ve eaten.” In similar instances, remove it for more streamlined content. “That” may seem like an inoffensive word, but it’s usually not necessary. In most cases, you can remove the word “just” without affecting the sentence’s meaning.
ANOTHER WORD FOR UNNECESSARY STUFF TRIAL
The only time “just” has a place in your content is when you’re talking about something being “fair.” For example, “The trial was just.” Uses of “just” to imply something small or inefficient (e.g., “She just couldn’t do it.”) don’t add anything to the sentence. HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: The Easy A-to-Z Guide to Writing Great Headlines 7. Consider these two headlines: “Stuff You Should Do for a More Successful Blog” or “5 Writing Tricks for a More Successful Blog.” The specificity and clarity of the second headline is more helpful to your readers. “Stuff” is an unprofessional term that harms your content. The same thing applies to “always.” Instead, opt for words like “most” or “many.” Don’t use “always” or “never” because they’re seldom true, says #writingtips Click To Tweet 6. Instead, opt for “few” or “rare” if you need to quantify but don’t have the numbers. Applying an all-inclusive adjective paints with too broad a brush and is reckless. If you say, “Marketers never consider their clients,” you’re horribly off base. These two aren’t flabby, but they are seldom true. Those quantifiable terms perform better than the old standby “a lot.” 5. Go for percentages, pounds, solid units of measurement. Instead of using these vague phrases, replace them with hard-and-fast statistics. They want more specific information to make good decisions and to connect with your writing on a deeper level. While they understand something has changed, they don’t know what it was or how much it’s shifted. Saying something is “a lot different than it used to be” robs your readers of an experience. “A lot” is similar to “really” in terms of vagueness. Don’t include a fact if it needs to be qualified as a thought or belief. Again, readers want information, and merely “thinking” a statistic is true isn’t enough to get it past the firing squad. These two words also pop up when a writer isn’t sure about the statistic or fact, and that is dangerous. Using words like “believe” & “think” are bad for your copywriting, says #writingtips Click To Tweet Even if you’re writing an opinion piece, readers should understand that based on the context, making “I think” a needless phrase. People are more interested in the facts and hard information than they are in vague thoughts. “Believe” and “think” imply something is opinion or indicate doubt in its validity.
ANOTHER WORD FOR UNNECESSARY STUFF HOW TO
HANDPICKED RELATED CONTENT: How to Make Your Writing More Powerful 3. If you can’t be more descriptive, delete “really.” With that in mind, swap this vague term for a more accurate descriptor. While the purpose of “really” is to exaggerate something, readers respond better to text that gets more granular in its measurements. If something has “really” improved, readers want to know how much. Think of it this way: If you’re saying something is “really” tall, you’re missing the mark. This one small change makes the statement clearer. People use it, but not one sentence stops working if “in order to” is deleted (or replaced with “to,” which has the same meaning). This is one of the flabbiest phrases I see in writing. With that in mind, let’s get to the list: 1. When/if you use them, check yourself and ask, “What is this word/phrase adding to what I’m trying to say?” This list of words and phrases includes the common culprits. Cut filler words bloating your online #content, says #writingtips Click To Tweet It’s how you ratchet up your words’ value for readers (because clearer content is easier to understand – period). Internet users are notorious for their short attention spans, and most of them aren’t reading in depth but scanning for meaning.Ĭutting filler words that bloat your online writing is how you hone it to a sharp point. Online content needs a lighter touch to succeed. It waters down your message and makes it less impactful. Stuffing your sentences and paragraphs with filler and fluff – words and phrases that add zero meaning to what you’re trying to say – is the opposite of clear writing. The clearest prose is the type anyone can understand, learn from, and enjoy. In online writing land, clarity is your best friend. That’s why Julia updated this article originally published in 2017, adding more words that you should avoid. Editor’s note: Useless words abound in text.