If You Want to Be a More Effective Writer, Stop Using Utilize and These Other 12 Words

If you want to become a better writer, it can be hard to know where to start. The good news is that you don't need to pad your vocabulary with $10 words to develop effective writing techniques. According to Lifehacker, an easy way to improve your writing is by replacing big, fancy words with language used in everyday conversations.

New York Times editor Dan Saltzstein recently tweeted some examples of words writers use to make their work sound more intelligent than it really is. Words like shuttered, commence, and utilize may look impressive on the page, but the extra syllables add nothing to your point. To make your writing sound more like your natural voice and less like a business email, Saltzstein recommends swapping in closed, begin, and use for the terms above.

You can also use this guideline to edit words out of your writing completely. Leading words like so, mostly, and oftentimes aren't always necessary and can be cut without changing the meaning of a sentence. When you're scanning a piece for leading words, also keep an eye out for adverbs. Its tempting to tack words like violently, quickly, or loudly behind your action words, but too many adverbs can weaken your writing. Wherever you use a verb and an adverb together, see if you can replace the phrase with a single, more specific verb (like shouted instead of said loudly).

Here are some words to upgrade the next time you're writing or editing.

1. Closed > shuttered
2. Begin > commence
3. Open > launch
4. Use > utilize
5. Let > enable
6. Many > myriad
7. Live > reside
8. Planned > preplanned
9. Before > prior to
10. Tiptoe > walk softly
11. Whisper > speak quietly
12. Need > want badly
13. Shout > say loudly

[h/t Lifehacker]