Expand your vocabulary
From everyday to exquisite—your vocabulary, that is.
Mark Twain once said:
‘Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.’
But he was also known to have said:
‘The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.’
There is popular wisdom in writing circles: one’s writing should predominantly be clear, not clever.
Which may mean we all end up relying on the same limited vocabulary to get our point across.
We ‘get’ results.
We ‘check’ things.
We ‘ask’ people.
If you’d like your prose to command attention, try dressing it up.
Here are some examples to start:
Try now: Replace get in one sentence you write today.
⚠️ A word of caution:
You can’t simply swap a word for any old synonym. Beware of choosing a word that sounds impressive but means something entirely different. If you’re unsure, look it up in a dictionary. Polysyllables are charming; misused ones, less so.
The goal is not to laud your superior knowledge of vocabulary over your recipient, but rather to communicate with precision; to expand your own vocabulary—and that of someone else—along the way.
Yours in lexical elevation,
Thomas
P.S. Words dress the thought; choose a better jacket.