Dear , 

I'm a certified word nerd. 

Well, I suppose I don't actually have a certificate. But, if there were such a certificate, I believe I'd qualify. There are at least 8 word-game apps on my phone, there's a supermarket paperback of easy crossword puzzles on my desk, and the Thesaurus.com tab on my laptop has never, ever been closed. 

What can I say? Words are fun. Word choices are interesting. And word trends are often fascinating. 

That's why I look forward to reading the annual "words to avoid" lists that are published each December and January. Will my own most-loathed nominees make the cut? Are there annoying phrases I didn't know I should stop using? Are people really saying "on my bingo card"? Really!?

If you're a fellow word nerd, here are three forget-you-ever-knew-these-words lists, ranked most to least favorite for 2023:

An inflection point for GOATs: Please quiet quit these 'banished words' moving forward

Words to Avoid—2023 Edition

Six words and phrases to avoid in 2023

For the record: 

• I'm fully on board with banishing GOAT (especially when applied to Tom Brady, true as it may be).
• I'd also like to nominate "1000%" and "all the things."
• I confess to using "inflection point" at least once in recent months. 
• In the 90's, my college boyfriend and I had an ongoing and unresolved dispute about the (non)word "irregardless." Why is this still a thing nearly three decades later? 
• And, apparently, I've been on a campaign to phase out "amazing" since 2018:

So, what's on YOUR list of overdone oration? Do you agree with some or all of these lists? Are you still planning to "circle back" after last year's "pivot" - or should we "take this conversation offline"? 

I'd love to hear from you!

Also, I've just updated the B-mail Archives with my email stats for 2022 and goals for 2023 - you can check them out here. 

 

P.S. If you've already had a long week and need a distraction, here are few clever words from Steven Wright, one-liner extraordinaire: