Communicating with Clarity

The Management Report Center published a document called 50 Most Misused and Abused Words in Business Writing that used to be available online. I discovered the article a few years ago and have since been unable to find it online again*. Luckily, I saved a copy, and am able to share some of these with you!

If you are a business owner/operator, ensure that your published materials (whether print or online) are free from some of these common errors that spell-check might not catch! This list is helpful to all, and I hope many of you catch these mistakes when you come across them!

I chose to share only 21 of the 50 listed, but please feel free to leave a comment if you would like to see more in a follow-up post!

accept, except
accept - (verb) to agree with, take in, receive. Example: We accept your decision.
except - (preposition) apart from. Example: All committee members are present except for Ms. Brown.

acute, chronic
acute - (adjective) sharp, intense, critical. Example: The company has an acute shortage of skilled workers right now.
chronic - (adjective) constant, habitual, long-lasting. Example: She is unable to work because of a chronic illness.

adverse, averse
adverse - (adjective) unfavorable, opposing one's interest. Example: They found themselves in adverse circumstances.
averse - (adjective) - antipathy, repugnance, having the feeling of being opposed. Example: She is not adverse to increasing her workload.

all right, alright
all right - fine, OK. Example: It's all right to leave early.
alright - incorrect spelling.

assure, ensure, insure
assure - (verb) to state with confidence, pledge or promise. Example: I assure you the check is in the mail.
ensure - (verb) to make certain. Example: Following the instructions ensure you won't get hurt.
insure - (verb) to purchase insurance. Example: insure the package before you mail it.

compliment, complement
compliment - (verb) to give praise. Example: I complimented Steve on his speech.
complement - (verb) to complete something or match it well. Example: Her skills complemented the needs of our department.

disburse, disperse
disburse - (verb) to pay, distribute, scatter. Example: They disbursed name tags to everyone attending the meeting.
disperse - (verb) to drive off, spread widely, cause to vanish. Example: The throng of fans dispersed into the stands.

farther, further
farther - (adverb) at or to a greater distance. Example: We are located farther down the highway.
further - (adverb) more or additional -- but not related to distance. Example: We need to have further discussion on that.

fewer, less
fewer - (adjective) of a small number, only used with countable items. Example: He made fewer mistakes than last time.
less - (adjective or adverb) to a smaller extent, amount or degree -- used with quantities that cannot be individually counted. Example: If the made less noise, we could concentrate.

imply, infer
imply - (verb) to suggest. Example: What are you implying by that accusation?
infer - (verb) to deduce from evidence. Example: From the look on your face, I can infer you're not happy with the decision.

*If this is your article, please let me know by sending me an email or leaving a comment below so that I may credit you.