In this article
Wordiness is not about length. A 3,000-word report can be tight, and a 100-word email can be bloated. A phrase is wordy when you can remove or shorten words and the meaning does not change. This list gives forty common cases, sorted by type, with the shorter replacement. Use it as a checklist when you edit.
Quick cuts: long form to short form
| Wordy | Shorter |
|---|---|
| in order to | to |
| due to the fact that | because |
| in spite of the fact that | although |
| regardless of the fact that | although |
| in the event that | if |
| until such time as | until |
| at this point in time | now |
| at the present time | now, currently |
| in the near future | soon |
| on a daily basis | daily |
| prior to | before |
| subsequent to | after |
| during the course of | during |
| with regard to / with respect to | about |
| for the purpose of | for, to |
| in close proximity to | near |
| the majority of | most |
| a large number of | many |
| a number of | several, some |
Verb phrases: use the verb itself
| Wordy | Shorter |
|---|---|
| make a decision | decide |
| give consideration to | consider |
| conduct an investigation of | investigate |
| has the ability to | can |
| is able to | can |
| has a tendency to | tends to |
| come to the conclusion | conclude |
These are called nominalizations: a verb turned into a noun plus a weak verb. “Make a decision” hides the action in the noun. The short version puts it back in the verb.
Doubled meanings (say it once)
| Wordy | Shorter |
|---|---|
| each and every | each |
| first and foremost | first |
| completely eliminate | eliminate |
| end result | result |
| past history | history |
| basic fundamentals | fundamentals |
| true fact | fact |
| advance planning | planning |
Empty openers to cut or replace
| Wordy | Shorter |
|---|---|
| it is important to note that | (cut, or start with the point) |
| the reason why is because | because |
| in my personal opinion | in my opinion |
| there are many people who | many people |
| whether or not | whether |
| the fact that | (rephrase, or cut) |
A before-and-after
Before (31 words):
In order to make a decision with regard to the budget, it is important to note that the committee has the ability to give consideration to a large number of factors.
After (10 words):
The committee can weigh many factors when setting the budget.
About two-thirds of the words went, and nothing the reader needs was lost. Notice what changed: “in order to make a decision with regard to” became a single idea (“when setting”), “has the ability to give consideration to” became “can weigh”, “a large number of” became “many”, and “it is important to note that” was simply cut.
Why second-language writers over-pad
- “Formal” is learned as “long”. Many learners meet phrases such as “due to the fact that” in textbooks as examples of formal English. Formal English is mostly precise, not long.
- Translation adds words. A phrase that is one idiom in your first language may arrive in English as several words.
- Hedging as politeness. “It would perhaps be possible to consider that…” feels safe. In English it usually sounds uncertain rather than polite.
- Word counts. When an assignment asks for 1,500 words, padding can feel like the only way. A better way is to add an example or a counterargument. Our guide to word-count limits covers cutting to a limit.
A quick editing routine
- Run a search for the openers in the last table (“it is important to note”, “the fact that”) and decide for each whether to cut.
- Look for “make”, “give”, “take” plus a noun. If a stronger verb is hiding in the noun, use it.
- Read each sentence aloud and cut any word you do not say.
- Keep qualifiers that carry meaning. “Most” and “usually” are not filler if the claim is not universal.
Check your own text
Paste a paragraph into the free wordiness checker to find redundant phrases and see a shorter version of each one. The word counter shows your count before and after, and the passive voice detector finds another common source of extra words. For a wider look at why text can sound unnatural even when it is grammatical, read how to fix awkward English phrasing. If you think in another language first, the weave editor helps you draft the idea and resolve it into plain, direct English.
