If you saw your name associated with the terms above, you’d be forgiven if your first thought is to immediately visit your favorite health website and see what type of dreadful disease you may have.

Fear not—the term malapropism has nothing to do with a rare disease. It simply means that you’ve used the incorrect word in place of a word that sounds similar (like saying “pacifically” instead of “specifically”).

So breathe easy knowing that you’re only suffering from incorrect word choices, and take a look at the examples below to make sure you’re not making one (or more) of these funny wording mistakes.

What Is a Malapropism?

A malapropism is the incorrect use of a word in which you mistakenly replace the correct word with a word that sounds similar.

We’ve all had those embarrassing moments when we say one thing but mean to say something else.

Sometimes these errors are Freudian slips, and you say an incorrect word (which may or may not be closely associated with the word you meant to say). While some people say Freudian slips are simply slips of the tongue (with no deeper meaning), others believe that they actually reveal something deeper about you or your personality.

For instance, you might say “I told my boyfriend about the rude customer,” but you meant to say “I told my boss about the rude customer.”

Unless, of course, your boyfriend is your boss, some may say that this Freudian slip means that you have hidden romantic feelings for your boss.

Accidental malapropisms

While malapropisms can be slips of the tongue, they’re different from Freudian slips because the word you say actually sounds much like the word you’re supposed to be using. (In some cases, you may even use the wrong word but think you’re using it correctly.)

Here’s an example:

“The couple practices monotony.”

In this case, the correct word should be monogamy (not monotony).

Take note:

The resulting malapropism can lead to an unintended humorous outcome. In the example above, the joke is that two people who have been together for a very long time as a couple may, in fact, say they have a lot of monotony in their lives.

Intentional malapropisms

Malapropisms are also used intentionally to add humor or satire.

In fact, malapropisms as a term first emerged in 1775 thanks to the character Mrs. Malaprop in Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The Rivals. The play is a comedy of manners (meaning it satirizes the behaviors of those in a certain social group, usually the upper class).

In more modern times, the character Archie Bunker, from the 1970s sitcom All in the Family, was the master of malapropisms. (While the character of Archie Bunker was guilty of mixing up a great many words, the writers knew exactly what they were doing when they wrote these humorous lines.)

Here are two of Archie Bunker’s more famous malapropisms:

• “Patience is a virgin” instead of “patience is a virtue”
• “In closing, I’d like to say Molotov!” instead of “in closing, I’d like to say Mazel Tov!”

Interested in more examples? Take a look at these eight malapropisms (and make sure you’re not making these funny mistakes).

Eight Examples of Malapropisms

If you’re guilty of using malapropisms, don’t fret. You’re in good company. Plenty of famous folks have used them too.

In this list, I’ve included four more common examples and four famous celebrity examples.

Four common malapropisms

“Jive” instead of “jibe”

Jive is a form of music or a form of slang associated with jive music.

Jibe means to be in accord or to agree.

• Malapropism: The police officers didn’t think her story jived with the known facts of the case.
• Correct usage: The police officers didn’t think her story jibed with the known facts of the case.

“Statue” instead of “statute”

A statue is a life-size (or larger) figure, such as a person or animal, created from a material such as stone, bronze, or marble.

A statute is a law created by a government or other institution.

• Malapropism: He wanted to press charges against her, but the statue of limitations had already expired.
• Correct usage: He wanted to press charges against her, but the statute of limitations had already expired.

“Intern” instead of “in turn”

An intern is someone who works for a company to gain experience. Interns are often students and generally work without pay.

In turn means in succession or one after the other.

• Malapropism: The company’s decision to reduce costs has intern caused more than 50 people to lose their jobs.
• Correct usage: The company’s decision to reduce costs has in turn caused more than 50 people to lose their jobs.

“Intern” and “in turn” sound virtually the same in speech, so if you misuse the word in a conversation, no one will likely notice. On paper, though, the difference is clear, and you’ll most certainly be busted for using this malapropism.

“A rolling stone gathers no moths” instead of “a rolling stone gathers no moss”

While it’s true that a stone that is literally rolling wouldn’t be a place for moths to rest, the correct word in the idiom is “moss,” not “moths.”

The idiom refers to the idea that people in constant motion don’t have time to become stagnant.

It can also mean that people who do not settle down (and thus move from one place to the next) don’t need to worry about responsibility or obligations. The original meaning of the proverb also referred to the idea that such people can’t be trusted.

Four examples of malapropisms spoken by famous people

“Oranges” instead of “origins”

Though it doesn’t seem likely that someone would confuse the two, here’s a clip of President Trump appearing to state “the oranges of the investigation” rather than “the origins of the investigation.”

“Electrical” instead of “electoral”

Electrical, of course, has to do with electricity.

Electoral relates to elections (as in the electoral college).

• Yogi Berra once famously stated, “Texas has a lot of electrical votes.” (He should have said “Texas has a lot of electoral votes.”)

“Mass production” instead of “mass destruction”

Mass production means you’re creating.

Mass destruction means you’re destroying.

• Former President George H. W. Bush once stated, “The law I sign today directs new funds… to the task of collecting vital intelligence… on weapons of mass production.” (He should have stated “weapons of mass destruction.”)

“Unanimous” instead of “anonymous”

Unanimous means that everyone is in agreement.

Anonymous means that a person isn’t known by name.

• Richard Daley, a former mayor of Chicago, once stated “Alcoholics Unanimous” rather than “Alcoholics Anonymous.”

More Help With Word Choice

Interested in reading more examples of malapropisms? You can check out some medical malapropisms here and here.

You can also check out this list of more common malapropisms.

If all this talk about malapropisms, including the funny mistakes they might create, has you nervous about each and every word you put into your paper, here are a few additional resources to help you select the perfect word.

• 33 Commonly Misused Words (and How to Get Them Right)
• Concise Writing: How to Write a Stronger Essay With Fewer Words
• Why Eliminating Wordiness is So Important for Your Essay
• How to Become a Better Writer: Don’t Use Words that Sound Smart

Not sure you’ve mastered perfect word choice? Worried that you’re guilty of a malapropism? Get help from a Kibin editor. We’ve edited tens of thousands of documents and can help you with your writing too.

Language is how we communicate our ideas. And the words we use aren’t just important when we’re writing essays for class—they’re important when we’re writing posts on Facebook or Instagram, writing emails to classmates and coworkers, and even interacting with strangers at a coffee shop.

From close friends to strangers on the internet, the people you communicate with likely come from a diverse array of backgrounds. Exclusive language (the opposite of inclusive language) can make certain groups feel othered, which can make them feel less important and less valued.

That’s why the topic of inclusive language is important. By using inclusive language, you aren’t necessarily saying everyone is the same—you’re simply making sure you’re putting them on the same level when it comes to your speech and writing.

But First, What Is Inclusive Language?

Inclusive language is pretty much exactly what it sounds like—language that seeks to include as many people as possible.

Or as more formally and better defined on Dictionary.com, it’s “language that avoids the use of certain expressions or words that might be considered to exclude particular groups of people, esp gender-specific words, such as ‘man,’ ‘mankind,’ and masculine pronouns, the use of which might be considered to exclude women.”

While the definition is simple, certain phrases are so ingrained in our speech and writing that we don’t even realize they could be seen as exclusive. That’s where examples can help. Below are some phrases that are exclusive, categorized by theme.

Gendered exclusive language

• Guys, as in “Hey guys!” when speaking to a mixed-gender group.

• Girls instead of women. This can make women feel looked down on because it makes them seem more naive or childlike.

• Females instead of women. I only hear “females” used when people complain about women or in a medical/scientific setting. It’s not a term most women actually like being called.

• Mankind. Just say humankind. We’re all human, after all.

• Gendered job titles. Think about airline hostess/stewardess. Many men were seen as effeminate for taking jobs as flight attendants because of rampant gendered job titles, even after many more men entered the field.

Racially/ethnically exclusive language

• Indians instead of Native Americans or indigenous peoples. The whole reason they were called Indians in the first place is that Columbus thought he landed in India when he first landed in America.

• Gypped instead of ripped off. This is one I didn’t even think about until a couple years ago. It comes from the thought that the Romani people, sometimes referred to as gypsies (which is a term best avoided as well), were cheaters and thieves.

• Lynch mob to describe people who are mad at you or trying to hold you accountable for something. Lynch mobs killed people in brutal ways just because of the color of their skin.

Health-related exclusive language

• Psycho/insane. These are words that can describe fantastic situations or someone’s erratic behavior. But they’re also phrases that have hurt people with mental health issues.

• OCD. I hear this one a lot when people are just trying to say that they’re particular about how they like their home to be organized or cleaned. It makes people who actually do have OCD get stereotyped as just being really tidy. In reality, individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder often struggle with certain simple tasks, sometimes to the point where it severely interferes with their quality of life.

• Lame. Cards on the table here—this is a word I still struggle with. When I was a kid, it was just a term that meant “bad” or “disappointing.” But before that, it referred to people with mobility issues. And of course, we shouldn’t imply that people with mobility issues are bad.

To see how such terms can create a negative, less inclusive tone, check out how one student used “lame” in a less-than-ideal way. Then compare it with another student’s inclusive, positive framing of the same characters from “The Life You Save May be Your Own” by Flannery O’Connor.

Why Is Inclusive Language Important?

The examples I gave are just that—examples. They’re not the only instances of exclusive language.

And at this point, you may be thinking that they’re just words—you don’t mean anything bad when you say “hey guys” to a room full of people. Maybe you’re thinking, “Some people are just so sensitive. If we keep adding words to the list, we’re never going to be able to say anything without offence.”

But inclusive language is important for the simple fact that language not only expresses our thoughts but can also shape our thoughts.

Go back to the flight attendant example. If a man wants to be a flight attendant, his gender shouldn’t get in the way of that. However, if flight attendants are always referred to as stewardesses or hostesses, he may not even realize that men are accepted into that profession.

Exclusive language can also hurt people. Nowadays, most people refrain from using the “n word.” But as recently as a few decades ago, it was being tossed around casually, both by people intending to insult others and those who thought it was just a description. Inclusive language seeks to eliminate the uses of words that have hurtful historical or sociological contexts.

Ultimately, we don’t have to use exclusive language to get our points across. In fact, inclusive language can often be more creative and get your point across in a clearer way.

Consider these examples:

• Instead of saying you got gypped, you can recreate the scene for your readers or whomever you’re talking to. You can say how the devious, cunning person swindled you out of your last few dollars. And swindled is a much funner word, isn’t it?

• Instead of telling your new boyfriend or girlfriend you’re OCD about certain things, just say you like the utensils separated in the dishwasher or you want your towels folded in half then in thirds. This not only avoids the exclusive language but also more clearly explains your ideas. And after all, good communication is important in any relationship.

Is It Ever Okay To Use Exclusive Language?

Inclusive language is incredibly nuanced. The short answer is yes—there are times when it’s okay to use exclusive language, depending on the words and the situation. If your girlfriend likes being referred to as “your girl” or “babygirl,” that’s between the two of you.

There are also some contexts, such as when writing fiction, where exclusive language is okay. Typically, this would be in cases of historical fiction or specific character dialogue. But still, be careful here. This isn’t a free pass.

You should still think about what it says about characters who keep referring to things they don’t like as “gay,” for instance. Even if it does fit the personality of a character, does it reflect negatively on you as the author of the piece?

While it may just be one word, it can impact how others view your writing and view you as a person. Just ask John Green how he feels about using exclusive language in his novel Paper Towns.

Really, though, it’s still best to default to inclusive language.

The more you think about it and practice it, the more it’ll become a natural extension of the way you speak and write. This will help you more naturally integrate inclusive language when doing public speaking events, talking to classmates, writing emails, and really just living in this big, diverse world of ours.

People Aren’t Perfect

It’s okay to mess up sometimes or to not be sure of the right phrasing to use. But when in doubt, ask. And if someone politely corrects you, accept it as a learning experience. Try to see it from the other person’s perspective without getting defensive.

Like I mentioned before, there are certain words I struggle to not use because they’ve been a part of my vocabulary for so long. But I now actively try to think of a synonym. After all, it doesn’t cost me anything to be more inclusive by using a different word.

That said, remember that others aren’t perfect either. There’s no need to yell at others because they used “mankind” instead of “humankind.” You can politely discuss the issue with them or serve as an example by using the inclusive version of the phrase when talking to them.

The point of inclusive language is to create more balance through our language and to avoid leaving out groups of people through our speech or writing. Again, language shapes our thoughts. And if we start using more inclusive language, maybe we’ll start becoming a more inclusive society.

Worried about your word choices in your essay or report? Let a Kibin editor take a look.

You know the types of texts. “Meet me at the library” somehow turns into “Meet me at the liberty,” and “I’m headed to karate class this afternoon” becomes “I’m headed to karaoke glass this after noun.”

If you’re texting your friends, they may reply with some choice acronyms or laugh it off because they know exactly what you meant to type.

These types of mistakes are common in texting, and if you’re texting among friends, it’s (usually) not a big deal if autocorrect forces you to misuse a word or two.

Even if you misuse a few words all on your own and type “there” instead of “their” or “accept” instead of “except,” most people will overlook it.

That being said, I bet you can guess who won’t laugh it off or overlook it if you misuse words, can’t you? Yep. Professors. They’re sticklers for those types of things.

So avoid the embarrassment of misusing words, and check out these 33 commonly misused words and how to get them right.

33 Commonly Misused Words (and How to Get Them Right)

If you’re writing an essay for an English class, chances are you’re pretty vigilant about getting the right word on paper (or on the screen). But don’t make the mistake of thinking that because you’re writing a paper in your history or science class, you shouldn’t be just as vigilant.

Trust me, most profs care about the written word, and they expect you to do the same. In order to make a good impression, make sure you’re using words correctly. Here’s how you do it.

This Word or That?

Ever start writing and then pause and wonder which word should I use in this situation? If so, check out these commonly misused words that sound similar (or even sound alike) but have different meanings.

Affect vs. effect

Affect means to make a change or difference. It can also mean to move someone emotionally.

Working at the animal shelter last summer affected me greatly as I was stunned at the number of homeless animals in my community.

Effect means a change that has resulted from another occurrence or action.

The shelter’s ad campaign had an enormous effect on adoption rates last weekend.

Compliment vs. complement

A compliment is the kind words you give to someone as praise. (You know, like telling your girlfriend she has an awesome new haircut. Compliments can go a long way in making someone’s day, so as Mom might say, “Be generous with them.”)

She complimented her friend on her new boots.

Complement means to add something that improves or enhances something else in some way.

Her new boots complemented her jeans.

Its vs. it’s

Its shows possession.

A car won’t stop if its brakes aren’t working properly.

It’s is a contraction for “it is.”

It’s impossible to stop if a car’s brakes aren’t working properly.

This one can be tricky because we usually think of using an apostrophe to show possession. Not this time. (The English language is screwy like that.)

Here, the apostrophe is used as a contraction, and the apostrophe is left out to show possession. (And don’t even think about writing its’. It doesn’t exist.)

Principle vs. principal

A principle is a truth, law, doctrine, or rule of conduct.

There are three core principles of meditation.

A principal is often a person in a position of authority or the head of a school. (Some people remember this one by following the old saying, “A principal is your pal.”)

He was the principal architect on the job.

He is the principal of Springfield Elementary.

Less vs. fewer

Less refers to a volume or an amount (i.e., something that can’t be physically counted).

There seemed to be less interest in the football after-party this year.

Fewer generally refers to a set number of something that you are able to count individually.

Fewer people attended the football after-party this year.

Cite vs. site

Cite means to give credit to or quote an authority or source. (Think of MLA format and writing a Works Cited. A Works Cited is a list of all of the sources you’ve cited in your paper.)

I cited four sources in my research essay about successful businesses.

Site refers to a place or location.

The company chose a new site for its headquarters.

Council vs. counsel

A council is a group of people (who are often elected officials) that meet to discuss, deliberate, or vote on something.

The council convened to discuss the upcoming changes in the city’s parking policy.

To counsel is to advise or offer advice.

The speaker counseled the group on best practices for creating new parking policies.

Stationary vs. stationery

Stationary means that something doesn’t move. It’s fixed in one spot.

We wanted to pull the tables together at the restaurant, but we couldn’t because they were stationary.

Stationery is a form of paper. You know, it’s the paper with the company logo that businesses use to write actual letters on when they contact you by snail mail. It can also be fancy paper that people used when writing letters to people.

One way to remember the difference between stationary and stationery is that stationery is paper, and both stationery and paper have the letter “e” them.

After dinner, she used the place mat as stationery and wrote a letter to her friend.

One Word or Two?

“All together” sounds just like “altogether,” and “everyday” sounds just like “every day.” So how on earth does anyone know which one to use? Here are a few quick definitions and tips to help you keep these types of similar words straight.

Everyday vs. every day

Everyday refers to something that is common, ordinary, and used daily.

Every day refers to each day. (If you can replace every with each you want to use two words.)

Every day I see everyday people shopping at the market.

Already vs. all ready

Already refers to something that happened in the past. It refers to time.

All ready refers to being prepared.

I was all ready to go to the club, but my friends had left already.

Need to polish your paper?

Let our expert editors help.

Yes! Edit my essay.

Awhile vs. a while

Awhile is an adverb that means “for a time.”

A while is a noun phrase (the article “a” plus the noun “while”) that means “for a period of time.”

To help remember which one to use, think back to your grammar lessons. Awhile is an adverb. (In case you forgot, adverbs modify adjectives, verbs, or other adverbs. They’re usually those words that end in “-ly.”)

If you can replace awhile with another adverb, such as “patiently” or quietly,” you know you’re using the right word.

It took us a while, but we finally made it to the shore and sat on the beach awhile.

Altogether vs. all together

Altogether means “completely” or “entirely.”

All together means “a group.”

To help keep these two straight, simply try to insert “completely” or “entirely.” If you can replace altogether/all together with “completely” or “entirely,” you want to use altogether.

I was altogether amazed that our high school class was all together again.

Everyone vs. every one

Everyone is a group of people. (If you can replace everyone with everybody, you know you’re using the right word.)

Every one refers to each one.

I bought everyone a flashing necklace for the concert, but every one seemed to be damaged.

Is That Really A Word?

Sometimes we say things that sound like real words but aren’t. Sometimes the words we speak are incorrect pronunciations of real words, and it isn’t until we actually try to write them that we question whether they truly exist.

Check out the list below to see the commonly misused word, the correct word, and its correct spelling and usage.

Supposedly, not “supposably”

“Supposably” isn’t an actual word. It’s an incorrect variation of supposedly.

Supposedly, Miles is going to meet Saul for an important meeting on Monday.

Undoubtedly, not “undoubtably”

This is a lot like the previous example. “Undoubtably” isn’t real word. It’s an incorrect variant of undoubtedly.

You will undoubtedly earn high marks on your essay for understanding how to use words correctly.

Could have/should have/would have, not could of/should of/would of

When we speak, we often use the contraction “could’ve,” “should’ve,” or “would’ve” to mean could have, should have, or would have. This usually sounds a lot like “could of,” “should of,” and “would of.”

Could of, should of, and would of, though, aren’t grammatically correct and shouldn’t be used.

Also, in academic essay writing, you should usually avoid contractions and write “could have,” “should have,” and “would have” instead.

I should have written a better essay. In fact, I would have, if I could have.

Until, not ‘til

While “‘til” is generally accepted in spoken English and some informal writing, you should always write “until” in formal essays.

The prof waited until everyone was seated before announcing that there would be a pop quiz.

Regardless, not “irregardless”

“Irregardless” is one of those words that’s often accepted in informal conversation or dialect. However, most scholars agree that, because the word regardless means “without regard,” the “-ir” prefix is redundant (thus making “irregardless” an unacceptable word in formal writing).

Regardless of what you say, I’m going to the concert Friday night.

Let the Professionals Help

Now that you have an understanding of some commonly misused words, here’s what you can do to make sure your paper makes the grade.

• Revise your essay as needed. Not sure where to start? Click here for revision tips that will make your writing better than ever and help you catch those sneaky words that we often misuse, or let a Kibin editor take a look.

• Review another resource. If you want even more information about commonly confused words, read 9 Words You Probably Use Incorrectly.

• Watch out for autocorrect errors. Remember, autocorrect mistakes don’t only happen when texting. Some programs will autocorrect your words as you type. Case in point, if you misspell “definitely,” autocorrect often changes it to “defiantly.” That’s definitely not a mistake you want to make!

Still not sure you can spot commonly misused words? Take a look at these two essays to see what the writers do well (and to see if they’ve misused any words).

• The Difference Between High School and College Writing
• The Importance of Teaching Children How to Write Correctly

Did we miss any words that you struggle to use correctly? Tell us in the comments!

You need to strut your stuff. You need to walk with authority and crow like you mean it!

Likewise, if you’re writing a paper, you might consider yourself king (or queen) of the written word. As king or queen, you can’t type just anything and hope it sounds okay.

Instead, you need to turn a phrase. You need to present perfectly polished prose. You need to write with authority and demonstrate to your readers that you know what you’re talking about.

If you feel like writing royalty but aren’t quite sure how to present yourself as an authority on the subject, check out these tips to help you develop your authoritative voice.

Authoritative Voice: What on Earth Does That Mean?

When you think authority, you might think of someone who is confident, large and in charge, and maybe even a little bossy—you know, like that rooster in the barnyard.

Writing in an authoritative voice doesn’t mean that you’re bossy, rude, or condescending.
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Writing in an authoritative voice, though, doesn’t mean that you’re bossy, rude, or condescending.

It means that you’re confident and knowledgeable about your subject. It also means that you can convey that confidence in your writing style.

To do that, you need to choose your words wisely and show readers you know your stuff.

You also need to establish your authority early in your paper. Start strong with a good hook and well-written thesis statement that directly states the focus of your paper.

If you establish yourself as credible early in your paper, readers are not only more likely to keep reading, but also more likely to actually believe what you have to say.

Use Qualifiers Wisely

Qualifiers are words that somehow modify or limit other words or phrases. Here are a few examples of qualifiers:

• Hardly
• Could
• Seldom
• Probably
• Likely
• Frequently
• Doubtful
• May

Qualifiers can be important in academic writing to clarify between absolute claims or claims that have limits. If they’re used ineffectively, though, qualifiers create a sense of uncertainty in your writing.

Necessary qualifiers

Necessary qualifiers are used in academic writing to clarify claims. They can be particularly important if you’re describing the limits of your own scientific research.

Here’s a quick example:

If you find four chickens dead in the hen house, you might write, “The chickens were killed by a fox.” This is an absolute phrase. You’re stating a fact: the chickens were killed by a fox.

But what if you’re not exactly sure how the chickens died? What if you’re making an educated guess? Then you need to qualify your statement. To do this, you might write, “The chickens were likely killed by a fox.” Or you might say, “The chickens may have been killed by a fox.”

The phrases “were likely” and “may have been” qualify your statement as you’re not stating an absolute fact.

Unnecessary qualifiers

Unnecessary qualifiers are those qualifiers that only weaken your writing and make it less authoritative.

Here’s an example:

If you’re watching a group of chickens in the yard and you state, “I think chickens are social and have a pecking order,” the phrase “I think” is a qualifier. It weakens the statement because it sounds as if you’re not quite sure whether a pecking order actually exists.

The qualifier in this example sentence is unnecessary because it’s a fact that there is a social pecking order among chickens.

To revise, eliminate first person point of view and state the fact without any qualifiers: “Chickens are social and have a pecking order.” This creates a confident and authoritative voice.

It’s also more persuasive if you’re, say, writing an argumentative essay or a persuasive essay.

Bring in the Experts to Demonstrate Your Own Expertise

If you want readers to know you’re a credible and authoritative writer, you need to illustrate your knowledge of the subject. Part of this process involves demonstrating that you have done your research.

You may not think that presenting the thoughts and research of someone else would actually increase your credibility, but it does. Think about all those scholarly articles you read when you’re researching a topic. How many sources do they cite?

Why cite so many other experts? Because citing other experts demonstrates not only that you’ve read about and fully understand the topic, but also that others agree with and support your argument.

Consider this example:

If you want to start raising chickens so that you always have a fresh supply of eggs, you might wonder how many chickens you need. Let’s say the two online articles you read both state you need anywhere from two to four chickens.

This sounds reasonable enough, but how do you know whether that’s a good number? What credibility do these writers have? After all, you’re just reading random online articles.

Let’s say you then read a professionally written article from a poultry magazine in which a highly credentialed author (who also cites other experts) states that you need no fewer than six chickens.

Which article are you more likely to believe? You’d choose the article written by someone who is credible and writes with authority, right?

Why? Because the writer is authoritative and uses evidence and expertise to support her arguments.

You want to be that writer. You want readers to read your essay and believe what you have to say. Thus, in order establish credibility, use your authoritative voice and support what you have to say with credible evidence.

Writing Style

Developing an authoritative voice is not only saying what you mean, but also saying it with style.

Developing an authoritative voice is not only saying what you mean, but also saying it with style.
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There are all sorts of ways to improve your style, such as adding content over useless fluff (fluff only adds length, not content, to your writing), eliminating wordiness, and choosing the right words (over words that simply sound smart).

You might also read 15 Ways to Improve Your Academic Writing to learn even more ways to improve your writing style.

Mastering all of these style tips will certainly improve your writing, but if you’re looking for the ultimate in authoritative writing, write in active voice (rather than passive voice).

Active voice essentially means that the subject of the sentence is completing the action.

Check out this quick example:

Active voice: The chickens laid six eggs.

Passive voice: Six eggs were laid by the chickens.

It’s pretty easy to see the difference in this simple sentence. In the first sentence (active voice), the chickens are the subjects completing the action of laying eggs. In the second sentence (passive voice), the objects being acted upon (six eggs) become the subject.

See? Isn’t active voice less confusing and a lot more direct? By the way, more direct also equates to authority. This is where the phrase “write like you mean it” comes into play. Active voice is bold, direct, and authoritative.

Of course, there are occasions where passive voice can be useful and is actually preferred, but in most cases, stick with active voice.

One final word about style: Don’t forget that proper grammar increases your credibility too, so make sure to revise and proofread before submitting your paper.

I Have It on Good Authority

In order to write with an authoritative voice, you need to practice your writing skills. One form of practice doesn’t involve writing at all. It involves reading.

By reading other people’s writing, you can review and evaluate how they use language, whether they’ve included unnecessary qualifiers, and whether they’ve used an authoritative voice and demonstrate credibility.

If you’re able to recognize these elements in the writing of others, you’re better able to use (or avoid) specific elements in your own writing.

If you want to try this strategy, you can practice by reading these two papers:

• An Argument in Support of KFC Corporation’s Handling of Chickens
• The Importance of Agriculture to Society

Already have a completed paper but not sure you’re crowing loudly and confidently enough to get the attention of the entire barnyard? Worried that you’re loud, but perhaps not yet authoritative? Let the experts at Kibin help.

• Bull float
• Expansion joint
• Forms
• Screed
• Trowel
• Rebar

Yes, these are literally words related to concrete, but that’s most likely not what your prof means when he tells you to focus on concrete language.

Keep in mind, though, that these words could be considered concrete language because they’re very specific and descriptive words.

Need a little help sorting that out?

In basic terms, concrete language doesn’t mean you’re talking about pouring a new sidewalk.

Concrete language means using specific and detailed language.

So if your prof has written “Be specific!” one too many times on your essays, here’s your chance to make that happen.

Before you check out the three ways to focus on concrete language in your next essay, let’s first review exactly what “concrete language” means.

What Is Concrete Language?

Concrete language helps readers understand what you’re writing about through the use of tangible and specific characteristics and details. They’re usually words you can experience through your senses of sight, sound, taste, touch, or smell.

Concrete language is the opposite of abstract language, which is more generalized and often refers to intangible qualities and things that can’t easily be measured, such as love, hate, fear, or happiness.

The examples below illustrate the difference.

Abstract language: We did some prep work for the job yesterday, and it felt great to finally finish.

If you are, in fact, working on pouring the cement for your new driveway and you tell friends that you’ve “done some prep work,” they may have a general sense of what you’ve accomplished, but the statement is vague.

It also uses the term “great.” This is a feeling that can’t easily be measured. Thus, this sentence contains abstract rather than concrete language.

Concrete language: Yesterday, Adam and I finished building the forms and adding rebar for the driveway.

This sentence is more effective because it uses concrete language (words/phrases such as “Adam and I,” “forms,” and “rebar”) to provide specific details to help readers understand the focus.

Looking for some strategies to help you add concrete language into your own writing? Here are three tips.

Three Ways to Focus on Concrete Language in Your Next Essay

Effective writers use a combination of abstract and concrete language, but if your paper is too vague, general, or lacks specifics, here’s how you can add more concrete language into your next essay.

#1 Get rid of empty words

Empty words are those filler words you use to bump up the word count on your paper. You know the type—words like “really,” “very,” “a lot,” “awesome,” “basically,” or “extremely.”

Empty words don’t add anything to your writing. They just take up space. They’re like your favorite soda. They’re filled with empty calories that contribute nothing to your diet.

Empty words don’t add to your writing. They just take up space. Use concrete language instead.
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Look for the empty words in the following sentence.

I had a really tough time with a lot of the questions on the test because it was extremely difficult.

This sentence is too vague and doesn’t use concrete language. It uses empty phrases— “really tough time,” “a lot,” and “extremely difficult.” To revise, add more specific word choices.

Essentially, it’s adding fluff. This is an easy trap to fall into, especially when you’re stretching to reach a required word count. But don’t do it. (There are better ways to make your essay longer.)

Here’s a revised sentence with concrete language.

I struggled to complete the algebra test during the one-hour time limit because three of the questions focused on quadratic equations.

This sentence replaces empty words with concrete language (“algebra test,” “one-hour time limit,” and “quadratic equations”) to help readers understand the exact meaning.

(Bonus: It’s also longer if you’re reaching for a higher word count.)

Want to learn even more about choosing the right word for your paper? Read The Ultimate Guide to the Perfect Word Choice for Your Essay.

#2 Add specific details

To add specific details, think of the phrase show, don’t tell. Your English teachers have said this a thousand times… and with good reason. Adding specific details not only makes your reading more interesting, but it also help readers understand the meaning of your writing.

Keep in mind that even though details are important, too many details are actually a bad thing.

Here’s an example of too many details in a descriptive essay:

I put on my new purple flip flops, a purple tank, and white shorts and walked down to the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day, and I enjoyed my walk as I passed the souvenir stands that littered the sidewalks. They were filled with colorful T-shirts, key chains, beach blankets of every color, water bottles, and sunscreen. I stopped briefly at a stand to look at blue and white striped shirt, but the short woman in the red sundress behind the counter informed me that they were out of my size. So I kept walking. When I finally got to the beach, I spread out my red beach towel to cover the scorching hot sand and sat down to watch the cerulean blue sea.

This paragraph certainly contains numerous details, but did you really learn anything by reading it? Probably not. It’s a paragraph filled with description for the sake of description.

How do you know what type of description and detail to include?

Consider your purpose and audience before deciding what details are important in your paper.

Here’s what that means. If you’re writing a narrative essay, your purpose is to tell a story. While descriptive detail is important in this type of writing, you want to limit the details to the most important parts of the story.

In other words, don’t go into great detail about your long wait in the airport if the real action of your story takes place on the plane.

Here’s another example. If you’re writing a letter to the director of food services to discuss the lack of healthy options on campus, your audience only needs to know your concerns about the food on campus. You don’t need to include details about your class schedule or when you eat lunch. Such details are irrelevant.

#3 Decide the level of abstract wording

Put simply: Words can move from general to specific. As a writer, it’s your job to select the most appropriate word for the situation.

Remember, this will depend on the purpose and audience.

Check out this basic example:

GENERAL: Clothing, footwear, shoes, women’s dress shoes, high heels

SPECIFIC: Stilettos

The word “footwear” is obviously much more general than the word “stilettos,” and which word you choose will depend on what you’re writing and why you’re writing it.

Let’s say you’re writing a report detailing the results of a study. If you indicate that the women in the study spent an average of $300 per year on footwear, you’re stating that the results include all footwear (boots, tennis shoes, dress shoes, sandals, and perhaps socks).

However, if the study actually only surveyed women about the money they spent per year on stilettos, using the word “footwear” in your report misleads your reader (and skews the results of the study).

Remember, effective writing requires a mix of abstract and concrete language. It’s up to you to decide how much detail to include and what level of abstract or concrete language you will use.

Hit a Concrete Wall?

Making a change in your writing style or word choices isn’t always easy. Don’t sweat it if you don’t write a paper full of precise, concrete language in your first draft.

Remember, first drafts are a chance for you to get your ideas into place.

Wait until you revise and edit to look for abstract words you might replace or revise into more concrete language. Need more help with revision, read How to Revise an Essay and Make It Better Than Ever.

If you’d like some professional help with revision, let a Kibin editor check out your paper.

Happy writing!

Or have you ever written a paper and it seemed like it was full of fluff, rather than strong content?

These types of papers have one thing in common: wordiness. While they do contain lots of words, they aren’t necessarily well-written papers.

So if you’re guilty of adding lots of fluff to your paper (you know who you are), here’s why eliminating wordiness is so important for your essay.

Wordiness Adds Words–It Doesn’t Add Meaning

Just because you’ve added more words to your paper doesn’t mean that you’ve added any meaning.

Let’s say you’ve drafted your paper, and you’re at 862 words. Your paper is supposed to be a minimum of 900 words, and your prof is a real stickler for word count. You decide to add words to meet the magical number. But this doesn’t necessarily add any meaning to your paper.

Here’s what I mean. Let’s say the paragraph below is part of your first draft:

Doing laundry for the first time can be scary. You don’t want to ruin your new spring wardrobe simply because of your laundry ignorance. Should you wash everything in cold or warm? Your mom told you to separate whites and colors, but what about grays? Are they whites, or are they colors?

When you realize you haven’t met word count, you add more words. Now your paragraph looks like this:

Doing laundry on your own for the very first time can be really scary. You don’t want to ruin all of your fabulous new spring wardrobe simply because of your laundry ignorance. Should you decide to wash everything in cold or warm? Your caring mom told you to always remember to separate whites and colors, but what should you do about grays? Are they whites, or are they colors?

The revision adds 17 words. Great, right? Not so much. While it does help meet word count, it’s obvious that you didn’t add any meaning to your paper.

You’ve added words just for the sake of adding words. You didn’t improve your writing. In fact, you’ve made your writing clunkier and harder to read.

The takeaway: Don’t add words simply to meet word count!

Eliminating Wordiness Improves Clarity

Wordiness can sneak into your paper without you even realizing it. When we draft, we often write how we think or speak. These extra words, however, need to be eliminated in academic writing in order to improve clarity.

Here’s an example of a wordy paragraph:

A survey of 143 teens found that most of these teens decided that they wanted to enroll in college based on a large variety of different and varied factors. Many teens said that they made their decisions on where to go to college because of where their parents attended college or where their parents graduated from. Some other teens said that they decided to choose their college based on the number and kind of scholarships they received from each specific college.

Sure, you can understand what the writer is saying (after reading it a few times), but let’s look at this same paragraph without the wordiness.

A survey of 143 teens revealed that students’ choice of college was based on many reasons, including scholarships awarded and their parents’ alma mater.

That cuts out a whole mess of words! (It adds clarity too.)

3 Simple Ways to Reduce Wordiness

What can you do to eliminate wordiness in your own writing?

What can you do to eliminate wordiness in your writing? Try these 3 things.
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#1: Replace a phrase with one word

• Replace “due to the fact that” with “because”
• Replace “in spite of the fact that” with “although”
• Replace “at the present time” with “now”

#2: Avoid statements that announce your opinion or writing strategy

• Wordy:  The goal of this essay is to inform you of my opinion about why the legal gambling age should be 21.
• Revised: The legal gambling age should be 21.

#3: Eliminate redundancy

• Wordy: She wore a dress that was red in color and arrived at 9 pm in the evening.
• Revised: She arrived at 9 pm wearing a red dress.

Now that you’ve taken out all kinds of words, you’re obviously falling short of the oh-so-important word count. What do you add in their place? More important stuff, like evidence!

Eliminating Wordiness Makes Room for Additional Evidence

Remember that prof who’s a stickler for word count? Let’s say you’re not allowed to write more than 1,500 words. You still have one more argument and the conclusion to write, and you’re already at 1,400 words.

This is another reason eliminating wordiness is important in your essay. It not only makes your writing clear and specific, but it also makes room for more useful content.

Here’s a quick example:

Wordy paragraph:

In this paper, I will explain why I believe that living with some roommates can be extremely difficult and challenging. In some instances, roommates might be the kind that are messy and might even leave their things everywhere. They may also steal from you, or they may have their friends or significant others over at all hours of the day and night.

Revised to eliminate wordiness:

Living with roommates can be difficult because they may be too messy, may steal, or may have visitors at all hours.

Revised to add evidence:

Living with roommates can be difficult because they may be too messy, may steal, or may have visitors at all hours. In one study, for instance, 16% of college students surveyed reported having something stolen from a roommate, and 33% reported that their roommates often had visitors at all hours (Smith 147).

The final paragraph is 10 words  shorter than the original wordy paragraph, but it packs a lot more content into the short space.

Struggling to find the evidence you need to offer support? Read 3 Types of Essay Support That Prove You Know Your Stuff.

Enough of My Words

Now that you know why it’s important to eliminate wordiness, and now that you know how to do so, it’s time to write some words of your own—or as the case may be, delete some of those unnecessary words.

Bonus: Here’s a few more resources to help you with eliminating wordiness:

• 8 Steps to More Concise Writing
• Conciseness resource from The Writing Center at UNC-Chapel Hill
• Conciseness resource from Purdue OWL

As you’re writing, keep in mind that avoiding wordiness isn’t the only thing you should be concerned with. Check out these other posts to help you with your writing style:

• Why Third-Person Writing Is Critical to a Great Essay
• 15 Ways to Improve Your Academic Writing
• How to Control the Tone of an Essay
• How to Become a Better Writer: Don’t Use Words That Sound Smart

Have you eliminated words, revised, and added more evidence but are still concerned that your paper isn’t up to par? Our Kibin editors are word experts and are ready to help!

There are, however, words that are inappropriate for a given situation.

This not only means that you should avoid dropping certain—*ahem*—bombs in front of Grandma or your boss, but it also means that you should choose your words with care when writing an essay, a cover letter, or any other document.

Obviously, you know better than to include explicit language in an academic paper. But other nuances of word choice in essay writing are not so obvious.

Ideally, the words you select should not only convey your meaning and argument, but they should also do so with the right tone and the right connotation—without offending or confusing anyone.

If this sounds like a tall order, then you’re in luck. In this post, I’ll provide helpful tips and strategies to help you choose the best words to make your point while sidestepping any linguistic faux pas.

Why Is Word Choice Important in an Essay?

You’ve certainly heard the phrase “words matter” before. But in an essay, they really, REALLY matter.

Why?

In an essay, you have a goal in mind. You might be trying to persuade a university to admit you, to convince your readers that tomatoes are indeed fruits and not vegetables, to inform your readers about the importance of squirrels, or to describe each painstaking step of building a Pokemon card deck.

Regardless of your topic or the rhetorical situation, your goal—your purpose for writing—is important, and the right words help you achieve it.

Furthermore, solid word choices improve your credibility as a writer. They let your readers know that YOU are a knowledgeable, confident authority on your topic and that you’re professional enough to gauge the formality of the rhetorical situation.

That’s a fancy way of saying you know how to say just the right thing.

Finally, careful decisions about your word choice help you avoid alienating, annoying, or confusing your readers—even when you totally didn’t intend to!

Careful decisions about word choice help you avoid alienating, annoying, or confusing your readers.
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Avoiding the most common problems with word choice boils down to a few simple guidelines:

1. Avoid redundancy
2. Ditch flowery language
3. Choose the right level of formality
4. Sound credible and confident

Let’s look at some examples of these principles on word choice in action.

1. Avoid Redundancy

When I was in high school—and later in my undergrad—whenever the teacher assigned essays, there were always predictable groans among my classmates. What was it that stressed us out the most? The subject matter? The due date?

No, dear reader. Our shared anxiety was about the word count. I can remember thinking, “1,500 words?! THAT’S SO MANY WORDS!!!”

Facing this challenge as a fledgling writer, I chose (less than ideal) tactics to hit word count requirements: make things as complicated as possible, repeat myself, over-explain everything, and use flowery language.

As time went on, I slowly realized that these techniques were hurting my grades and making it harder for me to organize my thoughts.

Not sure what I mean?

Here’s an example I found from this post on excessive wordiness:

National Park Service regulation:

“When the process of freeing a stuck vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area.”

Let’s break it down:

“When the process of freeing a stuck vehicle that has been stuck…”

This is what’s known as redundancy. Sometimes, redundancy is great.

Building a bridge? You probably want extra support beams in case one of them breaks. Flying to Mars? Maybe build some extra life support systems in case something goes wrong with the primary one.

While redundancy is a GREAT idea in engineering (thanks, engineers!), it’s not a good idea in writing.

Why not? Redundancy gets in the way. It takes up unnecessary space, so you don’t have as much room to develop your argument, show off your ideas, and say things that actually matter.

Redundancy also makes it hard to understand what your point is because the reader has to work harder to figure out what you’re getting at. You might even confuse yourself.

And when your prof gets to your paper after marking 20 others and having a couple glasses of scotch, redundancy will make him grumpy and/or sleepy. NOT GOOD! You want to make your prof’s life easy … not make him feel like this:

Okay, let’s look at that sentence again. This time, let’s pay closer attention to word choice:

“When the process of freeing a stuck vehicle that has been stuck results in ruts or holes, the operator will fill the rut or hole created by such activity before removing the vehicle from the immediate area.”

“…that has been stuck” is redundant with the first part of the sentence,“When the process of freeing a stuck vehicle.” Why repeat it? It’s just confusing.

Here’s the sentence without redundancy:

“When freeing a stuck vehicle results in ruts or holes, fill them before removing the vehicle from the area.”

Ahh, much better, yes?

Here are some other common examples of redundancy (with corrections):

Example #1:

• It’s absolutely essential that we take action.
• It’s essential that we take action.

Example #2:

•  An armed gunman burst into the room.
• A gunman burst into the room.

Example #3:

• They could possibly do a better job.
• They could do a better job.

Example #4:

• At the exact same time.
• At the same time.

Example #5:

• If you follow my personal advice, you’ll eliminate redundancy entirely and save extra room for things that really matter.
• If you follow my advice, you’ll eliminate redundancy and save room for things that matter.

Think about what your key message is for each sentence, each paragraph, and the document as a whole. Try to be clear, direct, and concise. Be mindful of word choice.

Remember that the point of writing is to communicate. It’s no good if your readers feel like they just finished binge-watching Lost after reading your paper (seriously, what was that show even about?).

2. Ditch Flowery Language

Let’s look at another problem related to redundancy, but a little bit different.

Say I want to describe the problem of complicated and flowery language. I could write something like this:

Some errant but well-intentioned scribes, in a wayward attempt to imbue their words with as much of Newton’s force as their scribbling digits can muster, deploy innumerable adjectives of rare and curious vintage, all in the Sisyphean hope that the ones who ultimately feast their eyes upon their assembled lexis might not remark on the absence of quality in the burning light of quantity. Alas, their heroic efforts often have all the utility of a fine mesh door on an undersea submersible.

Two sentences, 82 words! But what’s the point? Do all those adjectives help you understand me, or are you scratching your head and thinking about heading back to YouTube?

Given the quality of sloth and cat videos recently, I’m betting on the latter. (Seriously, how cute is this?!)

Instead of the verbose nonsense above, it’s much better to write this:

Some writers use as many adjectives as possible to try to make their writing sound better. This is usually as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

Don’t be like those writers.

(Check out this great read on avoiding words that sound smart. It even has a flow chart! Or read this post on sticky sentences to help you keep your writing clear and concise.)

Okay. So we’ve covered redundancy and flowery language. I’d say these are two of the most common problems in students’ writing—and two of the easiest ones to fix.

Let’s look at some other ways that you can step your word choice up a notch.

3. Choose the Right Level of Formality

Okay, okay. I know I just finished telling you to keep it simple … but that doesn’t mean you should write the same way that you would speak to your friends. You have to know your audience.

If your teacher has ever suggested that you “improve your diction,” he’s suggesting that you use more formal vocabulary. In most essays, it’s a good idea to err on the side of “more formal” with word choice, though.

Here are a couple ways to instantly boost the formality of your writing without turning your paper into a flowerbed:

• Ditch the contractions (it’s, you’re, don’t, etc.)
• Be specific and avoid words such as “stuff,” “people,” “society,” “things,” and other vague or ambiguous terms
• Use strong, descriptive verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

Let’s pretend you’re writing an argumentative essay. Your teacher probably won’t take you very seriously if you write this:

The government should pay to help people to stop smoking to stop them from getting all kinds of gross diseases and so other people don’t have to breathe that nasty stuff.

I mean, the idea is sound, but c’mon. Let’s elevate that diction:

The US government should fund smoking cessation programs to reduce the incidence of smoking-related diseases and prevent bystanders’ exposure to harmful secondhand smoke.

What a difference, eh?

The ideas are nearly identical, but by removing contractions, using more specific terms, and choosing stronger and more descriptive nouns and verbs, the second version sounds much more professional. It says, “I am taking this topic seriously, and so should you.”

4. Sound Credible and Confident

Look—writing can be tough. Sometimes you might lose your mojo. But—much like with informal diction—when you use vague and weak language, you subtly tell your readers not to take you and your ideas seriously.

For example:

“There seem to be a bunch of possible problems with this policy process.”

Let’s look at some of word choice at play here:

• “Seem to be” – are there or aren’t there?
• “A bunch” – how many?
• “Possible problems” – are they problems or not?

How about this instead:

“There are three problems with this policy process.”

Stronger, right?

Or imagine that you’re hiring someone, and you have two cover letters in front of you.

Resume 1 says, “I think that I may be able to make a modest contribution to the team.”

Resume 2 says. “I am confident that I will make a strong contribution to the team.”

Most of us would hire the author of the second letter because confidence sells! If your resume isn’t up to snuff, the hiring committee will notice. Similarly, if you’re writing an essay and your argument is weak, readers will figure that out on their own.

When you use vague and weak language, your readers don’t get the chance to take your ideas on their merits. You’re subtly telling them that your ideas are bad.

There’s nothing worse than an essay that’s full of potential but that falls flat because of wishy-washy, insecure language that makes you sound unsure of yourself.

I’m talking about words like this:

• seems/seem to be
• perhaps
• may be
• appears to be
• I believe/I think/etc.

… meh. Unless you’re genuinely highlighting the uncertainty of a situation or fact, you should avoid using words like these because they call your confidence into question.

Take a look at one more example. Which one of these sounds stronger and more certain?

Because a number of death row inmates appear to have been mistakenly imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, I believe the death penalty should probably be abolished.

OR

A number of death row inmates has been mistakenly imprisoned for crimes they did not commit, so the death penalty should be abolished.

The second one, right? Take a stance, and be confident as you state facts and claims. Your writing will be stronger for it.

For more tips on writing with confidence, check out this great post: One Persuasive Writing Technique You Can’t Write Without.

Learn by Example

Sometimes seeing these elements at work in other students’ essays (or how students masterfully avoid them) can help you learn how to write concise, credible, and strong essays that command your prof’s attention … and that translate into good essay marks.

Have a specific type of essay due? Check out these example essays for inspiration:

• Analytical essay examples
• Compare and contrast essay examples
• Argumentative essay examples

Have a different type of essay due? Search Kibin Essay Examples for exactly the type of essay you’re writing, and learn from good and bad word choices.

Okay, Let’s Review

Words matter. You can use them more effectively by following a few simple guidelines.

1. Avoid redundancy

It just gets in the way. Don’t make things more complicated than they need to be.

2. Ditch flowery language

Avoid using “words that sound smart.” Keep things clear, simple, and concise. Use this flowchart.

3. Choose the right level of formality

Don’t swear at Grandma. Don’t email your new boss to say that you love her.

4. Sound credible and confident

Vague and weak language tells your readers that they shouldn’t believe you. Strong, direct, specific language shows off just how smart you are!

If you need help with any of the above, the Kibin editors are rockstars at finding and fixing exactly these types of writing problems.

Good luck!

Instead, let’s say a transition is “a passage from one state, stage, subject, place, or IDEA to another.” That’s what we do when we transition in our essays. We transition between ideas that are usually related to one subject.

A transition is a passage from one state, stage, subject, place, or IDEA to another.
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We do this from section to section, from paragraph to paragraph, from sentence to sentence, and often, within individual sentences.

On the macro level (sections and paragraphs), we often use whole paragraphs or sentences to transition from one idea to the next. However, on the micro level (between and within sentences), we use transition words.

Politicians use transitions all the time when they’re presented with an undesirable question and prefer to spin to another subject.

Well, some are better at it than others.

For better or worse, we’re focusing on these little gems today: transition words for essays. Why? Because they’re oh-so-important when it comes to moving from one idea to another and melding those ideas into one cohesive whole within your essay.

Without transition words, you can lose your direction. But their overuse, or misuse, can lead to a clunky, redundant mess of transitional madness.

So today, let’s tackle what you need to know about using transition words for essays.

What Exactly Are Transition Words, and Why Are They Important?

If you’re reading this, then you’re probably all too used to writing essays. I don’t need to explain to you the essay’s prevalence in just about every level of the education system.

You already understand the different types of essays that require you to analyze, interpret, compare and contrast, and break down any number of subjects.

When writing any essay, it’s important that all of your ideas progress in a clear and concise direction. It’s also important that you present them in a logical order. After all, we can only focus on one idea at a time.

Transition words allow us, as writers, to seamlessly move from one idea to the next.
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What makes transition words so important? They allow us, as writers, to seamlessly move from one idea to the next. They also let us do so in a way that’s almost imperceptible to the reader.

Let’s take this quote as an example:

“Times of transition are strenuous, but I love them. They are an opportunity to purge, rethink priorities, and be intentional about new habits.” —Kristin Armstrong

In this quote, we see the speaker uses the transition word “but” to shift from the difficulty related to life transitions to the positives that can come from them. It flows so well that you don’t even notice the word.

In contrast, imagine if she said, “Times of transition are strenuous. I love them.” This would give the reader pause as the connection isn’t clear. Instead, by using “but,” Armstrong effectively transitions you to the positive aspects of her thinking, which she then elaborates on.

As you can see, neglecting to use transition words entirely will result in writing that’s disconnected and difficult to read and understand. Transition words are vital to establishing flow and fluency in your paper. That flow and fluency allows your reader to seamlessly identify and connect to your ideas.

However, when transitions are overused or misused, they can be counter-productive.

What Are Some Common Transition Mistakes?

Learning to use transitions is easy, but learning to use them fluidly is more difficult. It’s kind of like dancing. Anyone can hold on to another person and move his feet. Doing it gracefully is another story.

So let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes I see with the use of transition words for essays.

Transition by numbers

“Firstly, smoking is bad for your lungs. Second, smoking can discolor your teeth. Third, smoking is bad for the people around you. In the fourth place, smoking is very expensive.”

Often when writing an essay, we’re asked to present several arguments or pieces of evidence. So numbering each of the points as we present them seems logical. However, this isn’t a list. It’s an essay. Try to avoid using “first,” “second,” and “third” exclusively when transitioning to a new point.

The broken record

“Exercise can improve your cardiovascular function. In addition, it can increase your self-esteem. Additionally, exercise can be a great way to meet new people. Plus, exercise can extend your life and make you feel younger.”

Some transition words will be used more than others, and that’s fine. However, a big part of writing is finding the right balance. You may have a favorite transition word, but try to show some restraint in using it. Switch it up from time to time. Avoid overusing transitions that essentially all mean the same thing.

A big part of writing is finding the right balance, so switch up your transitions from time to time.
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Starting with ands and buts

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been taught that it’s a sin to start a sentence with “and” or “but.” And being the rebel writer I am, I love to break this rule (<– see?). But I have to admit, doing it continuously is less than ideal (<– see?).

Spelling it out

Transitions are meant to guide your reader through your essay from idea to idea and section to section. Consequently, there’s this tendency to spell everything out. I’ve read so many conclusion paragraphs that begin with “in conclusion.”

If you’re writing a strong conclusion, then there’s no reason to spell this out. Your reader will know. Trust me.

Now that you know why transition words are important and how to use them correctly, let’s take a look at 97 transition words for essays.

97 Transition Words for Essays You Need to Know

Transition words can be used to achieve various effects. Therefore, I’ve broken the following transition words into categories. This makes them a bit easier to digest—and refer back to later.

Addition

These transition words are used to provide additional information on a point.

• and
• as
• moreover
• as well as
• likewise
• additionally
• similarly
• furthermore
• of course
• then
• in addition
• not to mention
• equally
• besides
• also
• correspondingly

Example: “Developing strong reading habits will improve your grade in English class, as well as any other class that involves reading, which happens to be all of them.”

Contradiction

These transition words are used to show the flip side of a point. They can be incredibly useful when transitioning from one side of an issue to the other.

• but
• although
• instead
• nonetheless
• however
• conversely
• in contrast
• then again
• while
• albeit
• otherwise
• nevertheless
• rather
• even though

Example: “The loss of my mother was the most difficult moment of my life. Then again, it was also the point when I began truly living my own life.”

Cause

These transition words are often used at the beginning of a sentence to show the cause of an action.

• when
• if…then
• because
• in order to
• since
• whenever
• due to
• provided that
• with this in mind

Example: “I always think about having a drink when I’m feeling stressed about work.”

Effect

These are used in a similar way as the cause transitions, but later in the sentence to show the result of an action.

• thus
• as a result
• therefore
• consequently
• accordingly
• and so
• hence
• because of this

Example: “I was feeling stressed about work; thus, I thought about having a drink.”

Emphasis

These transition words are used to drive a point home by providing further information for the reader to think about in relation to it.

• in other words
• especially
• for instance
• for example
• such as
• indeed
• like
• notably
• particularly
• with this in mind
• explicitly
• namely
• chiefly
• including
• principally

Example: “Bullying in school can be detrimental to students, particularly when it occurs during the formative years of their education.”

Conclusion

These transitions are used to bring together various points that you’ve mentioned in your paper.

• overall
• altogether
• in short
• in fact
• after all
• ultimately
• all in all
• in any event
• as mentioned
• in general
• in other words
• in summary
• as you can see

Example: “As mentioned, smoking is harmful to your health and the health of those you love.”

Arrangement

These are extremely important when it comes to developing strong flow from idea to idea, especially when they relate to time.

• first
• last
• then
• after
• before
• once
• next
• during
• formerly
• as soon as
• at the same time
• finally
• now
• forthwith
• eventually
• meanwhile
• henceforth
• hereafter
• in the future
• in the past
• prior to
• following
• subsequently

Example: “Before we discuss the candidates’ platforms, let’s review their political histories.”

Putting Transition Words for Essays into Practice

This is by no means an exhaustive list. However, each of these transition words is common and valuable. They’re definitely transition words for essays you need to know. I encourage you to refer back to this list anytime you write an essay.

Need some inspiration? Check out these example essays where the writers did a good job of using transition words to connect ideas:

• Comparing the Diction and Syntax in the Works of Langston Hughes and Sandra Cisneros
• A Summary and Investigation of Green Buildings
• American High Schools Compared to the Swedish School System

If you find that your essay lacks smooth transitions, the list of 97 transition words for essays will help you to add some.

If your essay feels redundant upon second reading because you’ve used similar transition words repeatedly, use these categories to find some good replacements.

If it still doesn’t feel right, I suggest you send your essay to the editing team at Kibin. Not only will the professional editors review your use of transitions, but they’ll work with you to improve your use of transition words for essays going forward.

Good luck!

And while there are probably topics you could write about forever — an ode to your pillow or your deep, unabashed love for nineties sitcoms, for instance — there will be times when you simply run out of things to say before you reach your target word count.

So what do you do when you feel as though you’ve squeezed out every last word you can say about your topic, but your essay falls short of your goal?

This post will help you learn how to make an essay longer without resorting to useless fluff, purple prose, or 6 silly things the reader will totally notice (so don’t even bother).

How to Make an Essay Longer: Before You Write

Don’t underestimate the value of planning ahead. When you’re staring down a hefty page requirement, there are a few things you can do before you ever start writing to set yourself up for success.

1. Do lots of research. The more information you have about your topic from the get-go, the easier it is to write (and write, and write, and write some more).
2. Create a thorough outline. Planning what you will write in advance helps you organize your ideas and spot weaknesses in your arguments and ideas that you can elaborate on. Plus, it helps you write more quickly. (Need some help? Check out these posts on the expository essay outline or 5-paragraph essay outline for strategies you can use for papers of any length).
3. Broaden your topic (if necessary). Sometimes, after researching or thinking about your topic and creating an outline, you realize that you still don’t know enough about your topic to draft a complete essay. This doesn’t mean that your approach is wrong; sometimes the information simply isn’t there.

This is a good time to consider broadening the scope of your essay by…

…discussing a wider range of perspectives,

…examining a larger population,

…looking at a larger geographic area,

…considering a broader time span,

…etc.

And of course all of this planning works best when you start your essay well in advance of the deadline, so don’t procrastinate.

What happens if you use these strategies and still come up short?

How to Make an Essay Longer (the Obnoxious, Lazy Way)

Let me preface this section by acknowledging that you, dear reader, are a smart cookie. So I know that you would never resort to cheap padding strategies, right?

But just in case you’re tempted to quote like crazy or tweak the formatting to make an essay look longer and need a reminder of why that’s a bad idea, remember that it will be totally obvious (and super annoying) if you…

….increase the page margins.

….increase the font size (even if it’s just the periods — don’t!).

….choose an odd-looking font because it’s larger than average.

….add extra spaces after periods.

….add extra spaces between paragraphs.

….add long but ill-placed or irrelevant quotations to your essay.

People (ahem, your instructors) who read essays for a good chunk of the day are on to these tricks. In a stack of 20 or more essays, the one with the subtly larger font and and slightly wider margins will stick out!

Don’t believe me? Have a look at these two essays:

Adding a quarter inch to the margins and using a larger font does make the essay longer. But it creates a pretty obvious difference!

Furthermore if you turn your paper in electronically, your teacher might adjust the font/margin by default…then you’re totally busted, and your efforts were a total waste.

One more thing: don’t assume that an assignment with a required number of pages rather than words is a green light to go nuts with formatting.

This simply means that your instructor trusts that you are mature enough to hand in a paper with reasonable margins, a normal-sized font, and so forth.

Don’t abuse that trust!

Ultimately, the effort you put into adjusting the formatting or hunting for quotes could be better spent writing more content.

But as you will see in the next section, the kind of content you write matters.

How to Make an Essay Longer (and Ruin It in the Process)

Before you can make your essay longer the honest way — by adding more actual words — you need to know the difference between substance and, well, everything else.

Take fluff, for instance.

Fluff is awesome on chicks and bunnies, but it’s less awesome in writing. So what is fluff anyway?

Fluff is clutter, plain and simple. It’s writing that takes too many words to get to the point. And while it is a tempting means by which to lengthen your essay, it annoys your readers…and it’s easy to spot.

Fluff includes:

1. Stating the obvious
2. Saying rather than showing
3. Redundancy/repeating yourself
4. Using overly complex words/sentence structures
5. Overusing words like “very,” “really,” “rather,” etc.

“Purple prose” is another kind of fluff. This refers to flowery, over-the-top writing that is way too heavy with adverbs and adjectives.

Let’s look at a fluffy, purple example from a narrative or personal statement:

“It was in the great, shining city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that I instinctively drew my first breath.”

That’s a terribly dramatic and wordy way to say, “I was born in Philadelphia.”

Here’s another over-the-top example focused on a piece of literature. I’ll bold the fluff so you can follow along:

“The Great Gatsby is a very interesting novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The author of the book uses many symbols that are utilized to symbolize certain things. The mysterious green light on Daisy’s dock is a symbol that the author uses to show the reader something.This rather important symbol represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams of the future. Scholar T. Smith also states that this symbol is important in the book because it “reflects Gatsby’s future ambitions.”

Well, that says a whole lot of nothing. It’s repetitive, it’s wordy, it contains an unnecessary quotation, and reading it is not unlike wading through mud. Look how much that idea can be condensed when I take out the fluff:

“In The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald includes a number of symbols, including the green light on Daisy’s dock that represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams of the future.”

Much better.

Still not sure what constitutes fluff? Check out Stephanie Orges’ 47 words and phrases that slow your reader down for some great examples of fluffy constructions to avoid.

Also read How to Avoid Sticky Sentences and Be a Better Writer.

Now that you know how not to make your essay longer, let’s look at some legit strategies for bulking up your writing so that you end up with an essay that’s all killer, no filler.

Write an essay that’s all killer, no filler.
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How to Make an Essay Longer…and Better than Ever

There are plenty of ways to make an essay longer without sacrificing its readability or your reader’s sanity. Assuming that you already have your essay drafted, you can use one or more of the following strategies to generate real, substantial content.

1. Let someone else read your essay. Sure, you think that your essay is clear, persuasive, entertaining, and thorough, but sometimes we make silly leaps in logic that don’t work as well for our audience. Ask a trusted friend or a Kibin editor to look over your paper and make suggestions about where to add more details or support.

(Pro tip: For this reason, a lot of writers specifically request that I ask questions while I edit their papers. Don’t be afraid to ask!)

2. Look at your topic from a new angle. If you’re writing a persuasive or argumentative essay, consider counterarguments or alternate views. Addressing these arguments (and taking them down point by point) not only adds length to your essay, but it strengthens your own argument, too.

3. Think outside the box. The five-paragraph essay has its place when you are learning to compose an essay. Unless stated otherwise in an assignment, though, an essay can have 4 or 7 or 20 paragraphs! If you have a solid structure (a good outline helps), then don’t hem yourself in with arbitrary notions of what constitutes an essay.

4. Add more support. Depending on the type of essay you’re writing, “support” may include quotations and paraphrased information from research or anecdotes and examples from your own experience. Be sure that any support that you add actually strengthens the point you’re trying to make. Here are some of the most common types of support for different types of essays: 

5. Walk away for a while. Sometimes, all you need to renew your inspiration is to step away from your writing for a bit. This is a time-tested cure for writer’s block and is an important reason to start drafting your essay early — not, say, the night before it’s due.

If you can spare the time, set your essay aside for a couple days. If you’re staring down a deadline, even an hour or two away from your writing will help you revisit it with a fresh perspective and — hopefully — some new ideas.

Further Reading

Armed with the pre-writing and revising strategies outlined in this post, you now know how to make an essay longer and stronger without resorting to fluff, filler, or formatting ‘solutions’ that only waste your time and frustrate your reader.

If you’re new to writing essays longer than a few pages, check out Shawn Doyle’s post The Five-Paragraph Fix — How to Write Longer Essays for advice on tackling longer essays and why writing ten pages can eventually become easier than writing just 2.

Also, read these tips for writing longer papers from Hamilton College. This resource provides some great advice for organizing, researching, drafting and revising long essays and research papers so you don’t get stumped in the first place.

Happy writing!

If you think of writing as being a type of journey, you can think of transition words as being like sign posts on this journey. They keep the traveler moving in the right direction and always aware of where she is headed.

Without transition words, your reader runs the risk of getting lost in a confusing jumble of disorganized thinking.

This post will teach you about the different transition words that are available and how to effectively use them in your writing.

Example Transition Words

There are dozens if not hundreds of possible transition words and phrases. To help you understand, I’ve divided them into different categories based on their purpose.  Here are the categories:

• Addition: transition words that build upon an idea, adding one thought to another.
• Comparison: transition words that show the similarities between two ideas.
• Conclusion: transition words that bring an idea to an end.
• Contrast: transition words that show the differences between two ideas.
• Reason: transition words that show the logical connection between two ideas.
• Result: transition words that show the consequences of an idea.
• Sequence: transition words that show the order of ideas in time and space.

As you can see, transition words serve a variety of purposes. For your convenience, I made a table of some of the more common transition words and separated them into categories.

Please note that this table serves as a good summary of transitions, but it isn’t comprehensive. If you want more examples, check out this extensive list of transition words.

Good Transition Words in Use

So, now you understand the different types of transition words that are available. Let me give you an example of how good transition words can help improve your writing.

First, I will write a paragraph using no transition words at all.

Sophie was bitten by a black widow when she was a child. Sophie spent several days in the hospital recovering. She still has a red scar on her leg where the spider bit her. Sophie is afraid of spiders. Every year she gets her house sprayed by an exterminator.

Now I will revise that same paragraph with a few well-placed transitions.  I will highlight my transition words in green so you can follow along.

Sophie was bitten by a black widow when she was a child. As a result, she spent several days recovering in the hospital. To this day, she has a red scar on her leg where the spider bit her, and she is still afraid of spiders. For this reason, every year Sophie gets her house sprayed by an exterminator.

Let’s break this down.

1. “As a result” shows the reason for Sophie’s hospital stay.
2. “To this day” shows that time has passed since Sophie was bitten and illustrates the sequence of events.
3. “And” allows us to include the additional effects of the spider bite, without the trouble of starting a new sentence.
4. “For this reason” shows the result of her past experience (getting bitten) on her present behavior (hiring an exterminator).

The transition words in the second paragraph helped to guide the reader through the time and space of Sophie’s story.

Transition Words Are Like Hot Sauce

As you choose transition words be aware that some transition words are spicier than others—a little goes a long way.

I’ve edited many papers where the author overuses spicy transitions such as “however,” “moreover,” and “therefore.” These words may sound impressive, but when they are overused, they turn your writing into a sticky mess. Consider the following example:

“Indeed, after a three month search, Roger landed a tree-trimming job. However, he wasn’t certain that it was the right job for him. Moreover, he was afraid that he wasn’t qualified for the work. In addition, the sophisticated power tools he would have to learn intimidated him. Therefore, he intended to decline the offer and keep searching for work.”

Can you see how the overuse of spicy transition words has made this paragraph more difficult to read than necessary?

Here’s a revision that cuts some of the spicy transitions and replaces others with milder versions.

“After a three month search, Roger landed a tree-trimming job. But, he wasn’t certain that it was the right job for him. He was afraid that he wasn’t qualified for the work, and the sophisticated power tools he would have to learn intimidated him. So, he intended to decline the offer and keep searching for work.”

As you can see, I cut a couple of the words (“indeed,” “moreover”). I also traded the strong, intrusive transition words for milder transitions that don’t interrupt the flow of the paragraph.

Milder transition words tend to be shorter and use more common language than the spicier ones.

Here’s another thing to note about spicy transitions. Transitions are stronger when they are the first word in the sentence and less powerful when they are a few words in. One great example of this comes with the word “however.” Consider the following sentence:

“It seems that the aliens have come in peace. However, life as we know it will be altered forever.”

In this example, “however” has been placed at the beginning of the second sentence, making it a more forceful transition. This is important if you really want to emphasize the transition.

But watch what happens if we move the transition word forward in the sentence.

“It seems that the aliens have come in peace. Life as we know it, however, will be altered forever.”

In this example, the emphasis of the transition word “however” is lessened.

Speaking of intrusive transition words, I want to make one other note. When listing out a sequence using numbers, you should write “first, second, third, fourth, fifth, etc.” Don’t write “firstly, secondly, thirdly, fourthly, fifthly…etc.” These words get pretty ridiculous the longer your list.

All that said, sometimes the spicy transition words are better word choices. This can be especially true in academic or scientific writing—although you should still use them intentionally. It all depends on the purpose and audience of your work.

Good Transition Words: A Summary

Good transition words help your reader get from point A to point B seamlessly and effortlessly. They serve their purpose without standing out as being intrusive or distracting.

Good transitions work best as background players, discretely guiding your readers through your ideas from one topic to the next.

For more great information about writing good transitions, read How Comedians Teach You to Write Good Transition Sentences.

Good luck!