5 Words You Can Remove From Your Writing to Make it More Accessible (and what to use instead)
Why word choice matters
If you’re writing instructional content, you want to make sure your word choice is clear and simple. Using simple language makes sure that your learner’s energy is going towards understanding your content rather than trying to understand complex words. Using simple language does not mean that your content is any less instructional than if you use complex language, it just means the content is more accessible. Accessible language allows people of all reading, writing, speaking, and general literacy levels to read/learn your content. This is especially important for documents or courses that don’t require the audience to have a college or higher-level degree. The following is a list of words you might be using in your instructional writing that you can replace to make your writing more accessible.
Word #1: Eliminate
What to use instead: cut or remove
Example: “If you eliminate the semicolon…” -> “If you remove the semicolon…”
Word #2: Implement
What to use instead: apply
Example: “In order to implement this new process…” -> “In order to apply this new process…”
Word #3: Leverage
What to use instead: use
Example: “We can leverage the database to…” -> “We can use the database to…”
Word #4: Numerous
What to use instead: many
Example: “There were numerous cases of…” -> “There were many cases of…”
Word #5: Utilize
What to use instead: use
Example: “You can utilize either SQL or…” -> “You can use either SQL or…”
Conclusion
It’s important to use clear and simple language so that your instructional content is more accessible to your learners. Making a few simple word changes can remove some of the barriers to learning your content. Do you have any words you’re thinking of swapping out in your writing? Let me know in the comments below!
Additional resources:
Note: When writing any instructional content, keep your audience in mind. If you are writing for a college-level + audience, use academic language. If you are writing a sales pitch, use sales/marketing language. This information is intended for instructional content (e.g. technical documentation and online courses) where the audience is not expected to have a college degree, but rather the background knowledge needed to learn the content.
