Or, what’s in a weasel word?

In the writing world, weasel words have a variety of meanings, but all include various words you need to watch out for while editing—remember to let your muse have free rein while first-drafting! Let’s look at the categories.

Weak, useless words

really
just
very
virtually
actual
sort of/kind of
that
quite
about
began to/started to
some
even
sure/surely
pretty much
almost
usually
for the most part

Passive words

went (to the store)
is/are
was/were
acts/works (no action)
walked
had been/have been

Unnecessary Transitions

suddenly
immediately
just then
all at once

Tweetables

• Heard of weasel words? They’re good things, right? Um, no: click to tweet
• Weasel words showcase problems in writing. Here’s a rundown: click to tweet

Telling words

saw
noticed
smelled
heard
felt
tasted
knew
realized
thought
believed
wondered
recognized
wish
supposed

Weak Structure

-ly adverbs
-ing words
could/should/would

Repeating words

eyes
gazed
shrugged
grinned
smiled
sighed
walked

Each of these categories showcases a different problem, and differing problems require differing solutions. Still it’s useful to have some lists as a jumping off point. I’ll focus on several of these categories in upcoming blog posts but, for now, doing a search in your manuscript for these words or word combinations and considering the necessity of each one will stand you in good stead.