My Five Biggest Weasel Words in Writing

While the term “weasel word” has been around since the 19th Century, it has become more frequently discussed in organizations in the last decades. A weasel word phrasing in a sentence that is supposed to come across as definitive and specific but actually creates vagueness and ambiguity. Being mindful of them will only make your writing stronger.

What are specific weasel words? The lists of them vary with some being stricter than others. For example, I have seen lists advocate against using the word “may”, but if I am covering positive results of a phase 3 trial for a drug that is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, I am going to be a little cautious and write that “it may change the standard of care.” Other lists include the word “alleged”. Again, until the U.S. changes its libel laws, I am going to use that word occasionally when I am covering someone charged with a crime.

However, there are many weasel words that I avoid at all costs. Here are my top five.

1. Leveraging

How many times have you read that a person or an organization is “leveraging stakeholders” or “leveraging functionality”? Unless you are changing a flat tire, you are probably not leveraging anything, and the reader has no idea what you mean. When writing, scrap that word and describe what your company is actually doing.

2. They say…

Shortly before COVID-19, my wife and I took a Viking River Cruise through Russia. No, we are not in our 70s. In fact, the folks on the boat referred to us as “the kids.” We just did not want to travel through Russia on our own. Anyway, we were at a lecture on the current state of Russia, and attendees kept asking the about the deaths of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s enemies and the tour guides kept pressing them to elaborate. Finally, one person said, “Well, they say he did…” and our guide responded with. “That’s one my favorite statements from the West. They say.” We did not come away from the lecture thinking Putin had a bad rap, but it was a reminder that this phrase is universally mocked.

3. Strategic

When discussing a plan for an organization, it is quite common for individuals to throw in the word “strategic” or “strategically” to make it clear that this approach was thought through to the last detail by really smart people. In reality, everybody should be thinking strategically regardless of their industry or position and using this word comes across as over-compensatory.

4. Harnessed

I am guilty of using this word in the past to describe what a new technology will do or how an organization is bringing everyone together to address a challenge. The problem was I often had no idea how this was going to happen, and the details were still in the works. In hindsight, I imagine the reader felt the same way.

5. A leading…

If you grew up in the 70s or 80s, you saw countless commercials talking about what the “leading doctors” recommended. Even if it was effective, it was wrong then and it is wrong now. As I noted on news release headlines, many companies will put out releases and materials that say they are “A leading…” something. Organizations that are truly leading their field can just say who they are.

As long as you are writing for work or fun, you will find yourself in situations where it is tempting to use a weasel word. When that happens, go ahead and try it and ask yourself if it conveys what you want to say to the reader. If it doesn’t meet that goal, rewrite it.

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