8 of the Most Common Writing Errors

Writing is one of those skills that can enhance the possibilities of your success, no matter what you do for a living. It’s especially critical in communications and PR.

With the increased use of social media and texting, many of us have restricted ourselves to simplified spellings, pro-slang words, or we can say a form of “newspeak” from 1984, the dystopian novel by George Orwell. Although taking this easier way allows us to communicate faster, but you never realize when you start using some of these in your formal written communication out of habit. This can make you look very unprofessional.

Some of the most common writing errors include the usage of the shortened versions of words of the likes of thx instead of thanks, rgds instead of regards. Homophones are another big contributors to the common writing errors as one can interchangeably use words such as new and knew, bare and bear, accept and except, and more. Although these words sound almost the same, the usage of wrong spellings can entirely change the meaning of a sentence. Another common writing mistake that is quite commonly found these days is the usage of your instead of you’re. The former is used to indicate one’s possessions such as your wallet, your coat, or your car whereas the latter is a shortened form of “you are.”

You might just not get that job you applied for if the recruiter finds such an error in your resume, or your business proposal might be rejected because of such errors. If you are into technical writing, a single occurrence of such an error might create a mammoth of an anomaly.

Have you been making any of these common writing mistakes? Do you often find such errors in someone’s writing and cringe? This infographic from WalkerStone elaborates on common writing errors that make you look unprofessional and tips to avoid them. It can help you in your future writing endeavors or you might want to share it with someone who has been committing these errors repeatedly.