There are 171,476 words in the Oxford English dictionary. The average person uses between 20,000 to 48,000 of them, so we need to pick the right ones. Complex science, engineering and public policy need to be explained in ways that normal people can understand. Mark Twain said, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ’tis the difference between the lightning-bug and the lightning.” It’s a constantly learnable and improvable skill.Read More…

And speaking of words, here is a list of some common problem ones.