Word | Common Mistake | What It Actually Means | Example (Used Correctly) |
|---|
Literally | “I literally died laughing.”
Unless you’re ghostwriting this from the afterlife, no. You didn’t. | Actually, factually happened | “I literally choked on my bagel during the Zoom call.” |
Ironic | “Rain on your wedding day is ironic.”
Nope. That’s just bad luck—not irony, unless your spouse is a meteorologist. | The opposite of what you’d expect | “The fire station caught fire—that’s ironic.” |
Affect / Effect | “That will effect our budget.”
Using effect as a verb? That’ll affect how seriously people take your digital marketing proposal. | Affect = verb Effect = noun | “The new policy will affect morale, with minimal effect on output.” |
Fewer / Less | “There are less people here today.”
People aren’t soup. Use fewer. | Fewer = countable Less = uncountable | “Fewer emails. Less stress.” |
Comprise | “The panel is comprised of three experts.”
If the whole comprises the parts, you’re right. If it’s comprised of — not so much. | Means “includes”; the whole comprises the parts | “The panel comprises three experts and a moderator.” |
Infer / Imply | “She inferred that I missed the deadline.”
She implied it. You inferred it. And now you’re both mad. | Imply = suggest Infer = conclude | “Are you implying something? Because I’m inferring a lot.” |
Irregardless | “Irregardless of the outcome, I’m done.”
This word is like a mullet in a boardroom. Technically allowed. Universally frowned upon. | Nonstandard word for “regardless” | “Regardless of the results, the client was happy.” |
Disinterested / Uninterested | “She was disinterested in the meeting.”
Unless she’s a neutral third party, she was just bored. | Disinterested = impartial Uninterested = disengaged | “We need a disinterested reviewer—not someone who’s just uninterested.” |
Bemused | “He looked bemused at the joke.”
Unless he was staring into the distance like a confused cat, you meant amused. | Confused, bewildered | “The client looked bemused—she didn’t get the reference.” |
Unique | “This idea is very unique.”
Fun fact: you can’t be very one-of-a-kind. That’s like being “kind of immortal.” | One of a kind, can’t be modified | “That visual identity is unique. Nothing else like it.” |
Peruse | “I perused the contract in 30 seconds.”
If you skimmed it between Slack pings, you didn’t peruse—you glanced. | To read thoroughly and carefully | “He perused the contract like it hid a trapdoor.” |
Enormity | “The enormity of the party was wild.”
Unless it was a morally bankrupt rager, you meant something else. | Extreme seriousness or wickedness | “The enormity of the breach stunned the agency.” |
Nonplussed | “She was totally nonplussed—so chill.”
If she looked chill, she wasn’t nonplussed. She was just over it. | Stunned, bemused | “The feature launch left users nonplussed and full of questions.” |
Excepted / Excluded | “Everyone here overuses buzzwords—present company excluded.”
Unless you’re kicking us out, you meant excepted. | Excepted = excluded from a statement | “Most marketers overuse jargon—present company excepted.” |
Adverse / Averse | “I’m adverse to feedback.”
Being adverse to feedback sounds like it caused a hurricane. You’re just averse. | Adverse = harmful Averse = opposed | “I’m averse to micromanagement and adverse weather conditions.” |
Compliment / Complement | “The new logo is a great compliment to the brand.”
It’s not sending praise—it’s working alongside it. | Compliment = praise Complement = enhancement | “The new logo complements the website perfectly.” |
Historic / Historical | “It was a historical win for the team.”
Unless the team time-traveled, it was historic. | Historic = significant Historical = related to history | “The brand hit a historic milestone this year.” |
Continuous / Continual | “I’m dealing with continuous interruptions.”
Unless someone has been talking for three days straight, you mean continual. | Continuous = unbroken Continual = happens repeatedly | “Slack messages are continual. My headache is continuous.” |
Decimate | “We were decimated—totally wiped out.”
Actually, only 10% was lost. But sure, go off. Another term that has changed meaning over the years, but the original definition was only 1 in 10. | Originally meant “reduce by one-tenth” | “We decimated the budget—trimmed it by exactly 10%.” |
Fortuitous | “That lucky break was fortuitous.”
It might’ve been fortunate, but fortuitous just means random. | Happening by chance (not always lucky) | “A fortuitous typo led us to a great rebrand idea.” |
Nauseous / Nauseated | “I feel nauseous after reading that pitch deck.”
If you’re causing nausea, congrats — you’re nauseous. Otherwise, you’re nauseated. | Nauseous = causes nausea Nauseated = feels sick | “That ROI math made me nauseated.” |
Travesty | “That finale was a travesty. I cried.”
Travesty isn’t just a tragedy. It’s a mockery. Big difference. | A distorted or absurd imitation | “Calling that funnel a strategy is a travesty.” |
Penultimate | “The penultimate episode was an amazing way to end the season!”
Only if the season ends early. Otherwise: second to last. | Second to last | “We lost the deal on the penultimate slide—they didn’t even make it to the end.” |
Complacent | “I was feeling complacent, so I relaxed.”
Complacency isn’t self-care. It’s overconfidence with a blind spot. | Self-satisfied while unaware of risk | “The agency got complacent, and the client walked.” |
Ascetic / Aesthetic | “He’s got a strong ascetic. His apartment is minimalist.”
That’s aesthetic. Ascetic means no Netflix, no cheese, no joy. | A disciplined, pleasure-denying lifestyle | “No phone, no caffeine, no carbs — the man lives ascetically.” |
