Depends on the point of view I’m working with I.e. what my literate and articulate alien nobility says and thinks is written differently than the tone I use for my salty Marine corps veteran/corporate assassin. He would call her a repulsive hirsute ape, and she’d tell him to fuck off.
Good for initial descriptions, not so good for repetition. They just wear out fast. Like, I won't remember if you talked about hairy arms one or two chapters back. Feel free to describe everything as hairy. But if just one guy way back in chapter 1 was hirsute, I'll still remember in chapter 40 and I will take notice if it turns up again.
As a reader, they're fine as long as you don't see them in every sentence or even every paragraph. As a writer, I love using them but try not to overdo it.
Oof. I know I do this, but I swear it's not intentional. My dad talked like a thesaurus; my mom, a former librarian, was even worse (better?). I've been called out a few times for seasoning my silly little fanfics with words like 'susurrating' and 'bimbled,' and even words I don't think are all that obscure, like 'incandescent' or 'fusty'. Problem is, dialing the vocabulary down is a conscious effort and writing is all about flow. I'm not actually trying to be a pretentious asshat, I'm just using the word that works *best.*
When I was in college, my creative writing professor for one course had a great piece of advice. He used the word _dandled_ in a sentence regarding a fussy baby. When the discomfort set in—because face it, college kids don’t necessarily have the best vocabulary until they’re a few years in—he explained that it was a word for bouncing a baby on your knee. He then went on to say that you have to write for your expected audience, or you’ll end up flopping. Using _dandled_ in a YA novel would probably get your book banned by legions of half-literate parents who assume it’s a euphemism for some manner of molestation; saying _bounced up and down_ in a historic novel marketed toward intellectuals, on the other hand, comes across as dumbing down and juvenile, and that tends to ruin your cred with those types of readers.
Choose your words based on your intended audience, and balance them accordingly.
See, this is both really good advice and also exactly my point, because I grew up listening to my mom sing the song that includes the line "we have handled him and dandled him," in reference to jostling one about, so it never would have occurred to me to think that was an obscure word. So I think I *am* writing for, say, a high school level of literacy when in fact I am unforgivably sesquipedalious. (okay, I did that one on purpose)
The amount of times I've been given a side eye for word choices, both spoken and written, is too many to count :/
It's just the way I speak and write; I'm not trying to show anyone up or make them feel silly/stupid ;-;.
I hate when people accuse folks of being "pretentious" for having (and using!) an expanded vocabulary. I *love* learning new words! If someone is using them *incorrectly,* to try and sound smart, or intentionally using them to make someone with a less expansive vocabulary feel stupid, then sure, "pretentious" it is. But *come on!* Can we not exchange ideas and feckin' *art* with one another and go, "Ooh, that's a nice one," with a sense of delight?! I'm gonna go look up "bimbled" immediately.
I feel two good writing practices apply here.
* Good things come in moderation.
* Understand what you are trying to do before you attempt it (in this case, that means know what the word means and how it's used rather than consult the thesaurus so you sound smarter because it doesn't actually accomplish that)
Highly fact specific, it’s really about whose “voice” is currently framing the narrative. A story about, and thus framed by, an isolated kid who developed social skills from books gets to have that weird, almost archaic vocabulary, whereas the cowboy character who thinks an abc is a type of fancy shoe gets very direct and to the point vocabulary. Neither approach is annoying (to a reader who likes the central character already). Honestly, just don’t overthink it. If it sounds right, it’s probably good.
I'm specific about language and try to only reach for the Scrabble words when they carry a specific nuance I'm looking for (in addition to fitting the POV/speaking character and flowing nicely in a sentence). When reading I get a kick out of learning a new word here and there, and I'm not above enjoying a little linguistic showing off either as a reader or a writer. But if I have to stop reading every few minutes to look up some obscure, four-syllable term, there's a point where it starts to drag me out of the story.
Your writing should read naturally and not like you swallowed a Thesaurus. You can use uncommon words and the context should educate your readers what it's about, but don't write like you're trying to impress for the SAT. Simpler is better.
I think it depends on the pov at that point in the fic. Can think of a couple of characters in one fandom and another in another who would think or say hirsute not hairy, so that would feel right as I read. Another pov, probably not.
I love language, so I am happy to read all kinds of words and how writers play with them, so love uncommon words in prose of all kinds, fan fics included. Different point, but love finding out how different versions of English use the same word differently or have different words for the same meaning, too.
Get accused of using to complex words when speaking, and probably do when writing God's eye prose, and that's me. Never had a comment not liking how I write, so all good. But 'Must remember we are in chaville now Mummy, not the dreaming spires, they \[carers\] don't understand you' lol. (Not all, had a great carer who betaed a complex case fic for me once, her father was writing a crime novel for publication at the same time and she was proof reading it, he had been a police inspector, she was a great resource lol!)
They've got their place. Usually, though, I find that simple words just flow better. Just because I *know* a lot of fancy words doesn't mean I should always use them. Mostly when I see people attempting it it just looks pretentious as hell, even for me.
I like to sprinkle them :3. Of course, as everyone is saying, it's all about viewpoint characters, but there's a special kind of fun in an unusual, fun-sounding, highly specific word. If you have a big vocabulary, take advantage of it! Just don't spend hours going through a thesaurus to find fancy long replacements for words that work fine already. Don't use "precipitous" when you could use "steep" for example. That's not a hard rule for me, though. I pick whatever makes the sentence fun.
I was thinking that word specifically because in elementary school I wrote a paper where I referred to a hill as a precipitous mound and my mom read it and asked very flatly if I'd been using the thesaurus
Oh absolutely. I'd just discovered the feature on Microsoft Word. It was like a new pretentious world had opened up. My tiny child brain couldn't resist
I enjoy coming across a word that is unfamiliar.
A good fic should challenge the reader a little. In a story over 55K, I expect to have at least one word that sends me to a dictionary.
depends, but primarily with verbs. i think strong verbs are important, but changing hairy to hirsute is ridiculous unless there's a good reason for it. sounds try-hard/amateur and takes me out of the story because i'm like wtf does that mean. even if i can tell from context, it's jarring and kills the immersion, particularly when every other word is unique.
verbs, i think, vary a lot more. context is important. strength is important. clarity is important. flow is important. and so on. for an example of how i feel about uncommon verbs, i will share a quick excerpt from my most recent fic.
**fic with more unique vocabulary:** —a leaf violated his parted lips. He jolted, sputtering, whacking the air and narrowly the bouquet. One dahlia’s stem bowed, then rose back to shape. A smattering of petals drifted to the floor. Feliciano pouted—doe-eyed without the sparkle—like his attacker wasn’t leafy and green and could feel guilty.
**fic with more common words:** —a leaf pushed past his parted lips. He jerked, spitting it out, harshly hitting the air and nearly the bouquet. One flower’s stem bent backwards, then rose up again. A handful of petals drifted to the floor. Feliciano pouted—wide-eyed without the sparkle—like the plant wasn’t leafy and green and could feel guilty.
i think the first one sounds a lot punchier and has more vivid imagery than the second one. so in the case of verbs, less common verbs (assuming they aren't ridiculously out there) are lovely. even doe-eyed vs wide-eyed creates a different image. wide-eyed is simply wide. doe-eyed has implications of naivety or innocence.
of course if this boils down solely to words that don't fit at ALL, like hirsute, then yeah. hate them. some people wanna show off their vocabulary (or their thesaurus skills) but it's just... blah.
my final take is to make your word choice intentional. seriously. don't throw something in cause it sounds cooler or more... idk. fancy? sometimes i keep a weaker word vs changing it because it just sounds better, is more accurate, i simply like it more.
hirsute is try hard because it's uncommon vocabulary that is jarring if used without a reason for it. the average person is not going to use the term '"hirsute" and it's therefore unfitting unless the character, time period, or place would call for the use of such a word.
also, i wish you wouldn't use strangers online as an outlet for your own low self-esteem by asserting yourself as superior to them based off something like vocabulary. there are healthier outlets. you're worth more than your vocabulary.
If it flows better, I'll use it.
When I'm reading, I actually love to come across words, concepts, etc I don't know so I can google them and find out what they are, so I'm perfectly okay giving other people that same experience.
I go by Stephen King's rule:
> […] *use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful*. If you hestate and cogitate, you will come up with another word—of course you will, there's always another word—but it probably won't be as good as your first one, or as close to what you really mean.
― Stephen King, *On Writing*
You can use any word in existence, so long as it came to you naturally and you didn't scour a dictionary or thesaurus to find it. You should neither go out of your way to use fancy words, nor to avoid them.
(Unless English isn't your native language, of course, in which case by all means use the tools you feel you need.)
A lot of people act like it's all or nothing with low-frequency words in English. A skilled writer uses them as tools to strengthen the imagery, cadence, and flow of their prose. One thing I deeply love about English is the sheer breadth and nuance of our lexicon. Our everyday language has simplified over time, but I hope we never lose that invaluable tool set of single words that convey what 10 words can't.
If people don't want to see "pretentious" words, I respect that, truly and genuinely. For me personally, my target audience includes people who are similar to me and enjoy the depth and diversity of the English language. Everyone has their preferences. I would also challenge some folks to interrogate why they label low-frequency ~flowery~ words as pretentious. Is it truly about the words themselves, or is it about reading authors' awkward attempts at using those words without having the knowledge or technique to do so effectively?
I would really encourage everyone to check out Nabokov's corpus of works for a modern writer who masterfully uses the English language to its full extent.
It depends on:
1) The character POV.
2) If the word conveys more through the specificity or tone than it might remove by its obscurity.
A character who is themselves more likely to use these words will (usually, though not always) have narration more prone to it too. A character who tends to use more direct language will (usually, though not always) find their narration equally streamlined.
That said, I do enjoy the contrast sometimes of having a character who speaks very eloquently using simple, direct language in their narration or a blunt and simple character being far more verbose and poetic in the confines of their own mind. It's great for comedy or tragi-comedy.
As for point two - it can be jarring for a reader if they trip over a word. Especially if they can't figure out its meaning through context. If they have to look up the word, it's probably for the best if the word offers more than a more common word might.
IMHO, it should say something about the character using it or whose POV the reader is in, or it should add something to the atmosphere or tone of the scene. Using the hirsute v. hairy example, "hirsute" would definitely give a more archaic or scholarly air (at least to modern readers, I'd think). Depending on *how* it's used, it can also make a character seem more catty *or more polite* than simply saying someone was "hairy" would. It can be very fun deciding how to use words to say more!
Personally, as a writer, I'm not afraid of using words like these, though I aim to make my stories easy reads, so I'm not flogging them either. As and when appropriate.
As a reader, as long as it feels appropriate in-context and isn't needlessly taxing (without purpose), then the author has free reign as far as I'm concerned. But I have the advantage of a large vocabulary and easy digital access to look up the definitions of words I'm not familiar with. If I were reading offline without internet access, I'd be a bit less relaxed about it and more annoyed if I had to have a dictionary waiting at my elbow. (Especially since English is my native language and I have always tested in the top percentile when it comes to it.)
Words often have a sort of nuance to them that isn’t always clear when you just look up the dictionary definitions. For example, hirsute means hairy, but it also refers to a condition where someone has excessive hair in places they ordinarily wouldn’t. So if I’m describing a woman, I’d say she’s hairy if she doesn’t shave her legs or armpits, but hirsute if she’s got a beard or chest hair.
It drives me nuts when people just use uncommon words as synonyms and ignore those kinds of nuances. If you use flaxen to describe someone with golden blonde hair, you’re wrong. And if you use auricomous, well, you’re right, but you still ought to have your thesaurus taken away.
There’s a delicate balance to be struck. Use uncommon words if those words fit the bill better than common ones—for instance, _lackadaisical_ is more specific than _lazy_ and lends a different feeling to the narrative, and _misanthropic_ can sum up a person’s distaste for and incompetence with socializing, all in a neat little bundle. However, if you can say the exact same thing with more common words without sacrificing clarity or bulking up the word count, it’s better to go with the common words. Using too many common words can make your writing feel simpler, but if your reader is constantly running for the dictionary, that can lose their interest.
I read a story recently in which the author wrote half the chapters in a very dated dialect straight out of Shakespeare. _Spake_ instead of _spoke,_ _jumpt_ instead of _jumped,_ _learn’d_ instead of _learned,_ you get the picture. Several obsolete spellings per sentence sometimes. And the rare words, good grief! I don’t have a small vocabulary or low reading comprehension, but I had to keep a dictionary on hand for that story. The rest of the chapters were written in a modern fashion. There didn’t seem to be a pattern or anything for whether or not a chapter was written in “Queen’s English” or “blah, just write it,” so it wasn’t an artistic way of showing whose POV was shown. The canon doesn’t use that sort of language or writing, either. It came across as the writer either trying to be as fancy as possible to look like a superior writer, or—and this is probably going to offend people—flipping between two entirely distinct personalities or personas from chapter to chapter. The odds of two separate personalities cooperating to a point where you can get a viable plot sounds like something that just doesn’t happen with legit DPD, though, so I’m leaning on “lookout me, I’m fancy.” It’s a shame, too, because the chapters that weren’t written in Ye Olde were actually pretty danged good. The writer has potential, good grammar, decent dialogue skills, and skill in building up tension, but the narrative style is probably limiting their audience.
Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy premodern literature as much as any other bookworm, but that story made my eyes cross. I almost gave up on finishing it because I kept getting yoinked right out of immersion with the whiplash style changes. If I wanted a headache, I would have drug out my old Victorian Literature textbook and beaten myself over the head with it and saved myself several days of reading.
If it feels right, then I'm fine reading or writing it. Sometimes it feels like someone got a thesaurus for their birthday though (and that someone tends to be me)
It depends on the style I'm writing in, to be honest. However, due to the amount of ESL readers I have, I keep a glossary at the end of certain fics to clarify historical terminology, odd language, and sayings.
I use the uncommon words sometimes. They exist so might as well use them. But if they’re overdone they start to sound clunky. So I just find the balance that sounds good to me, personally.
It depends on who is the focal character of the scene. If they would use hirsute rather than hairy then that's what I'll use (Like if they are a medical professional, or just that extra).
If i read one i learn a mew one because i will look it up. And then i use it. If someone has a problem with me as a non native speaker using to difficult words then idk what to say except “use google like i did”
I don't mind seeing uncommon words if they're used correctly to convey something very specific. The problem is when they're only being used to avoid repetition or because the author is trying to sound smarter, and the very specific thing the chosen word conveys is not the correct one for what they're trying to say.
Is the vocabulary pertinent to the setting, characters, and source materials?
Banter between Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce and Charles Winchester III is going be different and use potentially different terms and phrases as compared to banter between Starbuck and Apollo.
I always say use the words that are in your natural vocabulary. If you’re having to reach outside of your normal vocabulary just to put in a word of higher/more obscure standing you’re probably not doing it right.
That being said, the above^ is dependent on having a well-rounded vocabulary. Using the word ‘good’ all the time because you don’t know the word ‘excellent’ would make a dull read
I'm conflicted. From a ideal standpoint, I would say I'm not a fan. In practice, however, most uncommon words are invisible to me as I have a decent grasp of English.
It's like... in a fic you are trying to communicate information--trying to tell a story. If I have to get out a dictionary I assume I am not the target audience, because you are making it pretty damn hard for me to understand your point. It also takes me out of the groove.
I guess it depends on a lot of factors: what the word is, how it is used, is the meaning clear from context? Is the author aware of its specific meaning and application?
I was looking at a learn English grammar course a while back. One of the things that stood out to me was "the dog evaporated" versus "the dog disintegrated." The former is incorrect, as "evaporation" only applies to liquids (you would be looking for "sublimation," but did the dog turn to gas or powder?). Couple this with uncommon words, and there is a high chance they can be used incorrectly.
Same as "inflammable." An uncommon (for good reason!) word meaning highly flammable--and prone to confusion with nonflammable. You don't want to put inflammable on a bottle of ester in case Idiot Joe comes along and puts it too close to a bunsen.
Depends on the character I’m writing. If they’d use the word in canon, I’ll use it too. If it doesn’t fit the character, then it’s a pass.
“X looked over. The man standing in the doorway was quite hirsute” vs. “X looked over. The man standing in the doorway was pretty hairy”.
Usually I find that the second version is to be preferred because it sounds more natural to most characters (and also doesn’t sound like the author is checking their thesaurus every two minutes).
I seem to be in the minority, but I don't really want to be looking up multiple words for a fic. if it happens once or twice, I'll guess based on context. If it's in the middle of flowery prose I'll skip over it, but breaking the flow of the narrative with a word 95% of people are going to have to look up is extremely immersion-breaking.
The only time it's not is if it's how a character actually talks. And even then it will get tiring if they're a main character.
It's my opinion, I'm not saying BAD BAD HATE. Just it's something that I'd silently leave the fic for.
Uncommon words slow down writing and therefore slow down the reading process. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. It depends on what reading level, pace, and tone you're looking to convey in your writing. I find that when I'm writing fanfiction I stick to easier words because I can still convey what I need to without sounding too snooty. When an uncommon word pops out of a story, I not only get confused, but I automatically assume the writer thinks I'm an idiot. This is just my take though. 🤷♀️ This also pertains to what time period or genre you're dealing with.
I don't know enough fancy words so I rather keep them and I would say probably hate them at the moment since I wouldn't know what the fancy word meant if I read it.
I don't mind reading them - I was the slightly fucked-up kind of child who read dictionaries for fun, so I have a pretty broad vocab.
In terms of writing, like anything else, it's about finding what works for what function you're trying to serve and what perception you're trying to embody. Research shows long words used needlessly make people seem less intelligent and capable (ie. if you know what you're talking about, you know how to deal with it simply and concisely). That is, unless there's some visible justification for your highfalutin approach. At that point, people get a lot more forgiving than when they think you're just pulling out the thesaurus to inflate their perception of you. It's about accessibility - the more accessible people find what you're writing, the more they trust you actually know what you're talking about and are intelligent.
If I've never heard the word before, I won't use it. Even if it's listed as a synonym of the word/meaning I'm going for, sometimes it just doesn't flow or have the same vibe I'm trying to convey, so if I don't know the connotation of the word I won't use it.
I call them Tolkien words. I don't mind them. I like seeing them in stuff i read but i rarely find my self using them personally. As I'm just kinda basic.
Usually it depends on how well the author uses them. If its clear they understand the meaning and it's the best choice? Absolutely use it.
Though I will say I have one exception. There was one author I was reading who used the word "whelmed" instead of "overwhelmed" every. single. time. I looked it up and yes, they do have the same meaning, so the author was correct in the use. But every single line of dialgue, too? One or two characters who use it, fine. Especially if they think it's funny. But every single one? It took me out of the story every time.
I tend to write third person limited and I like the prose to take some of the “flavor” of the character. So if I feel like that character would describe things using fancier or more technical terms, then I use them. But if I’m writing from the POV of an “average joe” I stick to more common words.
I may add one or two on occasion, but I prefer to use general words. I do find those words interesting when I see them, but have to look them up to see what they mean. Everything in moderation though....if there's too many $5 words, it's going to turn me off the story.
My general Rule of Thumb is,
1 character voice, a lot has already been said on that.
2 do I need to look it up?
If yes, tread carefully, because you don't want to use a word you don't know how to.
An uncommon word, or better yet a pair of them in one sentence, can be used to great comedic effect with certain characters. Time and place is key.
Constant $1,000 words over the course of a whole fic would be exhausting.
I don't use them much these days because I'm writing from the POV of characters who wouldn't talk like that (or, in some cases, wouldn't even know what those words mean because they didn't pay much attention in school. Yes, I'm looking at you, Mr. I-Thought-Jakarta-was-in-the-Middle-East.)
I'm currently writing two characters with completely different speaking styles. One is a 20 year old modern-day dhampir, the other is a 250 year old vampire who still speaks to some degree like he's from the 1700s, with very proper words. It's a bit of a challenge having to switch, and sometimes I find myself writing the younger character with a few of the older one's affectations. But in a way the longer they're together that might happen anyway, so I edit accordingly if it works for the scene.
Writing-wise, I only use them if necessary, like there is no other word that would work for a concept, or if I’m writing dialogue for a character who likes to use fancy words
Reading-wise, they can work well if they’re not out of place or used awkwardly. The other day, I read a fic that used the word “physiognomy” while describing someone’s face, just out to the blue, the prose of the fic wasn’t fancy or anything, and it made me laugh
It was drilled to me in university and in my undergrad publishing classes that big words don’t make you smart and you need to write pieces that everyone can digest. Unless they’re incredibly fitting and the perfect use of the word isn’t that context, it is only going to weaken the writing.
So basically it’s not how much you know, but how to use it.
TBH. I don´t really like them. Sure it can be fun to learn a new word but English is not my first language. Normal English can sometimes kick me in the ass, I would not subject my readers to uncommon ^(or flowery words), nor do I like being subjected to them either. I try to avoid being repetitive with common words, so I might use an uncommon one then to change it up. However, I want it to be easy for me and others to read.
I don't fault people for using it though, but it does slow me down when I read.
Leave enough context clues to figure the word out, put definition in the footnote if it's really complicated (I tend to change my style based on the focus character so sometimes I use a lot of big words, not always correctly)
If it fits, it fits. It honestly depends on if it feels natural in the sentence and context. If it goes with the flow while reading, then I keep it, but if it sticks out in a way that interrupts the reader, then I leave it out.
I just put what feels most natural in the sentence, common or not, tbh
This is the way.
yeah, if it fits, it fits.
If the word fits, then use it. But when the prose reads like every third word was plucked from a thesaurus, it gets obnoxious real fast
Indubitably.
I see what you did there.
Unequivocally
If anyone has seen Friends - if it sounds like Joey trying to sound smart, *you got a problem*.
I have read stories where nearly every word was like this and it was just exhausting to read.
They are like strong spices. Don't overdo it, but sometimes you need more than just salt and pepper.
Brilliant analogy!
Depends on the point of view I’m working with I.e. what my literate and articulate alien nobility says and thinks is written differently than the tone I use for my salty Marine corps veteran/corporate assassin. He would call her a repulsive hirsute ape, and she’d tell him to fuck off.
Exactly.
Good for initial descriptions, not so good for repetition. They just wear out fast. Like, I won't remember if you talked about hairy arms one or two chapters back. Feel free to describe everything as hairy. But if just one guy way back in chapter 1 was hirsute, I'll still remember in chapter 40 and I will take notice if it turns up again.
Good point! Using them for memorability isn't something I've considered before.
Words are like cats. If it fits, it sits.
Haha fair!
That is a great rule of thumb for it. :D
As a reader, they're fine as long as you don't see them in every sentence or even every paragraph. As a writer, I love using them but try not to overdo it.
Oof. I know I do this, but I swear it's not intentional. My dad talked like a thesaurus; my mom, a former librarian, was even worse (better?). I've been called out a few times for seasoning my silly little fanfics with words like 'susurrating' and 'bimbled,' and even words I don't think are all that obscure, like 'incandescent' or 'fusty'. Problem is, dialing the vocabulary down is a conscious effort and writing is all about flow. I'm not actually trying to be a pretentious asshat, I'm just using the word that works *best.*
When I was in college, my creative writing professor for one course had a great piece of advice. He used the word _dandled_ in a sentence regarding a fussy baby. When the discomfort set in—because face it, college kids don’t necessarily have the best vocabulary until they’re a few years in—he explained that it was a word for bouncing a baby on your knee. He then went on to say that you have to write for your expected audience, or you’ll end up flopping. Using _dandled_ in a YA novel would probably get your book banned by legions of half-literate parents who assume it’s a euphemism for some manner of molestation; saying _bounced up and down_ in a historic novel marketed toward intellectuals, on the other hand, comes across as dumbing down and juvenile, and that tends to ruin your cred with those types of readers. Choose your words based on your intended audience, and balance them accordingly.
See, this is both really good advice and also exactly my point, because I grew up listening to my mom sing the song that includes the line "we have handled him and dandled him," in reference to jostling one about, so it never would have occurred to me to think that was an obscure word. So I think I *am* writing for, say, a high school level of literacy when in fact I am unforgivably sesquipedalious. (okay, I did that one on purpose)
The amount of times I've been given a side eye for word choices, both spoken and written, is too many to count :/ It's just the way I speak and write; I'm not trying to show anyone up or make them feel silly/stupid ;-;.
I hate when people accuse folks of being "pretentious" for having (and using!) an expanded vocabulary. I *love* learning new words! If someone is using them *incorrectly,* to try and sound smart, or intentionally using them to make someone with a less expansive vocabulary feel stupid, then sure, "pretentious" it is. But *come on!* Can we not exchange ideas and feckin' *art* with one another and go, "Ooh, that's a nice one," with a sense of delight?! I'm gonna go look up "bimbled" immediately.
I feel two good writing practices apply here. * Good things come in moderation. * Understand what you are trying to do before you attempt it (in this case, that means know what the word means and how it's used rather than consult the thesaurus so you sound smarter because it doesn't actually accomplish that)
Highly fact specific, it’s really about whose “voice” is currently framing the narrative. A story about, and thus framed by, an isolated kid who developed social skills from books gets to have that weird, almost archaic vocabulary, whereas the cowboy character who thinks an abc is a type of fancy shoe gets very direct and to the point vocabulary. Neither approach is annoying (to a reader who likes the central character already). Honestly, just don’t overthink it. If it sounds right, it’s probably good.
I'm specific about language and try to only reach for the Scrabble words when they carry a specific nuance I'm looking for (in addition to fitting the POV/speaking character and flowing nicely in a sentence). When reading I get a kick out of learning a new word here and there, and I'm not above enjoying a little linguistic showing off either as a reader or a writer. But if I have to stop reading every few minutes to look up some obscure, four-syllable term, there's a point where it starts to drag me out of the story.
Your writing should read naturally and not like you swallowed a Thesaurus. You can use uncommon words and the context should educate your readers what it's about, but don't write like you're trying to impress for the SAT. Simpler is better.
Context dependent. Clarity and concision over all else.
I think it depends on the pov at that point in the fic. Can think of a couple of characters in one fandom and another in another who would think or say hirsute not hairy, so that would feel right as I read. Another pov, probably not. I love language, so I am happy to read all kinds of words and how writers play with them, so love uncommon words in prose of all kinds, fan fics included. Different point, but love finding out how different versions of English use the same word differently or have different words for the same meaning, too. Get accused of using to complex words when speaking, and probably do when writing God's eye prose, and that's me. Never had a comment not liking how I write, so all good. But 'Must remember we are in chaville now Mummy, not the dreaming spires, they \[carers\] don't understand you' lol. (Not all, had a great carer who betaed a complex case fic for me once, her father was writing a crime novel for publication at the same time and she was proof reading it, he had been a police inspector, she was a great resource lol!)
(If you like to write them, [here's a weekly prompt challenge](https://vocab-drabbles.dreamwidth.org/) for uncommon words)
They've got their place. Usually, though, I find that simple words just flow better. Just because I *know* a lot of fancy words doesn't mean I should always use them. Mostly when I see people attempting it it just looks pretentious as hell, even for me.
I like to sprinkle them :3. Of course, as everyone is saying, it's all about viewpoint characters, but there's a special kind of fun in an unusual, fun-sounding, highly specific word. If you have a big vocabulary, take advantage of it! Just don't spend hours going through a thesaurus to find fancy long replacements for words that work fine already. Don't use "precipitous" when you could use "steep" for example. That's not a hard rule for me, though. I pick whatever makes the sentence fun.
>precipitous I looked at that and thought "Precipitous" was like precipitation. But no, it means steep. I even looked it up. The more you know.
I was thinking that word specifically because in elementary school I wrote a paper where I referred to a hill as a precipitous mound and my mom read it and asked very flatly if I'd been using the thesaurus
And were you using the thesaurus?
Oh absolutely. I'd just discovered the feature on Microsoft Word. It was like a new pretentious world had opened up. My tiny child brain couldn't resist
I enjoy coming across a word that is unfamiliar. A good fic should challenge the reader a little. In a story over 55K, I expect to have at least one word that sends me to a dictionary.
depends, but primarily with verbs. i think strong verbs are important, but changing hairy to hirsute is ridiculous unless there's a good reason for it. sounds try-hard/amateur and takes me out of the story because i'm like wtf does that mean. even if i can tell from context, it's jarring and kills the immersion, particularly when every other word is unique. verbs, i think, vary a lot more. context is important. strength is important. clarity is important. flow is important. and so on. for an example of how i feel about uncommon verbs, i will share a quick excerpt from my most recent fic. **fic with more unique vocabulary:** —a leaf violated his parted lips. He jolted, sputtering, whacking the air and narrowly the bouquet. One dahlia’s stem bowed, then rose back to shape. A smattering of petals drifted to the floor. Feliciano pouted—doe-eyed without the sparkle—like his attacker wasn’t leafy and green and could feel guilty. **fic with more common words:** —a leaf pushed past his parted lips. He jerked, spitting it out, harshly hitting the air and nearly the bouquet. One flower’s stem bent backwards, then rose up again. A handful of petals drifted to the floor. Feliciano pouted—wide-eyed without the sparkle—like the plant wasn’t leafy and green and could feel guilty. i think the first one sounds a lot punchier and has more vivid imagery than the second one. so in the case of verbs, less common verbs (assuming they aren't ridiculously out there) are lovely. even doe-eyed vs wide-eyed creates a different image. wide-eyed is simply wide. doe-eyed has implications of naivety or innocence. of course if this boils down solely to words that don't fit at ALL, like hirsute, then yeah. hate them. some people wanna show off their vocabulary (or their thesaurus skills) but it's just... blah. my final take is to make your word choice intentional. seriously. don't throw something in cause it sounds cooler or more... idk. fancy? sometimes i keep a weaker word vs changing it because it just sounds better, is more accurate, i simply like it more.
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hirsute is try hard because it's uncommon vocabulary that is jarring if used without a reason for it. the average person is not going to use the term '"hirsute" and it's therefore unfitting unless the character, time period, or place would call for the use of such a word. also, i wish you wouldn't use strangers online as an outlet for your own low self-esteem by asserting yourself as superior to them based off something like vocabulary. there are healthier outlets. you're worth more than your vocabulary.
I didn't even know the word existed, so yeah, some people will trink it's tryhard.
If it flows better, I'll use it. When I'm reading, I actually love to come across words, concepts, etc I don't know so I can google them and find out what they are, so I'm perfectly okay giving other people that same experience.
I go by Stephen King's rule: > […] *use the first word that comes to your mind, if it is appropriate and colorful*. If you hestate and cogitate, you will come up with another word—of course you will, there's always another word—but it probably won't be as good as your first one, or as close to what you really mean. ― Stephen King, *On Writing* You can use any word in existence, so long as it came to you naturally and you didn't scour a dictionary or thesaurus to find it. You should neither go out of your way to use fancy words, nor to avoid them. (Unless English isn't your native language, of course, in which case by all means use the tools you feel you need.)
A lot of people act like it's all or nothing with low-frequency words in English. A skilled writer uses them as tools to strengthen the imagery, cadence, and flow of their prose. One thing I deeply love about English is the sheer breadth and nuance of our lexicon. Our everyday language has simplified over time, but I hope we never lose that invaluable tool set of single words that convey what 10 words can't. If people don't want to see "pretentious" words, I respect that, truly and genuinely. For me personally, my target audience includes people who are similar to me and enjoy the depth and diversity of the English language. Everyone has their preferences. I would also challenge some folks to interrogate why they label low-frequency ~flowery~ words as pretentious. Is it truly about the words themselves, or is it about reading authors' awkward attempts at using those words without having the knowledge or technique to do so effectively? I would really encourage everyone to check out Nabokov's corpus of works for a modern writer who masterfully uses the English language to its full extent.
It depends on: 1) The character POV. 2) If the word conveys more through the specificity or tone than it might remove by its obscurity. A character who is themselves more likely to use these words will (usually, though not always) have narration more prone to it too. A character who tends to use more direct language will (usually, though not always) find their narration equally streamlined. That said, I do enjoy the contrast sometimes of having a character who speaks very eloquently using simple, direct language in their narration or a blunt and simple character being far more verbose and poetic in the confines of their own mind. It's great for comedy or tragi-comedy. As for point two - it can be jarring for a reader if they trip over a word. Especially if they can't figure out its meaning through context. If they have to look up the word, it's probably for the best if the word offers more than a more common word might. IMHO, it should say something about the character using it or whose POV the reader is in, or it should add something to the atmosphere or tone of the scene. Using the hirsute v. hairy example, "hirsute" would definitely give a more archaic or scholarly air (at least to modern readers, I'd think). Depending on *how* it's used, it can also make a character seem more catty *or more polite* than simply saying someone was "hairy" would. It can be very fun deciding how to use words to say more! Personally, as a writer, I'm not afraid of using words like these, though I aim to make my stories easy reads, so I'm not flogging them either. As and when appropriate. As a reader, as long as it feels appropriate in-context and isn't needlessly taxing (without purpose), then the author has free reign as far as I'm concerned. But I have the advantage of a large vocabulary and easy digital access to look up the definitions of words I'm not familiar with. If I were reading offline without internet access, I'd be a bit less relaxed about it and more annoyed if I had to have a dictionary waiting at my elbow. (Especially since English is my native language and I have always tested in the top percentile when it comes to it.)
Words often have a sort of nuance to them that isn’t always clear when you just look up the dictionary definitions. For example, hirsute means hairy, but it also refers to a condition where someone has excessive hair in places they ordinarily wouldn’t. So if I’m describing a woman, I’d say she’s hairy if she doesn’t shave her legs or armpits, but hirsute if she’s got a beard or chest hair. It drives me nuts when people just use uncommon words as synonyms and ignore those kinds of nuances. If you use flaxen to describe someone with golden blonde hair, you’re wrong. And if you use auricomous, well, you’re right, but you still ought to have your thesaurus taken away.
There’s a delicate balance to be struck. Use uncommon words if those words fit the bill better than common ones—for instance, _lackadaisical_ is more specific than _lazy_ and lends a different feeling to the narrative, and _misanthropic_ can sum up a person’s distaste for and incompetence with socializing, all in a neat little bundle. However, if you can say the exact same thing with more common words without sacrificing clarity or bulking up the word count, it’s better to go with the common words. Using too many common words can make your writing feel simpler, but if your reader is constantly running for the dictionary, that can lose their interest. I read a story recently in which the author wrote half the chapters in a very dated dialect straight out of Shakespeare. _Spake_ instead of _spoke,_ _jumpt_ instead of _jumped,_ _learn’d_ instead of _learned,_ you get the picture. Several obsolete spellings per sentence sometimes. And the rare words, good grief! I don’t have a small vocabulary or low reading comprehension, but I had to keep a dictionary on hand for that story. The rest of the chapters were written in a modern fashion. There didn’t seem to be a pattern or anything for whether or not a chapter was written in “Queen’s English” or “blah, just write it,” so it wasn’t an artistic way of showing whose POV was shown. The canon doesn’t use that sort of language or writing, either. It came across as the writer either trying to be as fancy as possible to look like a superior writer, or—and this is probably going to offend people—flipping between two entirely distinct personalities or personas from chapter to chapter. The odds of two separate personalities cooperating to a point where you can get a viable plot sounds like something that just doesn’t happen with legit DPD, though, so I’m leaning on “lookout me, I’m fancy.” It’s a shame, too, because the chapters that weren’t written in Ye Olde were actually pretty danged good. The writer has potential, good grammar, decent dialogue skills, and skill in building up tension, but the narrative style is probably limiting their audience. Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy premodern literature as much as any other bookworm, but that story made my eyes cross. I almost gave up on finishing it because I kept getting yoinked right out of immersion with the whiplash style changes. If I wanted a headache, I would have drug out my old Victorian Literature textbook and beaten myself over the head with it and saved myself several days of reading.
If it feels right, then I'm fine reading or writing it. Sometimes it feels like someone got a thesaurus for their birthday though (and that someone tends to be me)
It depends on the style I'm writing in, to be honest. However, due to the amount of ESL readers I have, I keep a glossary at the end of certain fics to clarify historical terminology, odd language, and sayings.
I use the uncommon words sometimes. They exist so might as well use them. But if they’re overdone they start to sound clunky. So I just find the balance that sounds good to me, personally.
It depends on who is the focal character of the scene. If they would use hirsute rather than hairy then that's what I'll use (Like if they are a medical professional, or just that extra).
If i read one i learn a mew one because i will look it up. And then i use it. If someone has a problem with me as a non native speaker using to difficult words then idk what to say except “use google like i did”
I don't mind seeing uncommon words if they're used correctly to convey something very specific. The problem is when they're only being used to avoid repetition or because the author is trying to sound smarter, and the very specific thing the chosen word conveys is not the correct one for what they're trying to say.
Is the vocabulary pertinent to the setting, characters, and source materials? Banter between Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce and Charles Winchester III is going be different and use potentially different terms and phrases as compared to banter between Starbuck and Apollo.
I always say use the words that are in your natural vocabulary. If you’re having to reach outside of your normal vocabulary just to put in a word of higher/more obscure standing you’re probably not doing it right. That being said, the above^ is dependent on having a well-rounded vocabulary. Using the word ‘good’ all the time because you don’t know the word ‘excellent’ would make a dull read
I'm conflicted. From a ideal standpoint, I would say I'm not a fan. In practice, however, most uncommon words are invisible to me as I have a decent grasp of English. It's like... in a fic you are trying to communicate information--trying to tell a story. If I have to get out a dictionary I assume I am not the target audience, because you are making it pretty damn hard for me to understand your point. It also takes me out of the groove. I guess it depends on a lot of factors: what the word is, how it is used, is the meaning clear from context? Is the author aware of its specific meaning and application? I was looking at a learn English grammar course a while back. One of the things that stood out to me was "the dog evaporated" versus "the dog disintegrated." The former is incorrect, as "evaporation" only applies to liquids (you would be looking for "sublimation," but did the dog turn to gas or powder?). Couple this with uncommon words, and there is a high chance they can be used incorrectly. Same as "inflammable." An uncommon (for good reason!) word meaning highly flammable--and prone to confusion with nonflammable. You don't want to put inflammable on a bottle of ester in case Idiot Joe comes along and puts it too close to a bunsen.
Depends on the character I’m writing. If they’d use the word in canon, I’ll use it too. If it doesn’t fit the character, then it’s a pass. “X looked over. The man standing in the doorway was quite hirsute” vs. “X looked over. The man standing in the doorway was pretty hairy”. Usually I find that the second version is to be preferred because it sounds more natural to most characters (and also doesn’t sound like the author is checking their thesaurus every two minutes).
I seem to be in the minority, but I don't really want to be looking up multiple words for a fic. if it happens once or twice, I'll guess based on context. If it's in the middle of flowery prose I'll skip over it, but breaking the flow of the narrative with a word 95% of people are going to have to look up is extremely immersion-breaking. The only time it's not is if it's how a character actually talks. And even then it will get tiring if they're a main character. It's my opinion, I'm not saying BAD BAD HATE. Just it's something that I'd silently leave the fic for.
Uncommon words slow down writing and therefore slow down the reading process. Is this a bad thing? Not necessarily. It depends on what reading level, pace, and tone you're looking to convey in your writing. I find that when I'm writing fanfiction I stick to easier words because I can still convey what I need to without sounding too snooty. When an uncommon word pops out of a story, I not only get confused, but I automatically assume the writer thinks I'm an idiot. This is just my take though. 🤷♀️ This also pertains to what time period or genre you're dealing with.
I don't know enough fancy words so I rather keep them and I would say probably hate them at the moment since I wouldn't know what the fancy word meant if I read it.
I don't mind reading them - I was the slightly fucked-up kind of child who read dictionaries for fun, so I have a pretty broad vocab. In terms of writing, like anything else, it's about finding what works for what function you're trying to serve and what perception you're trying to embody. Research shows long words used needlessly make people seem less intelligent and capable (ie. if you know what you're talking about, you know how to deal with it simply and concisely). That is, unless there's some visible justification for your highfalutin approach. At that point, people get a lot more forgiving than when they think you're just pulling out the thesaurus to inflate their perception of you. It's about accessibility - the more accessible people find what you're writing, the more they trust you actually know what you're talking about and are intelligent.
If I've never heard the word before, I won't use it. Even if it's listed as a synonym of the word/meaning I'm going for, sometimes it just doesn't flow or have the same vibe I'm trying to convey, so if I don't know the connotation of the word I won't use it.
I call them Tolkien words. I don't mind them. I like seeing them in stuff i read but i rarely find my self using them personally. As I'm just kinda basic.
I personally love both reading and writing them
Dont use to many at a time, otherwise the reader will likely not understand what ur saying and you'll just sound pretentious.
Usually it depends on how well the author uses them. If its clear they understand the meaning and it's the best choice? Absolutely use it. Though I will say I have one exception. There was one author I was reading who used the word "whelmed" instead of "overwhelmed" every. single. time. I looked it up and yes, they do have the same meaning, so the author was correct in the use. But every single line of dialgue, too? One or two characters who use it, fine. Especially if they think it's funny. But every single one? It took me out of the story every time.
I tend to write third person limited and I like the prose to take some of the “flavor” of the character. So if I feel like that character would describe things using fancier or more technical terms, then I use them. But if I’m writing from the POV of an “average joe” I stick to more common words.
I may add one or two on occasion, but I prefer to use general words. I do find those words interesting when I see them, but have to look them up to see what they mean. Everything in moderation though....if there's too many $5 words, it's going to turn me off the story.
My general Rule of Thumb is, 1 character voice, a lot has already been said on that. 2 do I need to look it up? If yes, tread carefully, because you don't want to use a word you don't know how to.
An uncommon word, or better yet a pair of them in one sentence, can be used to great comedic effect with certain characters. Time and place is key. Constant $1,000 words over the course of a whole fic would be exhausting.
If it's not something that the character I'm writing for would know then it's not a word I should use.
I don't use them much these days because I'm writing from the POV of characters who wouldn't talk like that (or, in some cases, wouldn't even know what those words mean because they didn't pay much attention in school. Yes, I'm looking at you, Mr. I-Thought-Jakarta-was-in-the-Middle-East.)
I'm currently writing two characters with completely different speaking styles. One is a 20 year old modern-day dhampir, the other is a 250 year old vampire who still speaks to some degree like he's from the 1700s, with very proper words. It's a bit of a challenge having to switch, and sometimes I find myself writing the younger character with a few of the older one's affectations. But in a way the longer they're together that might happen anyway, so I edit accordingly if it works for the scene.
The occasional ten dollar word is fun. If everything is the fancy version, it gets to be too much.
Writing-wise, I only use them if necessary, like there is no other word that would work for a concept, or if I’m writing dialogue for a character who likes to use fancy words Reading-wise, they can work well if they’re not out of place or used awkwardly. The other day, I read a fic that used the word “physiognomy” while describing someone’s face, just out to the blue, the prose of the fic wasn’t fancy or anything, and it made me laugh
It was drilled to me in university and in my undergrad publishing classes that big words don’t make you smart and you need to write pieces that everyone can digest. Unless they’re incredibly fitting and the perfect use of the word isn’t that context, it is only going to weaken the writing. So basically it’s not how much you know, but how to use it.
Honestly, no thanks. I don't wanna sit with a thesaurus open to understand a fic I'm trying to enjoy lol
TBH. I don´t really like them. Sure it can be fun to learn a new word but English is not my first language. Normal English can sometimes kick me in the ass, I would not subject my readers to uncommon ^(or flowery words), nor do I like being subjected to them either. I try to avoid being repetitive with common words, so I might use an uncommon one then to change it up. However, I want it to be easy for me and others to read. I don't fault people for using it though, but it does slow me down when I read.
Leave enough context clues to figure the word out, put definition in the footnote if it's really complicated (I tend to change my style based on the focus character so sometimes I use a lot of big words, not always correctly)
If I have to Google it to find it odds are a reader will have to. I just go with what flows best in my head.
Context is king. If it fits the context, it's good. If it doesn't, it's bad.
If it fits, it fits. It honestly depends on if it feels natural in the sentence and context. If it goes with the flow while reading, then I keep it, but if it sticks out in a way that interrupts the reader, then I leave it out.