9 WEAK WORDS to delete from your Book

Summary

The video presents nine categories of words that can weaken prose by adding clutter, vagueness, unnecessary emphasis, or extra length. The central advice is to search your manuscript for these words and consider cutting or replacing them—but not to remove every instance automatically. Some words serve a grammatical purpose or may be useful in dialogue.

1. Weasel words: “that” and “just”

• “That” is often unnecessary. For example, “She told me that she would wrestle the alligator” can become “She told me she would wrestle the alligator.”
• “Just” can also slip into sentences without adding meaning.
• Search for these words, but keep instances where they are needed for clarity or grammar.
• Matt Bell reportedly deleted 800 instances of “that” while editing a novel.

2. Puff words: unnecessarily fancy alternatives

Words such as “utilize,” “commence,” “expedite,” “endeavor,” and “synergize” can sound inflated when simpler words—“use,” “begin,” “speed up,” “try,” and “collaborate”—would be clearer. Prefer direct, familiar language unless the more elaborate word adds something specific.

3. Filtering words: “he saw,” “she noticed,” “he watched”

These phrases can put distance between readers and the action by describing a character’s perception instead of presenting what the character perceives.

For example, “He watched the black cat jump over the fence” may feel more immediate as “The black cat jumped over the fence.” Remove filtering words when the viewpoint already makes clear who is seeing or noticing. Keep them when the act of observing matters.

4. Time words: “suddenly,” “then,” “next,” “after that,” “subsequently”

These words often announce a transition or event that the sentence or scene already makes clear. Elmore Leonard’s advice, as discussed in the video, is to avoid “suddenly”: a well-prepared scene can make an event surprising without announcing it.

Instead of “Suddenly, a shot rang out,” try “A shot rang out.” Use time markers when they genuinely help the reader follow the sequence.

5. Empty-calorie words: “something,” “stuff,” “somewhat,” “anything,” “everything”

These general words can be vague and take up space without giving readers a concrete image. Replace them with more specific words when possible: “He needed something to eat” might become “He needed a snack.”

Instead of “There was something creepy about the old house,” show the effect: “The old house groaned in the winter storm.” The speaker also warns against weak constructions such as “there was” when a more direct sentence would work.

6. Inflation words: “really,” “very,” “truly,” “highly,” “totally,” “actually”

These intensifiers often try to increase emphasis but can make prose less effective, especially when repeated. Rather than writing “I was really tired,” show the consequence: “I was too tired to make dinner and fell asleep on the couch.”

Search for frequently used intensifiers and remove those that do not add meaningful emphasis.

7. Hedge words: “usually,” “a bit,” “sort of,” “kind of,” “in a sense,” “generally,” “probably”

Hedge words can make narration sound hesitant or imprecise. For example, “I usually take my coffee with cream and sugar” can often be stated directly as “I take my coffee with cream and sugar” or “I prefer my coffee with cream and sugar.”

The video distinguishes narration from dialogue: hedging may be appropriate in dialogue when it reflects how a character speaks.

8. Sloppy or overused words

Words lose force when they are repeatedly used or applied loosely. The video cites George Orwell’s concerns about overused words such as “sentimental,” “plastic,” “freedom,” and “patriotic,” and suggests that contemporary examples may include “literally,” “organic,” and “low-key.”

Review trendy or overused terms in your manuscript and ask whether they are precise and necessary. Consider keeping a personal list of words you tend to misuse or overuse.

9. Expendable words: redundant parts of common phrases

Some familiar phrases can be shortened without changing their meaning:

• “sat down” → “sat”
• “stood up” → “stood”
• “faded away” → “faded”
• “gathered together” → “gathered”
• “returned back home” → “returned home”
• “spread out across the desk” → “spread across the desk”

The general principle is to omit needless words when cutting them preserves the meaning.

Practical revision method

• Use your manuscript’s search function to find words you may overuse.
• Review each instance in context rather than deleting every occurrence automatically.
• Cut a word if it adds no meaning, clarity, voice, or grammatical function.
• Replace vague wording with specific details, and replace inflated wording with simpler language.
• Where possible, show an effect or action directly instead of explaining that a character noticed or felt it.
• Read the revised sentences to confirm that meaning and voice remain intact.

Speakers and sources featured

• Video narrator: The Bookfox host, apparently John Fox.
• Matt Bell: Cited for advice on “weasel words” and revising a manuscript.
• David Foster Wallace: Cited for the term “puff words” and his objection to “utilize.”
• John Gardner: Cited for the discussion of filtering words.
• Elmore Leonard: Cited for his rule against using “suddenly.”
• Jesse Rita Hoffman: Cited regarding inflation words.
• John McPhee: Cited for “boxing” words during revision and for Draft No. 4.
• George Orwell: Cited for criticism of overused language and the rule to cut words when possible.
• Strunk and White: Cited for the advice to “omit needless words.”
• An unnamed former writing professor: Recalled for criticizing the phrase “there was” as a weak sentence opening.