If you are someone who enjoys writing, you probably take pride in using your skill and knowledge of the language to craft a message that communicates exactly the intended point. The raw materials at your disposal—words—are not unlike those of a sculptor; some are easier to work with than others. So when you can master the harder materials—more obscure words—you might feel a special satisfaction.

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“All this pretentious is really killing my back!”

The trouble is, using an obscure word, even if it perfectly fits the point you are trying to make, can cause your writing to fail. Why? Because if your audience doesn’t know the word, isn’t sufficiently curious (or doesn’t have the time) to look it up, or can’t figure it out from the context, they won’t get the message (or, perhaps worse, get the wrong message). That perfect word you stumbled upon while looking up something else in the dictionary (don’t say you’ve never done it!) turns out to be perfectly wrong.

The problem can be magnified if the word seems like it should mean one thing when it means something completely different. “Disabuse” doesn’t mean “to prevent abuse.” “Benedict Arnold’s duplicity” doesn’t mean there was more than one of him. “Dissemble” is not the opposite of “assemble.”

“But but but but but!” you stammer. “Those are perfectly good words! People should know those words! It’s my job to teach them!”

OK, a couple of reality checks here:

  • Unless someone is paying you to expand your readers’ vocabularies, it’s not your job. Nice of you to volunteer, but if your audience isn’t there to learn new words, you’re wasting your time. And theirs.
  • Yes, those are perfectly good words, and may be perfect in the context of your writing. (And perhaps more people should know them. But how do you know if they’re right?) I’ll tell you: If you know who your audience is, and what they need to get from your message, you will know whether those are the right words.

You see, your choice of words depends mostly on your audience and the message you are trying to communicate to them. Let’s consider some examples:

  • In general fiction writing, you can probably get away from scattering a few two-dollar words around, as long as it’s clear from the context what you are trying to convey. Don’t overdo it, though, or your readership will be limited to English teachers and their victims
  • In most nonfiction writing, you will have even less occasion for using obscure words, unless they are necessary for the topic at hand. In this case, help your readers by defining these terms in the text.
  • In technical, business, scientific, and academic writing, some terms that would be obscure to a general audience will be well-known to yours. These will mostly be technical terms.
  • If you’re writing a blog about obscure words, or writing only for yourself, go for it. Anything goes.

So what should guide your decision to use a perfect, but obscure, word, versus a less-perfect but better-known alternative? Try this:

  1. If you know who your audience is, judge whether they would welcome the challenge of learning a new, obscure word, or if they would just be confused and dismayed. If the latter, avoid it.
  2. If you have multiple audiences, or you don’t know who your audience is, favor the less-obscure choice.
  3. If you really want to use the harder word, ask yourself (or someone whose opinion you trust) whether the meaning of the word can be derived, at least approximately, from the context. If it can’t, see if you can recast the sentence so that it can be, or just use the easier word.
  4. If it’s a technical term that must be used for the sake of precision, find out if it will be commonly understood by your audience. If not, make sure to define the term in the text.
  5. Perhaps most importantly: Ask yourself if something bad could happen if someone were to misinterpret the obscure term. If so, avoid it at all costs. (This is why these terms are generally avoided in user instructions, warning messages, and the like.)

In summary, although as writers we exact a certain delectation by using fuliginous bons mots, we should endeavor to eschew obfuscation.


Morris Vaughan is a technical writing consultant in Los Angeles, California.