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.
Saw this on the loop and hopped over. Good weasel words!
Great! I’m sharing this with some of my clients, and bookmarking it for myself!