JOHN HARRISON +

Inflated lexemes

“If any man were to ask me what I would suppose to be a perfect style of language, I would answer, that in which a man speaking to five hundred people, of all common and various capacities, idiots or lunatics accepted, should be understood by them all, and in the same sense which the speaker intended to be understood."

Daniel Defoe

Inflated lexemes, by which I mean long words, can be problematic in copy.

Short words are often better than long words. But not for brevity's own sake. Instead, use short words because the short word is usually the more familiar word and the familiar word is the easiest for readers to process.

Using familiar words means you're being efficient and makes sure you are, as Daniel Defoe says, “understood by them all."

The hack to find familiarity is typically brevity.

Brevity

Being efficient and understood by them all gives your writing the best chance to do what you want it to do, in the harsh battle for attention in which it’s being read.

The fact the familiar word is also usually short makes your work concise by default.

Here are some examples of where a short word could replace a long one:

  • Assistance = Help
  • Numerous = Lots
  • Remainder = Rest
  • Implement = Do
  • Attempt = Try
  • Utilise = Use
  • Additionally = And
  • However = But
  • Accompanying = With
  • Amendment = Change
  • Assistance = Help
  • Combine = Mix
  • Consequently = So
  • Discontinue = Stop
  • Formulate = Plan
  • Frequently = Often
  • Restriction = Limit
  • Visualise = See

I say could replace a long one because there are times when the longer word may be the better choice.

You see, English is a mix of Anglo Saxon and Latinate words.

Anglo Saxon words

Basic and concrete

Anglo-Saxon words are often more basic and concrete. They pertain to everyday objects and actions and are more likely to refer to tangible concepts

Examples:

  • House
  • Love
  • Fast
  • Give

Emotional and evocative

They frequently carry strong emotional connotations and are used for their evocative power in poetry and literary texts.

Examples:

  • Heart
  • Free
  • Death
  • Fire

Short and mono or bisyllabic

Many Anglo-Saxon words are short, with one or two syllables.

Examples:

  • Child
  • Bright
  • Rain
  • Song

Common in everyday speech

Anglo-Saxon words are commonly used in everyday speech, making them more accessible and familiar to most English speakers.

Latinate

Abstract and specific

Latinate words often refer to more abstract concepts or specific categories and phenomena.

Examples:

  • Specimen
  • Conflagration
  • Equanimity
  • Transparent

Formal and academic

These words are often associated with formal, academic, or scientific registers, and they are used frequently in scholarly and legal contexts.

Examples:

  • Hypothesis
  • Demonstrate
  • Constitute
  • Substantial

Multi syllabic

Latinate words are often longer and more complex, often with three or more syllables.

Examples:

  • Illumination
  • Examination
  • Revolution
  • Extraordinary

Less common in everyday speech

While many Latinate words have entered everyday speech, as a whole, they tend to be less common in casual conversations and more common in formal, written texts.

Don’t use short words

Here are the four reasons I consider replacing the short word.

  1. Tone
  2. Rhythm
  3. Precision
  4. Familiarity

Tone

You can choose the short word and still imbue the wrong tone.

For example, I always write "because" instead of "as".

I find the latter clumsy, formal, and robotic.

Before: I’m going to the shops as I want milk
After: I’m going to the shops because I want milk

In this case, I prefer the longer word.

Rhythm

As a writer, you're part composer.

Writing, like music, needs variation to keep an audience's attention. So, as you would vary the length of your sentences and paragraphs, you should alter the length of your words too.

Tip the balance heavily in favour of the shorter word, and never use an unfamiliar word.

Precision

Take these two words with similar meaning:

Determine = 3 syllables (long)
Conclude = 2 syllables (short)

They don’t mean precisely the same thing.

  • I might determine the cause
  • I might conclude the result
  • But I probably won’t conclude the cause

The short word is worse if it conveys an imprecise meaning.

Familiarity

Short words are typically more familiar.

The thing about familiar words is that they’re easier to process. Less guesswork means more 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 understanding.

  • Guesswork = Hard mode
  • Understanding = Regular mode
  • Immediate understanding = God mode

Even though it’s a word with a Latinate root, with three syllables, the word computer is incredibly familiar and perfectly fine to use.

My advice

You’ll still hear me scream “use short words” because it’s such a simple hack for making good word choices. But here’s what I actually mean.

Use the:

  • shortest
  • familiar
  • friendly word
  • that precisely conveys your meaning

Not as catchy, but good advice.

You don't have to know all the origins of all the words. You just need to question every word that lands on your page.

Your readers will thank you for making their journey through your writing more efficient. Your ideas will seem more grounded. And, you'll be understood by them all.

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