Words matter. Whether we’re writing a marketing piece, a social media post or an email, the words we choose are critical to our audience’s understanding of our meaning. And like it or not, we’ve all been guilty of choosing the wrong word. Maybe we were moving too quickly. Maybe we simply didn’t know — or had forgotten — a nuanced definition. Throughout 2017, we’re going to focus on providing short educational videos on word choice.
When you watch the videos, you’ll find they offer a chance for you to revisit definitions, try a few quick sample sentences and walk away — hopefully — with a bit more clarity around the words in question.
The best part? It will take just a few minutes — literally, a few — of your time each week to become a stronger, clearer communicator.
WWW #18: Your vs. You’re
If "your" and "you're" are confusing for you, study up with our two-minute lesson. Or just remember Ross Geller:
WWW #17: Continual vs. Continuous
These two words sound — and are — quite similar. But there's a subtle nuance you should know. Take 2 1/2 minutes to make sure you know the difference between "continual" and "continuous."
WWW #16: Pour vs. Pore
Yes, you "pore" over material. This one trips people up from time to time. Take just a couple minutes to understand pour vs. pore. https://vimeo.com/228844134
WWW #15: Farther vs. Further
Take two minutes to make sure you understand the difference between "farther" and "further." They really aren't interchangeable.
WWW #14: Principal vs. Principle
Take three minutes to brush up on "principal" vs. "principle."
WWW #13: Who vs. That
A lot of writers are guilty of overusing "that." Here's a quick, two-minute primer on when to use "who" vs. "that."
WWW #12: Between vs. Among
If you're unsure when to use "between" vs. "among," this one's for you. It's a simple distinction, and this Which Word Wednesday lesson takes just 2 minutes.
WWW #11: its vs. it’s
We've taken a few weeks off to deal with a personal injury (ouch!). But we're back today to talk about its and it's. Because it's distressing when you use the wrong one. Take a three [...]
WWW #10: Affect vs. Effect
This one trips up people up all the time. Take four minutes to brush up on "affect" vs. "effect."
WWW #9: Elicit vs. Illicit
These two words sound similar, which is probably why they are commonly misspelled. But they have very different definitions. Are you spelling these words correctly?
WWW #8: Less vs. Fewer
This one trips up a lot of people. Take three minutes to make sure you understand when to use "less" vs. "fewer."
WWW 7: Conscious vs. Conscience
"Conscious" and "conscience" are two words that have a Latin root in common, and sometimes they might sound alike. But they have distinct meanings. The mix-up is often just a spelling error. Take 2 1/2 [...]
WWW #6: Imply vs. Infer
There's one question you can ask yourself to help you make sure you're using "infer" and "imply" correctly. Do you know it? If you don't know when to use these two words, we're here to [...]
WWW #5: Allude vs. Elude
Take two minutes to make sure you know the difference between "allude" and "elude." Keep your writing on point.
WWW #4: Ensure vs. Insure
Do you know the difference between "insure" and "ensure"? Good news. It's easy to learn, and we'll teach you. In 2 1/2 minutes.
WWW #3: Compliment vs. Complement
If you don't know the difference between "complement" and "compliment," this one's for you. It's just 2 1/2 minutes, and we're pretty confident you'll dig the memory aids at the end — you'll never mix [...]
WWW #2: Eager vs. Anxious
We're talking about the difference between eager and anxious in our second installment of Which Word Wednesdays. (It's 2 1/2 minutes, so yes, you have time.)
WWW #1: Famous vs. Notorious
We're talking about the difference between famous and notorious in the first of our Which Word Wednesday education series. (It's just 3 minutes.)