by Judith Willson

Created on: October 30, 2010

Weasel words are words, phrases and expressions that give virtually no information but suggest that they do.  They are commonly found in advertising or when a writer has an opinion but not the facts to back it up.  It is also quite easy to use them accidentally in writing a factual piece, and this should be avoided as they very much weaken it. 

Examples of commonly used weasel words are ‘many’ ‘a lot of’ and ‘plenty’.   People see these as meaning ‘most’ but they don’t mean anything of the sort, they just mean ‘more than three’.  You could say for example ‘many people believe the world is flat’.  Technically this is true but you are still talking about a tiny minority.  With seven billion people in the world you can say ‘many people are/do/believe’ practically anything and be correct. 

Better would be ‘a majority’ or ‘most’, if this is true.  Their definition is ‘over fifty percent’, which is a lot more definite than an expression that essentially means ‘some’.  Even better is an actual percentage if it can be backed up.  Numbers, while definite, can also be misleading.  ‘10,000 Americans believe in the Cookie Monster’ sounds like a lot, but this is out of a population of three hundred million.

Another expression advertisers in particular are very fond of is ‘up to’.  ‘Lose up to 5 pounds a week with product X’ or ‘make up to $50 an hour with job Z’ implies the figure is the average.  In fact it means the figure is the absolute maximum possible.  You could make one cent an hour, five dollars, or nothing in job Z.  The statement is still true, but meaningless.  It is preferable to state a range.  Rather than saying ‘up to 75’, try ‘between 25 and 75’. 

Then there are weasel words that suggest the current knowledge supports the statement, when in fact it might not.  Writers regularly use these when they haven’t done much research, or when the facts do not support their argument very well.  These include ‘Studies have shown..’ Which studies?  You can often find a study that shows one thing, but the numerous other studies show the opposite and the conclusion reached would be the opposite of what you are trying to claim.

Also in this vein would be ‘scientists agree..’.  Which scientists?  You are trying to imply that the majority of experts in the field agree with your statement but weasel expressions like this do not actually say much.  If you can find just two scientists (out of millions) who have said something that is all that is needed.  They don’t even have to work in the field you are talking about.  Find four or five and you can say ‘many scientists’.

If you see a lot of weasel words in an opinion, or even apparently factual, piece that otherwise looks compelling then it would be advisable to take it with a pinch of salt.  In an advert they mean nothing.  Because they weaken statements so much it is advisable to try and avoid them completely in your own work, and if you must use them then try and find real facts to back them up.  It involves more research but means you will establish a reputation as a reliable writer, and not somebody who waffles on.

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