Word Soup is a word game I’m addicted to on my kindle — just throwing that out there.
The last couple days we’ve been having a discussion on my James Gang yahoo loop about words — commonly misspelled words, misused words, word errors in books, how grammar rules have changed and punctuation rules have loosened a bit — depending on the publisher in my case.
Somehow the discussion rolled around to “big” words. You know, those words you don’t immediately comprehend that jump out and you and leave you scratching your head as to the definition. The words that have you reaching for your dictionary.
Not surprisingly, I have an opinion on this subject 🙂
Let me preface this by saying I LOVE words. At last count I have somewhere around 50 dictionaries/thesauruses and yes, I actually use them. I don’t solely rely on the thesaurus with the Microsoft Word program when I need a substitute word for a book I’m working on.
But for me there is a line with my love of words that keeps me from thumbing through the dictionary and finding a word like this one to use in my book:
demulcent dih-MULL-sunt adjective
At first glance, I thought the word would have something to do with light — think translucent. I admit I have no basis at all in Latin so I have nothing to base that assumption on besides my previous experience with words.
So what does the word mean?
: soothing
Example sentence: The lozenges had a demulcent effect, and my sore throat was soon feeling much better.
See now this is where I take issue with using a bigger word than a more common one. The writing advice I’ve always taken to heart is this: Why use a two dollar word when a fifty cent one will do?
That’s not to say we shouldn’t try and expand our vocabularies and learn new words. I should point out the writer of that advice in this case was giving advice to new writers on maintaining clarity of thought — and severely limiting the excessive use of adjectives both common and obscure.
There are times when I enjoy a trip to the dictionary in what I’m reading — but most of the time, I’m like…seriously? Why are you trying to impress me with your intrusive language skills? Impress me with the story. Don’t pull me out of the story and send me to the damn dictionary.
Which is why I rarely read literary fiction. It’s also why I write genre fiction.
So tell me, are you one of those readers who immediately grabs a dictionary — or uses the look up function on an ebook reader — when you run across a word you’ve never seen before? Or do you shrug and keep reading?
Share with me the most obscure word you’ve found that you like or loathe — or your favorite odd ball word and I’ll toss your name in the hat for a $10 gift card from an online retailer!
Being multilingual, I’m a huge fan of words and knowing exactly what they mean– so yes, I definitely run off to a dictionary (or now, the dictionary function of my Kindle) to look up an unfamiliar word. [It’s a little more difficult in Chinese, but looking up radicals works okay]. Outside of the occasional foray into literary fiction, however, I’d much rather not have my reading interrupted by some obnoxiously pretentious word that I have to go look up 🙂
Also, major grammatical pet peeve: there/their/they’re (and its ilk). Seriously, it’s not that hard– and I’m technically foreign!
Cris — I love the word ilk.
Heh, I have enough problems with English, I can’t imagine adding another language to it.
I don’t go to the dictionary if I can somewhat figure out what the word means.
It all depends on the story. I have to admit that having the dictionary function on my Kindle has made it faster to look up a word so, yes on the Kindle I will more likely look up a word. Like I said it depends if I am engrossed in the story. I do go back sometimes and look up the word later.
That’s a good plan Linda. Usually I can suss out what a word means too…but oftentimes, I’m completely wrong and it totally changes the context of the sentence.
for the most part i agree with you, lori, that the fifty cent word is always the better choice than the one that leaves readers shrugging – for the simple word that it jumps off the page and interrupts the flow. There’s a reason most of our prose is written at a junior high school level, and it is not – contrary to what is often suggested by those who bandy those stats about – that we or our readers are stupid. No, it’s because we *speak* that way, using only a fraction of the available vocabulary, and also *think* that way, so it is natural to read using that subset of words as well. It’s efficient, I think, and our brains are quite happy to work with that streamlined set of tools.
Also, coming across a ten-dollar word in otherwise unremarkable prose is, in my mind, a sure sign of an amateur – a literary dog mess in the road. It’s just not appealing.
However, I’ll also take the unpopular side that there is a place – a delightful, necessary place – for wordy fiction. yes, you can often find it on the Literary shelves…but there are “literary” (for want of a better word) examples of every genre, as well, and I adore them. I especially love literary horror…when an author deliberately chooses an elevated, complex voice – not just the occasional word, but entire paragraphs and passages – it’s a very different reading experience. Perhaps not what one wishes for every day, but an occasional treat – much like, I don’t know, the $25/pound triple-creme rather than the everyday chunk o’ cheddar.
Sophie, this is why I love you! you are so classy, so succinct — you said what I wanted to…only better.
So, yeah, maybe I hate you a little — hee hee — kidding!
I usually keep reading. It would have to be a major word that I didn’t know for me to look it up.
Same here, Amy, but I’ve run across words that leave me scratching my head.
Heh, sometimes I’ll be writing along and the only word I can think of is the obscure word. Visage seems to be the word that jumps out the most. It’s a great word, but how many people actually use it?
And now, the next time I can’t think of soothing, demulcent will pop up. Thank goodness for editing. ;o)
I think I’ve actually used visage.
Not to be confused with vicarage which I’ve never used 🙂
Years ago, when I first started reading historicals, I didn’t know what countenance meant. Now, I do. 🙂
That is one of my most favorite and least favorite things about historical novels, Kris — I know, that’s a total contradiction –
Susurrus (whispering, murmuring) is a favorite of mine. Sesquipedalian (long words/ long winded) is just plain fun to say.
I might use susurrus (the susurrus of the wind in the trees), but never sesquipedalian.
Story always comes first, but there are times when it’s fun to use a lovely word. I figure it’s like a drop-dead dress in the back of your closet that you might wear once a year.
Ooh, Sarah, I’m using the word susurrus in something for sure, thanks for sharing it!
I don’t go to the dictionary, I usually just shrug and go on, takes to much time from the reading. I do use a dictionary often because I can’t spell.
another shrugger!
I just got a Kindle Fire for Christmas! I didn’t know you could do that (look up a word). Can’t wait to have time to check it out!
The dictionary function is one of the best things about ereaders, Deb!
I love words, too! I used to keep a notebook next to my “reading” chair where I gobbled up the New York Times every day because I’ve learned MORE words from reading that newspaper than from reading books. I always use a dictionary to look them up. But now I read on Kindle and that instant definition feature ROCKS.
I keep a Merriam Websters next to my desk. I don’t ever look up a word online, it’s just a weirdness of mine. I love, love, love opening a dictionary and skimming for my word. I like the closeness and exposure to more words that gives me, and it helps me keep my spelling sharp.
Here’s my word: saturnine: A cold and steady mood, of gloomy disposition. If I wrote historicals, my duke would be saturnine. And well hung to make up for it. 😉 xo
I have the first dictionary my parents ever bought me in the 70s. It’s got a psychedelic cover and it’s falling apart but I cannot part with it.
I love love love my paper dictionaries 🙂
Ooh, saturine, I’m using that too.
I am a shrug and keep reading girl. Usually the sentence it’s used in give me an idea of what they are trying to say but if not and I’m into the book I am shrugging and moving on. I bought the book to read not look up words. lol
You make absolute poerfect sense to me. I appreciate the 50 cent words just fine.
Lisa B
Thanks Lisa! I figured there were lots of shrug readers — of which I am one sometimes!
I can usually figure out what a word means from the context, so I don’t bother to look it up.
Roxanne’s comment is funny: I’m reading a historical mystery by Deborah Raybourne (sp?) now where she uses saturnine. I think that word only exists in historicals.
Anne, I might try and use that word in a cowboy book — okay, maybe it would fit better in a mystery 🙂
That is funny because I don’t read historicals. I saw that word in the Times, of course, and instantly screamed historical romance to me. I bet it’s Deanna Raybourne you’re reading. Haven’t read her, but I’ve met her and she’s a doll.
I usually try to figure out what the word means from the sentence if that doesn’t work I look it up in the dictionary, now that I have my Kindle I use the dictionary in there.
I know, Timitra, some of that stuff should be obvious but it isn’t.
This is a great reason I prefer to use my kindle. It is not often that I need the dictionary function, but when I do, it is extremely valuable because it bothers me when I do not know the precise meaning of a word.. Sometimes it can change the whole sentence. And I totally agree that it is bothersome when the author uses complicated language for a subject that does not strictly call for it. It is not impressive, but seems like overcompensation. Just sayin’ 🙂
That’s one thing a kindle can do that a regular book can’t — and why I love it!
At first, I will try and determine the meaning from the context of the sentence. If that doesn’t work, I usually pull out my smart phone and look it up on my browser. I always enjoy the vocabulary side of things, over the math side (in standardized tests), so I’m usually curious over words that I don’t know the meaning of. Last week, I was describing the twins I babysit as capricious because they have a new toy or focus every hour :-). Not sure that capricious is exactly the correct word, but I like how it sounds. It’s my new word of the week.
Capricious. Precocious. Use those two in a sentence together!
What a unique post today. I have a dictionary at my desk at all times. Necessary and important for spelling etc. A word that I use and enjoy using is socratic.
Diane, I always scratched my head as a kid when I didn’t know how to spell something and the teacher said..look it up. How was I supposed to look something up in the dictionary…I didn’t know how to spell?
I usually skip over it and move on. If I am on my ereader I will sometimes look it up. If it isn’t important to the story then I really don’t care.
And to think maybe an author slaved over using that word…which is why I try to make the words count, not have them be skipped over!
I have always been a reader, even as a kid, unheard of I know. Growing up an only child my books were my friends because they all lived too far away to play with. Which may explain my obsession with spelling. I would have a dictionary sitting next to me whenever I was reading and now love the look up feature on eReaders.
I came across PRAT in a book once, it’s meaning…butt. Who new? I have tried using it with my family but somehow saying ‘I’m going kick your prat’ kinda loses its oomph when you have to explain. So now I simply tell them I’m gonna kick their ass. No need for clarifications.
Stop or go on often depends on the word or how caught up I am in the story. I’ve got a pretty good reading vocabulary probably because I’ve always like words and I can often figure out what something means from the context but if I’m not to super caught up or if I really like how the word looks and/or how I think it might sound I look it up. Back when I read “gasp” paper I would keep a notepad handy and jot down interesting words I didn’t know the meaning of to look up later. Love my nook so I can look them right up while I’m still in the context of the right. But I don’t want to read something with too many big words either. I don’t want to work that hard.
Katy, I still keep a notebook and if I run across a word I like, I write it down 🙂
Lori, the timing of this is so perfect! I’m in the middle of judging several contests and I came upon this word: peregrinated In the third paragraph of the first page. Now, I’m well read, mostly intelligent, and I used to work the NYT crossword puzzle. You’d think I’d recognize that word. Nope. Not a freaking clue, so I had to stop and look it up. In my paper dictionary. There aren’t many words I can’t suss the meaning to so any time I stop and look it up, it’s a wallbanger moment for sure.
I once used “sardonic”. A lot. All my heroes had sardonic smiles, expressions, or miens. I learned. Thankfully. 😉
As for peregrinate? It means to travel around from place to place. In this particular case, it was a facial expression. Don’t ask…just…don’t.
See, Silver, I would’ve attributed it to a bird — a perrigrine — I butchered that I’m sure.
I will try to figure out the meaning of the wood from the content if that doesn’t work then I will go to the dictionary. I am catholic and the church recently changed some wording and here is one of the words they added “Consubstantial” meaning of the same substance. Really not sure why they needed to add this word as no one knew what it meant. Big words aren’t always better
Shelly
I remember in the Lutheran church some of our litany STILL included “the holy catholic church” so yeah, sometimes things need to be changed 🙂
If I get the general meaning of the sentence/paragraph, I just keep going. If I really can’t understand what they are trying to say and it all hinges on that word, then I’ll look it up. But I’m really way too lazy to worry about it.
Frances, it’s those sentences that make no sense if you take the word out that confuses me
I read a book last year and the author liked the word turgid. I pretty much got the meaning from the first sentence it was in. After seeing it several more times I had to look it up in the dictionary and get the exact definition!
Some words just sound ugly to me and turgid is one…I don’t know if I’ve ever used it in a book!
I understand and speak French, so when mu husband is getting on my… I call him: Mon petit Chou. He doesn’t realize it’s a nice nickname and that’s where i get my fun!
Diane, I love foreign terms of endearment 🙂
Words have always fascinated me and I enjoy verifying their meaning and connotation. Cogitate is a word that appeals to me greatly.
Ruth, that word always sounds like a math term to me — to cogitate a derivative!
I don’t check the dictionary. I keep reading. I use my imagination.
Ha! Hopefully your imagination and the writers are on the same track 🙂
It’s rare that I look up a word when I’m reading. I just try to grasp the meaning in context. One word that surprised me was valet which I thought had a silent t at the end. When I was watching Downton Abbey they pronounced the t at the end and it sounded so very odd.
Can’t trust those English folks English language skills — it’s different than American English that’s for sure!
I love playing around with the small and the big words and you are right, at first glance I would have figured delmucent to mean what you thought.
One of my fave odd words that I thought I knew the meaning of was teetotaller – based upon the context from movies and books I read, i thought it meant a drunk person, but no quite the opposite, it means a person who abstains from alcohol.
Pamela, I knew the definition of teetotaller because that’s how my great grandma was described by everyone..
One word I kept seeing a few months ago was schadenfreude. I had to look that up.
And…was the meaning what you thought?
I like palindrome. wow, mom or #1661.(please don’t ask me to use it in a sentence.)
I love palindrome.
My favorite palindrome? racecar 🙂
One of my biggest pet peeves is when a writer uses a million dollar word when there’s a better, shorter, easier word that works just as well. I think Stephen King said something like “Use the simplest word that says exactly what you want.”
It’s also my pet peeve related to “said.” Said works. It disappears. Sometimes people whisper or scream or shout, but 90% of the time, “said” is the best dialogue tag if you need one. As soon as I see a contest entry where there is more than one non-said tag on a page, I want to scream. (Or bellow, rage, fume, question, inquire, answer, respond, spit, whisper, croak, murmur, answer …. )
I’m fairly well read, but I also took Latin for three years and can almost always extrapolate the meaning of an unfamiliar word if used properly in context. If I have to look something up more than once, I probably won’t read the author again.
Allison, it’s funny how I was going to point out the word said! Elmore Leonard is the one who said it disappears on the page…and it does.
That said — ha ha — I’ll admit that I do use other words to get my point across as a dialogue tag.
I have two huge pet peeves with words. The first is when some authors use the word “prone”. They must think that the word just means to be horizontal but not realize that it is a directional term as well. Prone means to be face down when what the author is really saying that the character is “supine” or face up. My second pet peeve is “irregardless”. It’s acceptable now because of overuse but it’s just plain laziness to not understand that it is a double negative.
On the other hand, one of my favorite words is “loquacious”. I just like how it sounds and the definition as well.
Irregardless is so easy to misuse I never use it in dialogue or in speech. Regardless does just fine 🙂
Another word that’s misused that looks wrong to me? Biceps. She touched his biceps. I always want to write she touched his bicep — that looks right to me but it’s not…
I always look up a word I don’t know or if a reference to something I’m not familiar with. Kindle and google are my reading buddies :).
One word, I’d never heard before was asinine, I thank you for enlightening me :). My high school english teacher’s favourite word was facetious. Not that she said it to me often or anything…..
Hah, Bianca, I’m sure the teacher didn’t mean you!
Asinine, huh?
Yep, in SHBAC. I just like the sound of it, I think its one of my favourite words. One I could have used in year 9 English!!!
Last night when my teens had a friend over I used a word that gave him the giggles–he kept repeating it over and over. I said “So,you guys are heading up to the coffee shop to hobnob with your friends?” Nick is 19, and did really well in high school– he’s a smart kid. He said he had never heard the word hobnob and LOVED it. He swore he was going to use it because it was now his new word. BAHAHAHAHA I wasn’t sure how to feel about this. I think it made me feel old O_O. I wonder how many other words I use that are now “unknown”?
My kids look at me like I’m an idiot sometimes with my word choices. But I will say they do have pretty varied vocabularies!
To be honest, if I come upon a “big” word, I skip over it. If I can figure it out, OK, if not. I’m reading this book and I don’t have time to run to find a dictionary. Thanks for the insite on your thinking L.
Thank you Tiss, for stopping by!
No remember this was when I was in elementary school.. The very first time I saw the word hors d’oeuvres , I pronounced it whores da vours…. boy I learned the correct way real quick!
LOL… my mom always pronounced it horse doovers.
We jokingly say that too and sometimes I wonder if we’ll slip up in public and say it that way and people who hear us will think we’re idiots 🙁
obsequious to fawn over or as I like to say, sucking up.
I love words with a q in them — how weird is that?
When reading print books, I mostly just try to figure the word out by context. I have mild dyslexia which means I’m a slower than average reader, but the advent of the ereader has changed my reading life! It’s so great to highlight the word and get an instant definition. But the best part is if I still don’t understand, there’s the Wikipedia link (not that it’s the end all in research, but it gives me a picture which often helps tremendously with the way my brain works)
I learned early on in my life as a pastor how important it is to choose fifty cent words over two dollar ones and to value each. Often if I choose the “fancy” word, I do it knowing that I plan on fleshing it out more so it makes a bigger impact instead of just showing off that I have a masters degree 🙂
Take care!!
Jenn, I’m glad your dyslexia didn’t stop you from pursuing your love of reading and your advanced degree 🙂
I don’t look up words in the dictionary, I just try to figure out its meaning based on context of situation.
I can usually do that too, Jeannette, but not always
cool topic, Lori! I love reading along in a novel and coming across a word I don’t know. It makes me feel challenged and I immediately want to look it up.
I can’t think of a specific word I loathe… but it really bugs me when words are used out of character–when there is a character who would not use a two-dollar word, and the author throws it in there just to show off. Pet peeve.
Maybe that’s why it’s a pet peeve for me, Laura. Because few of my characters would use such high faluting words — 🙂
Oh, and if you love word books… I assume you have THE SYNONYM FINDER. Run don’t walk to your nearest bookstore. 🙂
I have it…
I like the word penultimate. My son uses that word a lot, otherwise I don’t really hear it used much. I love the dictionary on my computer, it’s very handy when I run into a word I’m not sure about. Most of the time I can tell by the context what a word means, but I do run into strange ones occasionally. Something that irks me is the misspelling of the word piqued. I’ve seen it peeked and peaked and it bugs me every time.
Same here, Barbara. I do love the word pique — something about the q I think
I’ve always shivered at unctuous. Just grates on me whenever I run across the word, but it does go with its definition. Sanguine is another, though not as bad. I do think of blood when I hear it – maybe that’s what gets me – but I never think of cheerfulness or hopefulness. Bloody confidence. LOL that might work!
I’m with you on sanguine, Sandra! Maybe I’d use it if I wrote a paranormal or a horror novel.
I can’t say I have a favorite because I make a point to use big words all the time and there is a reason behind it. I have great vocabulary and I credit it to my love of reading and over the years, without thinking, I throw those words into everyday use. My husband and my sister thinks it is annoying and call me out on it every time I do it. I now make a point to find a new word, one I know will throw them off when I use it and make a point to throw it into my next conversation with them. It thrills me and I live to annoy them 🙂
Sometimes I look it up, if the word makes me lost story-wise. But if I read a little bit more and get an understanding, I just continue on. How bad is that? I should want to know big words 😉
One of my favourite words is Serendipitous. It sounds like it means: blind luck combined with wisdom.
I love words so I usually look up words that I don’t know. One word that has tripped my up is saunter…which you have used in your Lorelei James books. I thought I knew what it meant and the visual for me was of a “dandy” (in the historical context) prancing around the room. I often wondered why you had your oh-so-masculine cowboys sauntering. I finally gave in and looked it up because it was bugging me. The definition of stroll made much more sense 🙂
I never knew the Kindle had a dictionary–guess I should have read the instructions! Usually if I do not know a word I look at the context of the sentence, if that doesn’t help Google is the next step.
My biggest pet peeve is the misuse of then, than, effect and affect.
My favorite word is uff da. When we were stationed in NC I used to get strange looks whenever I said it. Have not received any looks since we’ve PCS’ed to Wyoming:-)
When I am reading and comes to a word I’m unsure about I like to look it up. It can be tedius and pull me out of the story. Thankfully that rarely happens and usually if I’m unsure I get the gist of it.
ihave not ran into a word yet lol
but i probalby wont look it up
I am a wordmonger (it’s a word worth knowing!). I absolutely look up words I don’t know. I think it is so funny when you highlight a common word on Kindle (think something like it or the). The Kindle will define it. I haven’t found any words in the last few books I have read that I needed to look up.