Big words aren’t always better | Lori Baer: Writing, Editing, Proofreading

Big words aren’t always better

“Immunocompromised.” I came across this word the other day while reading one of the nutrition newsletters I subscribe to and guess what happened? I stopped reading. I had to put the breaks on the story in order to sound out and make sense of this mash up of consonants – four “m’s” alone!

“Those people with compromised immune systems” delivers six words instead of just one — to which you might say, “Isn’t concise writing with fewer words preferred?” As a general rule, yes, but not when those fewer words come at the expense of readability and understanding. Immunocompromised may be the clinically correct term. But the word’s unfamiliarity to the publication’s average-consumer audience highjacks immediate understanding and flow of thoughts.  The word’s clunky configuration also causes the reader to stumble away from the story to make sense of the word.

Good writing uses words that not only facilitate the reader’s understanding of topic, but also keep people focused on the story (not the writing) in order to allow the message to be heard rather than detracted from.