“If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out.”
– George Orwell

Using the wrong words when writing your copy can weaken your message and confuse the meaning, which is not a good thing when trying to sell a product or service. People are more likely to engage with good writing, while unclear writing will turn people off.

Cutting unnecessary words from your marketing or website copy will make your writing stronger, which will have more of an impact on your readers.

Not sure what to cut? Here’s a list of ten words to get you started.

1. Very

‘Very’ is both bland and not very descriptive. It’s known in the grammar world as an intensifier (an adverb that strengthens or weakens another word). Intensifiers can be useful, but when used too often they weaken a text as frequently used words can lose their meaning. Used once, you know that ‘very’ means something. But used often, what does ‘very’ even mean?

Instead of writing ‘very’, you could:

i. Replace it with a stronger, more descriptive word

‘Our wedding cakes are very tasty’ vs. ‘Our wedding cakes are delicious’.

ii. Replace it with more specific information

Our red velvet and buttercream wedding cakes are made with the finest ingredients.

This tells the reader a lot more about your product.

iii. Cut it out all together

Our wedding cakes are tasty.

Other examples of intensifiers to look out for in your writing include absolutely, really and rather.

2. In order to

This is one I see a lot. Just say ‘to’. Unnecessary words add bulk to a text. Why use two (or more) words when one will do? Cutting out the unnecessary words in your text will make your writing more concise.

Examples of other unnecessary words to look out for:

Wordy	Concise
at this moment in time	now
with the exception of	except
are able to	can
due to the fact that	because
in the event that	if
with regard to	regarding

3. I believe/ think/ feel

Statements starting with I believe, think or feel are vague and don’t make a text sound very confident. They are abstract, broad and ambiguous. Instead, you want words that are tangible, specific and descriptive.

Instead of saying “I believe working with a financial adviser will help you to grow your wealth“, say how they can do this. “An experienced financial adviser has extensive knowledge of the financial markets, putting them in a good position to find the best investments to grow your wealth.“

Your eagle-eyes probably noticed that the second example has more words. Cutting words doesn’t always mean reducing the word count; sometimes more information is needed to make a text work better. In this example, the extra words furnish the reader with more information and paint a picture in their mind. The copy is much stronger and sounds a lot more confident than in the first example.

4. ‘To be’ and ‘to have’

‘To be’ and ‘to have’ are weak verbs that can make a sentence boring or monotonous. We can replace them with stronger, more action-oriented words.

For example, instead of saying “We have a team of qualified lighting designers who will help you to light up your exhibition space“, try “Light up your exhibition space with professional lighting design”, or “Our qualified lighting designers will help you make the most of your exhibition space”.

Words like was, is, am and been are also forms of ‘to be’ and ‘to have’.

5. Any corporate buzzword

Solutions is a good example of a buzzword. Solutions doesn’t actually mean anything, yet seems to be everywhere. If it’s not soluble in water, it’s not a solution! It’s an example of jargon that distances readers from your text.

As much as people on committees enjoy blue-sky thinking and thinking outside the box, real life people don’t enjoy it as much as they do. Avoid these kinds of phrases and instead, be specific. For example, what are financial solutions? Are you going to dissolve my money? I hope not. But if you are offering financial advice for small businesses, well, that might actually be useful.

6. Probably

Our clients probably say we are the best accountants in the country.
Our sales will probably double next year.
We can probably get the work to you next week.

At best, these sentences don’t sound confident. At worst, it sounds like the writer is trying to dodge responsibility for their statement.

Probably is an example of a word or phrase that is used to express ambiguity. Words like probably, could or allegedly are deliberately vague and are often used to make a vague statement look like a fact.

Other examples of ambiguous words include some, many, most, basically, usually, often, or experts suggest. These words make a sentence unclear, vague or even downright shifty, and customers can spot this a mile off. Assume that your customers are savvy people.

So, should you eliminate these words entirely? That depends…

Words like probably are often used in academic writing to distinguish between a fact and an interpretation. So, when used with care, they can make you appear reasonable or cautious.

However, generally speaking it is best avoided in copywriting because you want your writing to be confident. Instead, be specific about the facts. After all, honest and specific information builds credibility and trust.

So, instead of saying your clients probably say you are the best accountants in the country, ask them what they think. Better still; get some testimonials to prove how good you are.

7. Just

Do you rely on the word just? Just is a filler word (also known as a crutch word), which is a placeholder or supporting word we regularly use when speaking or writing. These words are often unnecessary and cutting them out will make your writing sound stronger. Just also comes across as apologetic. You want your writing to be confident, so it’s definitely a word to skip in your copy.

Other examples of crutch words include really, basically, absolutely.

8. That

This one’s simple: if the sentence makes sense without it, cut it out.

The hulk said that the house was pink.

The hulk said the house was pink.

9. New Innovation

New and innovation mean the same thing. Why say something twice when once will do?

A phrase that says the same thing twice in an expression is called a tautology. Using one word instead of two (or more) will make your writing clearer and more immediate.

Other examples of tautologies include brief summary, current trend, free gift, and over exaggerate.

10. ‘-ing’ words

No, I’m not swearing. I’m talking about verbs that end in ‘ing’, like running, increasing or creating. These words weaken a sentence. Instead of using verbs ending in ‘ing’, use their active verb instead.

• Creating = create
• Increasing = increase
• Running = run

For example, let’s say you offer a 6 month mentoring programme for start-ups. Instead of:

In this six month mentoring programme, you will be gaining the skills, confidence and support to be your own boss.

Write:

In this six month mentoring programme, you will gain the skills, confidence and support to be your own boss.

Doesn’t the second example feel more immediate? It’s such a tiny tweak but makes all the difference.

In Summary

To make an impact with your writing, you want strong clear copy that will sway your readers. To do that, you may need to prune some words during the editing process. Hopefully this list has given you a starting point on what to look out for. With practice, streamlining your copy will get easier.

What words would you add to the list? Let me know in the comments.

Further reading: 12 Common Copywriting Mistakes to Avoid