This guide is for the writer whose drafts are always too long: the project manager whose status updates run to a full screen, the content writer told to “tighten it up” with no further instructions, the graduate student trimming an abstract to a word limit. Concise writing does not mean short writing. It means every word earns its place. That makes it an editing skill more than a drafting one, and it can be learned as a list of specific things to look for.
Why wordiness happens
Most wordy sentences are not the result of padding on purpose. They come from writing while thinking: the first draft records the route you took to an idea, including the detours. Editing removes the detours. Knowing the common patterns makes that faster, because you can search for them rather than reread hoping to notice.
The Purdue Online Writing Lab’s guide to eliminating words groups wordiness into five categories. The sections below take each in turn, using OWL’s examples where noted and new ones from everyday work writing.
1. Words that explain the obvious
Readers fill in a great deal on their own. Spelling out what they already know slows them down.
- Wordy (OWL example, 29 words): It goes without saying that we are acquainted with your policy on filing tax returns, and we have every intention of complying with the regulations that you have mentioned.
- Concise (12 words): We intend to comply with the tax-return regulations that you have mentioned.
At work
- Wordy: As you know, the meeting that we had scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 3pm has now been moved, and the new time will be Friday at 10am instead.
- Concise: Thursday’s 3pm meeting has moved to Friday at 10am.
Narrative over-detail
OWL’s travel example cuts a 47-word account of booking, packing, check-in and security down to the one fact that matters: “My flight to Dallas was delayed for three hours.” Ask what the reader needs, then check whether everything before it is necessary.
2. Filler determiners and modifiers
These words seem to sharpen a noun but add nothing. OWL lists common offenders: kind of, sort of, type of, really, basically, for all intents and purposes, definitely, actually, generally, individual, specific, particular.
- Wordy (OWL, 9 words): Any particular type of dessert is fine with me.
- Concise (6 words): Any dessert is fine with me.
- Wordy: We really need to basically rethink our specific approach to onboarding.
- Concise: We need to rethink our onboarding.
Each word can be legitimate in the right context. Specific is useful when you contrast a specific case with a general one. Used as decoration, it can go.
Search your draft for “really”, “actually” and “basically”. Delete each one, then reread. Most sentences improve.
3. Repetition
Writers often say the same thing twice, especially at the end of a paragraph, in case the reader missed it.
- Wordy (OWL, 10 words): The supply manager considered the correcting typewriter an unneeded luxury.
- Concise (9 words): The supply manager considered the correcting typewriter a luxury.
A luxury is unneeded by definition. Larger repetition hides in summaries: a paragraph explains a point, then its last sentence restates it in different words. If the paragraph was clear, the restatement is the part to cut.
4. Redundant pairs
Many common phrases pair words that imply each other. OWL’s list includes:
| Redundant | Concise |
|---|---|
| past history | history |
| future plans | plans |
| end result | result |
| final outcome | outcome |
| basic fundamentals | fundamentals |
| true facts | facts |
| free gift | gift |
| unexpected surprise | surprise |
| completely finish | finish |
| each individual person | each person |
OWL also flags very unique. Unique means one of a kind, so it cannot be graded with very, so or extremely.
5. Redundant categories
A specific word implies its category, so naming both is unnecessary. Pink is a colour; round is a shape; a period is a stretch of time.
- large in size → large
- round in shape → round
- period of time → period
- unusual in nature → unusual
- often times → often
- Wordy (OWL, 18 words): During that time period, many car buyers preferred cars that were pink in color and shiny in appearance.
- Concise (10 words): During that period, many car buyers preferred pink, shiny cars.
Two more patterns worth catching
The five categories above cover a lot of ground. Two related habits appear constantly in workplace writing.
Hidden verbs
Make a decision is decide. Conduct a review of is review. Provide assistance to is help. The US government’s plain language guidance calls these hidden verbs and notes their typical endings: -tion, -ment, -sion, -ance.
Throat-clearing openers
- It is important to note that…
- I am writing to let you know that…
- In order to…
- The fact that…
Most can be deleted without replacement. In order to becomes to. Due to the fact that becomes because.
A full edit, step by step
Here is one paragraph taken through each pass.
- Original (47 words): I just wanted to reach out to let you know that, basically, the end result of our team’s review of the various different options is that we have made the decision to move forward with the second proposal, which we think is really the best one overall.
- After cutting obvious and filler words: The result of our team’s review of the various different options is that we have made the decision to move forward with the second proposal, which we think is the best one.
- After removing redundancy and the hidden verb: After reviewing the options, we decided to go with the second proposal.
The final version keeps every fact the reader needs.
Cutting to a hard word limit
Abstracts, award entries, grant forms and meta descriptions often impose strict limits. When you are 20 per cent over, work in this order:
1. Cut whole sentences first. Find the sentence that restates, introduces or summarises, and remove it entirely. That saves more than trimming words everywhere.
2. Run the five-category pass. Filler, redundancy and category words usually account for a meaningful share of what remains.
3. Swap phrases for single words. At this point in time becomes now; a large number of becomes many.
4. Convert clauses to modifiers. The report, which was written by the finance team, becomes the finance team’s report.
5. Read it aloud. If a sentence now sounds clipped, restore a word or two. Clarity beats the last five words of savings.
Keep the original version open alongside the cut one, so you can check that no fact or condition has been lost on the way.
When not to cut
Warmth and courtesy
In a sensitive email, a sentence of acknowledgement is not waste. “I know this is a frustrating delay” may be the most important line in the message.
Necessary qualification
Words like usually or in most cases are not filler if the claim is not universally true. Cutting them for brevity can make a sentence wrong.
Rhythm
A string of very short sentences can read as curt. Vary length deliberately.
Concise writing checklist
- Obvious context the reader already knows removed
- Really, basically, actually, kind of, specific, particular checked one by one
- Ending sentences that restate the paragraph cut or merged
- Redundant pairs (end result, future plans) reduced to one word
- Category words (in size, in nature, in color) removed
- Hidden verbs turned back into verbs
- Openers such as It is important to note that deleted
- Courtesy, necessary qualifiers and rhythm kept
Takeaway
Concise writing is the result of editing passes, not of writing less. Look for five kinds of extra words (obvious detail, filler modifiers, repetition, redundant pairs and redundant categories), then catch hidden verbs and throat-clearing. Keep the words that carry meaning, courtesy or accuracy, and cut the rest.
