More than Words

There are lots of reasons to hate particular words. You can hate them for what they represent (racism, misogyny), although I don’t blame the words for that.

You can hate them for how they sound, or their connotations, or how they feel coming out of your mouth. A very quick and unscientific Google search seems to suggest that moist is one of the most hated words in the English language.

But I write a lot for my job, and as a result I come across words that are used quite frequently. Too frequently. And thus I have come to hate them.

Therefore, I declare that, unless I absolutely HAVE to, I will not use any of the following words in my writing:

--maximize

--solutions

--unparalleled

I hate them. All. With a passion. “Maximize” is a ridiculous marketing word. “Solutions” would be great if everyone wasn’t already offering solutions everywhere you look. “Unparalleled” is okay . . . but other people at work have decided that it must be used everywhere, and I’m just tired of it.

And I’d also like to get rid of “markets” and “brand(ing).”