Simple Words vs Formal Words, Which One to Use? [English Vocabulary]

Simple words vs formal words, which one to use?

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Simple Words vs Formal Words

Do you sometimes find it difficult to choose easy words in your writing or speaking?

Do you want to write or speak in a way that easily understood by the target audience?

Do you want to communicate in a clear and straightforward way?

And in some instances, do you have trouble in choosing a more lengthy and formal word in a standard & formal writing?

So this lesson is for you. The list below contains simple words, phrases and the more lengthy, formal words for which they are recommended as replacements in standard writing.

To whom it may concern, simple English is known as “Plain English” which is a generic term for communication in English that emphasizes clarity, brevity, and the avoidance of technical language—particularly in relation to official government or business communication. It uses simple, familiar words instead of lengthy, formal words,avoids jargon.

List of Simple Words vs Formal Words

(The lengthy word is listed first; the simple English alternative follows)

No	Lengthy, Formal words	Simple Words
How to Use?	Usually used in standard and formal writing or speech	Often used in speaking or business writing
1	abundance	Enough, plenty, (or specific amount)
2	accede to	Allow, agree to
3	accelerate	Speed up
4	accentuate	Stress
5	accommodation	Room
6	accompany	Go with, with
7	accomplish	Do
8	accorded	Given
9	accordingly	Thus, so
10	accrue	Add, gain
11	accurate	Right
12	acquiesce	Agree
13	acquire	Get
14	additional	Extra
15	address	Discuss
16	addressees	You
17	adjacent to	Next to
18	adjustment	Change, alteration
19	admissible	Allowed, accepted
20	advantageous	Helpful
21	adversely impact on	Hurt, set back
22	advise	Tell
23	afford an opportunity	Allow, let
24	aggregate	Total
25	alleviate	Ease, reduce
26	allocate	Divide
27	along the lines of	Like, as in
28	alternatively	Or
29	ameliorate	Improve, help
30	an absence of	No, none
31	and particularly	Particularly
32	and/or	Use either “and” or “or.”
33	anticipate	Expect
34	a number of	Some
35	applicant	You
36	application	Use
37	apparent	Clear, plain
38	apprehend	Arrest
39	appreciable	Many
40	appropriate	Proper, right
41	approximate	About
42	arrive onboard	Arrive
43	as a means of	To
44	ascertain	Find out, learn
45	as per our telephone conversation of this date	As we discussed this afternoon
46	as prescribed by	In, under
47	as far as … is concerned	(Omit)
48	as to	Of, on, with, for, to, by, in, into
49	as yet, as of yet	Yet
50	assist, assistance	Help
51	at its discretion	Can, may
52	attain	Meet
53	attempt	Try
54	at the present time, at this time, at this point in time, at the moment	Now
55	attributable to	Because
56	at your earliest convenience	As soon as you can
57	authorize	Allow, let
58	basis, on a	(omit)
59	be advised	(omit)
60	because of the fact that	because, since
61	beg	ask
62	belated	late
63	beneficial	helpful, useful
64	bestow	give, award
65	by means of	by, with
66	by reason of	because
67	by virtue of	by, under
68	beverage	drink
69	capability	ability
70	case of, in the	(omit)
71	caveat	warning
72	cease	stop
73	chauffeur	driver
74	clearly, obviously	(omit)
75	close proximity	near
76	combat environment	combat
77	combined	joint
78	commence	Begin or start
79	completely revoke	revoke
80	comply with	follow
81	complete	fill in
82	comprise	form
83	conceal	hide
84	concerning	about, on
85	consensus, of opinion, consensus, general	consensus
86	consequently	so
87	consolidate	join, merge
88	constitutes	is, forms, makes up
89	contains	has
90	convene	meet
91	corridor	hall
92	currently	(omit), now
93	deem	believe, think
94	delete	cut, drop
95	demonstrate	prove, show
96	depart	leave, go
97	designate	choose, name
98	desire	want, wish
99	despite the fact that	although
100	determine	decide, figure, find
101	disclose	show
102	discontinue	drop, stop
103	disseminate	give, issue, pass, send
104	does not have	lacks
105	does not include	excludes, omits
106	due to the fact that	because, since
107	during the period, during the time that	during, while
108	each and every	(omit)
109	early beginnings	beginnings, early days
110	each…apiece	each
111	economical	cheap
112	effect modifications	make changes
113	elect	chose, pick
114	eliminate	cut, drop, end
115	elucidate	explain
116	emphasize	stress
117	employ	use
118	enclosed please find	I have enclosed
119	encounter	meet
120	endeavor	try
121	enquiry	question
122	ensure	make sure
123	entitlement	right
124	enumerate	count
125	equally as	equally
126	equipments	equipment
127	equitable	fair
128	equivalent	equal
129	establish	set up, prove, show
130	evaluate	test, check
131	evidenced	showed
132	evident	(omit), clear
133	evince	show, prove
134	excluding	except
135	exclusively	only
136	exhibit	show
137	expedite	hurry
138	expeditious	fast, quick
139	expend	spend
140	expertise	ability
141	expiration	end
142	facilitate	ease, help
143	feasible	workable
144	females	women
145	finalize	complete, finish
146	first(ly), second(ly), third(ly)	first, second, third
147	first and foremost	first
148	following	after
149	for a period of	for
150	for example,______etc.	for example, such as
151	forfeit	lose, give up
152	formulate	plan
153	for the purpose of,	to
154	for the reason that,	to
155	forward	send
156	frequently	often
157	function	act, role, work
158	furnish	give, send
159	has a duty to	must
160	has a requirement for	needs
161	herein, heretofore, herewith, thereof, wherefore, wherein	omit
162	honest truth	truth
163	however	but, yet
164	identical	same
165	if and when	use either word; not both
166	immediately	at once
167	impacted	affected,changed
168	implement	carry out, start
169	in accordance with	by, under
170	in addition	also, besides, too
171	in all likelihood	probably
172	in an effort to	to
173	inasmuch	since
174	in a timely manner	on time, promptly
175	in between	between
176	inception	start
177	in connection with	with, about
178	incumbent upon	must
179	indicate	say, state, or show
180	indication	sign
181	individual	person
182	in excess of	more than
183	in favor of	for
184	initial	first
185	initiate	start
186	in lieu of	instead
187	in light of the fact that	because
188	in many cases	often
189	in order that	for, so
190	in order to	to

191	inquire	person
192	in regard(s) to	about, concerning, on
193	in relation to	about, with, to
194	in some instances	sometimes
195	inside of	inside
196	institute legal proceedings against, bring action against	sue
197	inter alia	(omit)or use “among others”
198	interface	meet, work with
199	interpose no objection	don’t object
200	in the amount of	for
201	in the case of	when
202	in the event of	if
203	in the majority of instances	usually
204	in the nature of	like
205	in the near future	shortly, soon
206	in the process of	(omit)
207	in view of	since
208	in view of the above	so
209	irregardless	regardless
210	is applicable to	applies to
211	is authorized to	may
212	is in consonance with	agrees with, follows
213	is responsible for	(omit) handles
214	it appears	seems
215	it is	(omit)
216	it is essential	must, need to
217	it is requested	please, we request, I request
218	it is important to add that, in this regard it is of significance that, it may be recalled that, it is interesting to point out that	(omit)
219	liaison	discussion
220	last will and testament	will
221	magnitude	size
222	maintain	keep, support
223	majority	most (except for voting)
224	make a mockery of	(omit)
225	make an attempt, make an effort	try
226	make reference to	refer
227	maximum	greatest, largest, most
228	mental attitude	attitude
229	merge together	merge
230	methodology	method
231	minimize	decrease
232	minimum	least, smallest
233	modify	change
234	monitor	check, watch
235	month + of + year	March 2013
236	moreover	what’s more
237	multiple	many
238	nature, of a	(omit)
239	necessitate	cause, need
240	nevertheless	still, besides, even so
241	notify	let know, tell
242	not able	unable
243	not accept	reject
244	not certain	uncertain
245	not unlike	similar, alike
246	not many	few
247	not often	seldom, rarely
248	not the same	different
249	not…unless, not…except	only if
250	not…until	only when
251	not later than 10 May	by 10 May, before 11 May
252	notwithstanding	in spite of, still
253	now comes	(omit)
254	null and void	use either “null” or “void”
255	numerous	many
256	objective	aim, goal
257	obligate	bind, compel
258	observe	see on a _________basis (omit)
259	obtain	get
260	off of	off
261	on request	if you ask
262	on the basis of	by, from
263	on the contrary	but, so
264	on the grounds that	(omit)
265	on the other hand	(omit); but, so
266	on the part of	by
267	operate	run, use, work
268	optimum	best, greatest, most
269	option	choice, way
270	orientate	orient
271	outside of	outside
272	oversight [v]	oversee
273	owing to the fact that	because, since
274	parameters	limits (except in mathematical and computer-programming uses)
275	participate	take part
276	particulars	details
277	pass away	die
278	per annum	a year
279	perchance	perhaps
280	perform	do
281	permit	let
282	pertaining to	about, of, on
283	perspire	sweat
284	peruse	read
285	PIN number	PIN
286	place	put
287	portion	part
288	possess	have, own
289	point in time, particular point in time	time, point, now, moment
290	potentiality	potential
291	practicable	practical
292	preclude	prevent
293	preowned	used
294	preliminary to, previous to, previously, prior to	before
295	preparatory to	to prepare for
296	prioritize	rank; set or make priorities
297	proceed	do, go ahead, try
298	procure	(omit)
299	proficiency	skill
300	promulgate	issue, publish
301	provide	give, offer, say
302	provided that	if
303	provide guidance for	guide
304	purchase	buy
305	pursuant to	by, following, per, under; in response to, in carrying out, as required by
306	question as to whether, question of whether	question whether
307	quite puzzling	baffling
308	reason … is because	because
309	refer back	refer
310	reflect	say, show
311	regard as being	regard as
312	regarding	about, of, on
313	relative to	about, on
314	relocate	move
315	remain	stay
316	remainder	rest
317	remuneration	pay, payment
318	render	give, make
319	represents	is
320	request	ask
321	require	must, need
322	requirement	need, rule
323	reside, residence	live, house
324	respectively	(omit)
325	retain	keep
326	retire	go to bed
327	said, some, such, same	the, this, that
328	selection	choice
329	set forth in	in
330	shall	must
331	should you wish	if you want
332	similar to	like
333	solicit	ask for, request
334	state-of-the-art	latest
335	strategize	plan
336	subject	the, this, your
337	submit	give, send
338	substantial	large, much
339	successfully complete	complete, pass
340	sufficient	enough
341	take action to	(omit)
342	terminate	end, stop
343	than was formerly the case	now
344	the month of	(omit)
345	there are	(omit)
346	therefore	thus, so
347	therein	there
348	there is	(omit)
349	the undersigned	I
350	the use of	(omit)
351	this activity, command	us, we
352	timely	prompt
353	time period	(either one)
354	to be violative of	violate
355	took advantage of	preyed
356	to wit	(omit)
357	transmit	send
358	type	(omit)
359	under the provisions of	under
360	until such time as	until
361	utilize, utilization	use
362	validate	confirm
363	variation	change[95]
364	various different	“various” or “different”
365	very	(omit)
366	very angry	enraged
367	viable	practical, workable
368	warrant	call for, permit
369	we are in receipt of	we’ve received
370	whereas	because, since
371	whether or not	whether
372	whosoever, whomsoever	whoever, whomever
373	with a view to	by, from
374	with reference to, with regard to	about
375	with respect to	on, about
376	with the exception of	except for
377	with the minimum of delay	quickly (or say when)
378	witnessed	saw
379	you are requested	please
380	your attention is drawn	please see, please note
381	your office	you
382	/ (slash)	and, or

Simple Words vs Formal Words

List of Simple Words vs Formal Words

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