Avoid the “F-Word”

Posted on by Live & Learn

Yes, shameful.  Made you look.  It’s not THE “f-word.”  But, the word “FACT.”

  • The fact of the matter is
  • As a matter of fact…
  • The fact is…
  • Actual fact…
  • In fact…
  • In point of fact…
  • That’s a fact…
  • Just the facts…
  • Factually…
  • Due to the fact that…
  • Factoid…
  • True facts…
  • Fact-checking…
  • Spurious facts…
  • Fun fact…

I was alerted that I overuse the word fact.  So my “Factdar” radar is up. The Atlantic Wire in their article titled Fact-Checking the Use of the Word ‘Fact’ – states that these phrases are cliches, crutches, ‘flotsam’ – and used too often or too aggressively or hyperbolically, may start to seem dishonest.”  The recommendation is to “get ride of the expression completely…

Your main check with fact, though, is, do you have a fact? Do you need to say it’s a fact? If not, say what it is actually, factually, and avoid the f-word altogether. Give another noun a chance now and again! Your readers, listeners, and, if you in fact have them, fact checkers will thank you.

Sources:

29 thoughts on “Avoid the “F-Word””

  6. Let me be controversial here for a moment, I think sometimes people state a Fact as if it is an Opinion; in this case they should use the word more clearly, like you do. That is my opinion.

    But conversely some people state Opinions as if they were Facts. and that can be really annoying, Americans often like to use the question “Right?” as a means of forcing the listener to agree with their opinion, right? This has the effect of turning it into a Fact, for the purposes of the discussion. In my opinion.

    The British versions of your “fact’ word are plentiful; “the data suggests”, “looking purely at the evidence”, “looking at it logically the numbers seem to say”, ‘let’s be objective here”. Far too woolly for you, I suspect (I have no facts to prove this point).

    Thanks for another fun topic. Well, it was in my view.

    1. And therein lies the problem (stating opinions as Facts) or overusing FACT because the listener eventually begins to turn and think “well if he/she doesn’t use fact” does that mean he/she is lying… I like “data suggests” – solid replacement.

  13. Well, that’s a “factive” analysis, but my “fact-finding” mission has come up with “the facts of life”, “facts and figures”, “before the fact”, “after the fact”, and “facticity” 😉

  14. It would be fun to make a list of overused expressions that people find irksome. I have a long list of pet peeves that you don’t really have time to hear about.

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