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Write It Right Wednesdays

Use orthodox spelling

May 13, 2020

You’re typing a quick text to your friend asking them to “pleeze” come with you to the store. In a text message “pleeze” is ok. However, when writing professionally “pleeze” is not ok to use. You must use orthodox spelling by spelling it out correctly and not using your shorthand version of the word. You may think that these shorthand spellings are familiar to most people, but some don’t and nevertheless writing in a text message is different than writing for work or school. There are numerous reasons on why it’s unacceptable to shorthand words. Let’s explore a few:

• • It can confuse your reader trying to figure out the word you’re actually trying to use – an example would be using “nah” instead of “no”
  • It can distract the reader
  • It can increase the time it takes a reader to read

You don’t want to do anything to distract your reader from comprehending the story or taking longer to read it than they usually would because they’re deciphering your shorthand. In addition, the overall professionalism of the composition will dwindle. Meaning, the more shorthand words you use the more informal it becomes. The exception to this rule would be if you’re using the spelling change for a specific reason and the reader knows that so it’s not a surprise. 

In conclusion, believe it or not there is a science to writing. There are rules in writing just like there are in math. Can the rules be bent a little? Sometimes, but not too much and not too often. Using orthodox spelling in professional writing is a rule that cannot be bent or broken. If it is, the letter is no longer formal. Look at it this way, you talk to your work friends one way and your regular friends another way. Writing is just like that, you have to make it a little fancier for your work friends because they don’t know you well enough to decode your slang like your friends.

If you have follow-up questions send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll try to help you as much as I can. 

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