Words & style · Tip 49 of 82 · 4 min read
Choosing Powerful Words
Swap boring words for zingy ones and watch your writing come alive.
Words are a writer's tools. Some words are like a blunt crayon. Others are like a bright, sparkly marker! Choosing powerful words makes your writing more exciting to read.
Super-charge your verbs
A verb is an action word, like run, eat or go. Some verbs are a bit plain. Try picking a verb that shows exactly how something happens.
- went → zoomed, tiptoed, stomped, wandered, scurried
- ate → gobbled, nibbled, munched, slurped
- looked → peeked, stared, glared, squinted
- said → whispered, roared, giggled, snapped
Okay 😐
The mouse went across the kitchen and ate the cheese.
Wow! 🤩
The mouse scurried across the kitchen and nibbled the cheese.
Ditch "very"
Instead of "very" + a word, try one stronger word:
- very big → enormous, gigantic
- very small → tiny, teeny
- very scared → terrified
- very hungry → starving
- very tired → exhausted
Sound words are fun!
Words that sound like the noise they describe are called onomatopoeia (say it: on-oh-mat-oh-PEE-ah). Words like splash, crunch, buzz, whoosh and KABOOM make your reader hear the story.
CRASH! The vase hit the floor. Drip, drip, drip went the water. Then, from under the sofa, came a guilty little meow.