Why Wordiness Weakens Writing
Wordiness is when a sentence contains words that make it longer than it needs to be. Editing for conciseness is one of the best ways to strengthen your writing.
A few examples of wordy phrases are absolutely essential, due to the fact that, and with regard to.
What Is Wordiness?
Wordiness is when a sentence contains words that, if removed (or replaced with a shorter alternative), convey the same message and remain grammatically correct.
In the sentence above, “in order to” is a wordy phrase that can be reduced to just one word: to.
As a writer, one of your goals should be to convey your message in as few words as possible. When a sentence contains unnecessary words, readers have to work harder to interpret the meaning of your sentence. You risk losing your reader’s attention with a winding sentence.
How To Fix Wordiness
There are different types of wordiness. In all cases, improving your writing requires you to shorten wordy phrases or replace them with more concise alternatives.
Redundant Phrases
Redundant phrases contain words that say the same thing twice. When one of the words is removed, the sentence still makes sense. Sometimes the sentence has to be slightly restructured, but the message remains the same. Here are a few examples:
Unnecessary Intensifiers
Often, intensifiers like really and very are unnecessary and have alternatives that make the sentence shorter. For example:
Long Expressions
There are many common expressions that are unnecessarily long. Removing one (or a few) words, or using a one-word alternative, doesn’t change the meaning of the phrase whatsoever. Consider the following examples:
It is worth nothing that some writers consider wordiness to be using uncommon or extremely advanced words when there are common, simpler words available. An important tip to improve your writing is to know your audience. Don’t use vocabulary that your readers wouldn’t be familiar with.
More Wordiness Examples
Wordiness is common and can make its way into our everyday writing (and speech). The best way to avoid it is to familiarize yourself with it and learn the more concise alternatives. Here are a few more examples of wordy phrases:
| Wordy Phrases |
|---|
| Advance notice → notice |
| Definitely required → required |
| All across → across |
| Any and all → all |
| Based in large part on → based on |
| Come to a realization → realize |
| Due to the fact → because, since |
| Morning sunrise → sunrise |
| Grow in size → grow |
| In spite of → despite |
| Intertwine together → intertwine |
Less Is More
When it comes to writing well, less is more. Every word you use should have a purpose and progress the sentence. Wordiness weakens your writing because it clutters sentences.
While brainstorming, it’s a good idea to write every word and idea that pops into your head. However, be cautious, as this is sometimes how wordiness sneaks its way into your writing. LanguageTool can ensure your writing is concise by detecting wordy phrases, and suggesting shorter alternatives. This intelligent writing assistant can also correct spelling and grammar errors and ensure your sentences are the perfect length.
