Crutch words are filler words such as basically, like, actually, really, and literally that you use to buy time or to add emphasis. They rarely add meaning, so in most sentences you can delete them, or replace them with a more precise word.
When you write or speak, you often reach a point where you are stuck. To give yourself more time to think of the right word, or a better one, you use a crutch word. These words are also used to draw attention to a statement or to stress a sentence.
The 10 crutch words below are among the most common in spoken and written English. If you do not take the time to notice and avoid them, they can become a habit. Before you know it, you use them so much that they turn into verbal tics you no longer even notice.
1. Basically
Too many people, especially when speaking, use the word basically too often, and in the wrong way. Basically can sum up the most important point of a statement, and it can stress that something is simple. The problem is that many people use it to make their statement sound stronger or more final. In most cases, things are far from simple enough to need basically.
So basically I told him to decide which one of us he would take to the prom.
2. Like
People often use like as a filler when they speak, and sometimes when they write, and it soon becomes repetitive. This habit is especially common among teenagers. They keep using the word to signal that what they mean was "like" that thing. But when something is like what you are describing, it is not that thing. Find other words that express your idea better.
I was like really angry at first. But then I calmed down.
3. Actually
Many students, speakers, and writers rely on actually to stress what they mean. The word is meant to point to what is really true, often in contrast to what someone expected. However, most people use it to make a statement stronger or to add punch to a sentence. Some even start almost every sentence with it, out of habit.
The teacher was saying something, but I actually had no idea what it was.
4. Really
Really is probably one of the most overused words in English. You want to tell your audience that something is "really" great, so you use the word for emphasis. But is it really necessary to use really that often? In most cases, it is not, so avoid it where it adds nothing.
They were having a really great time.
5. Very
An old piece of writing advice puts it well: "Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be." Too many writers use very as a crutch word to make their statement bolder. If someone was very interested in finding out the truth, there is no need for very. Before you know it, you use the word very often to try to make your sentences very strong.
He was very worried that she would say something wrong.
A stronger word often does the job better: anxious instead of very worried, exhausted instead of very tired.
6. Literally
Believe it or not, literally is one of the most misused words in English. It means "in the literal sense": exactly as described, without exaggeration. However, many people use it in a figurative sense, to stress something that is in fact an exaggeration. Dictionaries now record this informal use too, but in careful writing it confuses readers, because they cannot tell whether you mean it.
I literally died laughing.
7. Stuff and things
If your sentence or speech is about a lot of stuff or things, find better words. Many writers and speakers use things and stuff far too often. When you use either word, you leave your readers wondering what the things or the stuff actually are.
There are so many things and stuff I want to do this weekend.
8. Honestly
Here is another word that people use too often to highlight a statement. The problem is that when you tell someone "I am honestly trying to make this better," you leave an opening. If you use honestly to tell the reader that one statement is true, what does that say about the rest of your writing?
Honestly, why he said those things is beyond me.
9. A lot
A lot can become a crutch for many people, and they do not even notice that they use it a lot. When you want to tell someone that a large part of something is good, avoid being so vague. Without context, a lot can mean any amount: what seems like a large number to one person may seem very little to another.
A lot of the people at the party left early.
How many did? Half of them, or nearly all? Say so if you know.
10. Obviously
Just like actually and literally, obviously is misused far too often. It should refer to something that is easy to see or understand. Instead, people use it to stress things that are not obvious at all.
He obviously forgot how to say what he means.
How to get rid of crutch words
Read your draft once only to look for these words. For each one, ask whether the sentence loses anything without it. If it does not, delete the word. If it does, look for a more precise word instead. When you check a draft with the Spell Checker, turn on Picky mode: it adds style suggestions for wordy phrases, repetition, and wording that could be simpler.
For more words that trip writers up, see these commonly misused words, the redundancies to avoid when writing, and the correct way to use bi, by, buy, and bye.