28 words that are making your writing weaker (and phrases you can use as replacements)

Word choice matters.

If you’ve ever taken a creative writing class, you’ll learn this quickly. The vocabulary we choose can control the mood of our writing, influence how others perceive it, and even make the difference between communicating clearly or leaving readers confused.

In business, strong word choice is essential for clear communication. Yet many writers still struggle to know which words to avoid in order to produce stronger copy.

Here are 28 words that weaken your writing, along with alternatives to help you write more powerfully:

1. Just — This word carries a lot of baggage. It’s often used to downplay the importance of what we’re saying, or to make ourselves sound less confident.

Instead, try: “I simply suggest…”

2. That — This word is often unnecessary, as it can be implied by the context.

Instead, try: “I could go for some ice-cream.”

3. Probably — This word implies a lack of certainty, and can make us sound uncertain as well.

Instead, try: “It’s likely that…”

4. Very — This is another filler word which carries minimal meaning (unless you’re drawing on an earlier point to emphasize this point).

Instead, try: “It’s important to…”

5. Go — If you want to put an emphasis on what is said in the sentence, this word is perfect. However, it can be used incorrectly in most cases.

Instead of: “This decision will go a long way towards solving this problem.”

Try: “This decision will solve a big part of this problem.”

6. Feel — This word is often overused, as well as being too vague to be meaningful.

Instead of: “I feel you should…”

Try: “You should…” or “In my opinion…”

7. Try — When we try something, we might not be successful.

Instead of: “I’m going to try and call him.”

Try: “I’ll call him.”

8. If — This word can introduce doubt in the minds of your readers, as it implies that there may be other outcomes.

Instead of: “If you do this, then this might happen.”

Try: “Do this and this might happen.”

9. Maybe — The word ‘maybe’ is often used to cover up a lack of certainty, or as a hedge against failing. It can be replaced by stronger language if you’re trying to make a particular point.

Instead of: “Maybe it’s time to look at other options.”

Try: “It’s time to look at other options.”

10. Sort of — This words is a weaker substitute for ‘kind of’. Focus on using one word, and work on finding a better way of phrasing your sentence if you use this word regularly.

Instead of: “I sort of agree with you.”

Try: “I agree with you.”

11. That — This word can often be replaced by ‘who’ or ‘which’.

Instead of: “The company that I used to work for…”

Try: “The company who I used to work for…”

12. Thing — This is another word that can often be replaced by more specific language.

Instead of: “I don’t like this thing.”

Try: “I don’t like this decision.”

13. Almost — This word minimizes the impact of what we’re saying.

Instead of: “almost everyone agrees with me”

Try: “the majority of people agree with me” or “most people disagree with you.”

14. Few — If we name a number, we’re more credible than if we refer to ‘a few’.

Instead of: “Few people like this decision.”

Try: “Only a handful of people like it.”

15. Think — We can often replace ‘think’ with verbs such as ‘believe’, ‘agree’, or ‘consider’.

Instead of: “I think this is a good idea.”

Try: “I believe this is a good idea,” or “I consider this to be a good decision.”

16. Kind of — This word weakens our statements and makes them sound less sure of themselves.

Instead of: “I kind of want to try this.”

Try: “I want to try this.”

17. All — This word can make us seem like we’re not being truthful, as it’s impossible for everything to be included.

Instead of: “All people are in favor of this decision.”

Try: “Most people are in favor of this decision.” or “The majority of people are in favor

of this decision.”

18. Better — This word often has a more general meaning than ‘best’.

Instead of: “This is the better option”

Try: “This is the best option.”

19. Most — This word can make us sound like we’re not being truthful, as it’s impossible for everything to be included.

Instead of: “Most people are in favor of this decision.”

Try: “The majority of people are in favor of this decision.”

20. Worst — Just as with ‘most’, this word can make us sound like we’re not being truthful, as it’s impossible for everything to be included.

Instead of: “This is the worst option.”

Try: “This is the worst option” or “This is the least popular choice.”

21. Try And — This phrase can often be cut down to ‘try’ or ‘and’.

Instead of: “Try and stay focused.”

Try: “Try to stay focused” or “And stay focused.”

22. Always — This word can often be replaced with either ‘usually’, ‘frequently’, or even just saying something is normal.

Instead of: “I always go here.”

Try: “I usually go here” or “This is where I usually go.”

23. Pretty — This word can often be replaced with ‘rather’.

Instead of: “She’s pretty slow.”

Try: “She’s rather slow.” or “She’s not very fast.”

24. Kind of — This word weakens our statements and makes them sound less sure of themselves.

Instead of: “I kind of understand.”

Try: “I somewhat understand” or “I get the gist”.

25. Right Now — You can often use ‘now’ in place of this phrase.

Instead of: “Right now, I don’t have a solution.”

Try: “Now, I don’t have a solution.”

26. Little — This word minimizes the impact of what we’re saying.

Instead of: “This is a little difficult.”

Try: “This is somewhat difficult” or “This is challenging”.

27. But — This word often creates a false equivalence and can weaken our argument.

Instead of: “I don’t like this idea, but maybe you do”

Try: “I don’t like this idea, so you must not either.” or “This isn’t a good choice, why do you think that?”

28. Go Ahead — You can often use ‘go ahead’ in place of this phrase.

Instead of: “Go ahead and give it a try.”

Try: “Give it a try if you want.” or “You should try this.”

Conclusion

In conclusion, these are some words and phrases that you can use to make your writing sound more confident and assertive. Remember to use strong verbs and avoid minimizing words like ‘kind of’ and ‘almost’. If you’re unsure about something, try using questions instead of statements to get your point across. And finally, always be truthful in your writing and avoid exaggerating or overstating your points!