5 useless words you can almost always delete

Editor’s note: We are re-running the top stories of 2020 as part of our year-end countdown.

Winnowing out wasteful words might be an editor’s most sacred task.

Whether you call them “dead wood,” “filler,” “fluff” or “clutter,” they’re the junk you almost never need in a sentence. These “couch potato words” occupy space, trip tongues and take readers down a long, winding path when a short, straight one would do.

Whenever you edit copy, feel free to discard these bits of grammatical gunk and literary lint.

1. Different

Writers often use “different” to indicate variety, but it’s not always necessary. Consider these examples:

In the sentences above, “types,” “segment” and “options” each imply difference, which makes “different” unnecessary. Removing “different” tightens up each sentence, and it prevents redundancy.

2. That

“That” rolls off the tongue when you speak, but it clutters your written sentences. Editing tip: CTRL+F your document for “that,” and cut it anywhere you can without convoluting your prose. Read these sentences aloud: