Big Words to Sound Smart

Why impressive words make your writing better

One common misconception people make in terms of vocabulary and intelligence is that using longer or rare words makes you sound smart, but the reality is a bit more nuanced. The truth is, when you choose the right word, impressive words make you more precise in how you describe things, which indirectly makes you sound smart. The more impressive thing than randomly spitting out a long, rare word with no context is choosing the right word. For example, instead of just saying "what he did was bad," you could say "what he did was egregious." Both words communicate that something bad happened, but "egregious" adds more clarity. It signals that the problem isn't just bad, but shockingly bad. It's something that will shock you, even with all the bad things happening. With fewer words, you communicate something precise that a simpler word can't.

Most of the changes to "she used the tool" to "she utilized the tool" were cosmetic. Both words basically mean the same thing, and there is no added value in changing to the other word. Some writers use the word "utilize" because it sounds more formal, but since there is no change in meaning, it is not worth the extra syllables.

This is just a quick test case for whether any "impressive word" is worth using. Does it add precision, or is it just adding more words to read? If it adds precision, use the word; if it just adds more words, use the shortest word that conveys the same meaning. The rule here from George Orwell's 'Politics and the English language' is: never use a long word where a short one will do. This isn't really about tests of vocabulary but about discipline.

Impressive words, when used properly, are powerful tools. For example, the word perspicacious (having a ready insight) describes insightfulness in a way that the word insightful does not. Instead of simply saying that someone is insightful, you're expressing that their insightfulness is a characteristic, perhaps even an exceptional one. Another example of such a word is denouement, the term for resolution in French drama, which implies a whole lot of history in its context. These words simply imply a whole lot of meaning that cannot be expressed with a single word.

First, write your first draft of an article as you would normally write it. Don't go back to change things as you go through the article. Read each sentence out loud to see if there is a word that you used to describe something that you could more precisely describe using another word from your list of impressive words. Then replace the word with a more precise one. Writers are best at using these more impressive words effectively.

Big words for academic and professional writing

Formal writing, such as academic and professional communication, exists on a separate tier or level of formality; therefore, it has its own conventions for word choice. Once one understands why formal writing sounds the way it does, one will know which words of formal written language make one sound good, i.e., credible, and which words make one sound insincere.

When we talk about a research paper, we speak of a document that is meant to be mostly accurate, reproducible, and unambiguous. So while in other types of writing you would rather read between the lines, in academic language each word has a rather narrow and specific meaning. Hence, instead of saying "I back up my claims with evidence", you would say "I corroborate my claims with evidence" because "corroborate" is specifically equal to "confirm/support with evidence" and not just "back up". The word "Methodology" is preferred over "way" to describe the method of investigation in a research paper, because it specifically implies a "specific and repeatable" process, which "way" does not.

Impressive words for academic writing consist of transition words and words that describe relationships. Instead of using "so" or "then" to signal a time sequence, words like "consequently" and "subsequently" are much more adequate. As opposed to "despite" or "partially", the word "notwithstanding" explains an obstacle that stands in the way of the main argument of a sentence, but it asserts the validity of this main argument. This is a very subtle nuance, which is not captured by "despite" or "partially" in full. The word "inasmuch as" is used as a qualifier of a specific nature. Its meaning is equivalent to that of "because", but it is clearly more accurate and unambiguous. It is particularly useful when outlining a thesis or an argument.

When we communicate verbally or in written form within businesses, we use slightly less formal vocabulary but always choose words that help to explain a point accurately. This would mean that a business report could describe a "paradigm shift" as a "fundamental change in the underlying assumptions of an industry (or practice)". But in an email, for example, describing a minor process change, calling that a "paradigm shift" would be just fancy words and not add any substance.

Legal writing is another branch with its own vocabulary, shaped for specific purposes. One of which is the need to be unambiguous, or risk being misinterpreted or having the opposing party use these terms against your argument. So words like "aforementioned," "indemnify," "rescind," and "jurisdiction" all mean something specific within the legal context where everyday words cannot substitute. When you use legal terms in normal writing, using them without context can sound pretentious unless they describe something specific.

The words that work best in academic and professional contexts include terms like (that are in this list) "facilitate," "delineate," "mitigate," "substantiate," "articulate," "paramount," "consequential," and "methodology." You can use any of these in academic or professional writing because they are formal enough to signal competence and precise enough to be useful in academia.

When NOT to use big words

If there's anything that you'd take away from this page, this is the one to remember. Knowing when to use an "impressive word" is a skill. Knowing the word is one thing, but knowing when to use it is a harder skill to master.

Again, remember these two principles from George Orwell's six rules from "Politics and the English Language." First, "never use a long word where a short one will do" and "if it is possible to cut the word out, always cut it out." George wrote these rules in 1946, and these principles remain timeless decades later. Orwell wanted to call out vague writing hidden behind formal-sounding language: what happens when a writer uses a big word not for precision, but to make it seem precise.

Mark Twain once said jokingly that whenever you spot an adjective in your writing, kill it. Of course, it wasn't literal, but an exaggeration for effect (or hyperbolic). His observation has merit; writers who use too many adjectives often compensate for weak nouns or verbs. This principle also applies to formal writing. A writer who uses "utilize" when "use" is sufficient, or "commence" when "begin" would suffice, is looking to sound formal rather than have substance.

On the other hand, using so-called big words can also have negative consequences. While in formal writing such as academic papers, business letters, and official reports, it is advisable to use larger vocabulary to be precise in describing specific things, in other situations such as in emails, text messages, and everyday conversations, the use of formal vocabulary can give the impression of being haughty, superior, or even standoffish. For instance, in emergency situations, it is crucial to be able to communicate clearly and quickly. Using complex vocabulary can only lead to negative consequences, as it hampers understanding. Instead, when writing for general audiences, it is best to stick to common, everyday words, and Cecil Meyer states that if two words have the same meaning, it is best to use the more common counterpart.

Another pitfall of impressive words is that people often use them without even knowing their definition. For instance, "utilize" is not simply "use" in formal writing. Utilize means to put something to practical or profitable use. Other words that are often confused are "comprise" and "compose". Traditionally, "the whole comprises the parts" and "the parts compose the whole". So, for example, "The United States is comprised of 50 states" and "50 states compose the United States". Mixing up these two words will be easily noticed by someone who is savvy. The principle remains the same: using more impressive words without knowing their definition gives the wrong impression.

Read the sentence out loud. If the formal word sounds natural and the rest of the sentence looks like something a clear-minded and intelligent person wrote, then keep it. Check the definition again to make sure it is correct in your context. But if the formal word sounds too inflated and you have a more natural alternative, then use that instead. This will prevent you from sounding like you are reading from a thesaurus.

How to make impressive words stick

The difference between knowing a lot of words and using the right ones in your writing is greater than most people realize. When we speak of passive vocabulary, we're talking about words that a student can read in a text and know. But that's not the same as having them in active vocabulary, or words that a student can use in his or her own writing. Here are some ways to move words from passive to active vocabulary.

There is no better way to use a new word that you have just learned than by using it in the article you are writing after you have read about the word. I am not talking about reproducing the word's definition in your own words nor about writing the word and crossing it out on a vocabulary list. What I mean is that you use the word in a sentence, in your own words, and in the appropriate context. That is how the word will stick better in your memory than by simply reading the word's and the sentence's definition.

The second method is called spaced repetition or reviewing words at increasing intervals. For example, you've learned a new word on Monday, then review it on Wednesday, then Friday, and again the following Wednesday, and again a month later. Doing this creates a "memory trace" that's harder to lose.

For decades memory experts have been studying how we learn, and applying those same rules to expanding active vocabulary as well as learning facts. Writing words to review at later times in a vocabulary notebook instead of trying to remember them is one strategy for building vocabulary. (And, as always, the act of writing something down is more important to remembering it than the notebook itself becomes a tool for learning.)

Using a "word of the day" tool is another good method to learn new words. If you combine this method with method 2, you will reach your goals within a short time frame. 365 words per year is the amount of new words you learn by using a "word of the day" tool. Within a time frame of two or three years, this adds up to a substantial amount of newly acquired active vocabulary. The word of the day tool of Wordineer is developed to support this daily habit. It shows one interesting word, its definition, and an example sentence. It only takes a few minutes to do, but the results could be life-changing.

Knowing context is a force multiplier for any vocabulary-learning method. A word that you learn from a book, where you read it in a real sentence, about a real topic, is easier to remember than a word that you learn from a flashcard. When you encounter an unfamiliar word while reading something, pause and try to decode its meaning from context before looking it up. This effort helps burn the word into your memory. You could confirm by looking up the meaning, then write it in your own words, before moving on.

If you want to build your academic or professional vocabulary, reading in the genre you want to write in is critical. Reading an academic research paper will help you learn more than just reading a list of words without any context. Long professional or academic journals in any field are a great way to familiarize yourself with the vocabulary of analysis and argument. For the legal category, the same applies as to other fields.

Finally, use all of these words in conversation. You'll get some of them wrong, but that's okay, and most people won't mind a minor error in your vocabulary. Remembering words is more important than writing with them; using unfamiliar words in your everyday conversation will help you remember them. Look up SAT vocabulary words or cool words and start using Wordineer's tools for more deliberate practice with this vocabulary.