The 10 Most Annoying Writing Mistakes [Infographic]


There’s no such thing as a perfect writer. Even professionals make mistakes from time to time, as our readers never fail to point out. (Thanks for keeping us on our toes, guys!) But some writing errors are so boneheaded and easily avoidable that they infuriate pedants and casuals alike. Here are 10 common screw-ups that every writer needs to avoid, from the embarrassing misuse of homophones to confounding double negatives.

Spelling image from Shutterstock

The below infographic comes from Lawrence Ragan Communications based on a poll of 560 LinkedIn users. They found homophone misuse to be the biggest pet peeve when it comes to writing errors, followed by passive writing and the use of cliches, particularly in corporate settings. You can check out the rest of the top 10 below.

Keen for more writing advice? Here are ten popular grammar myths, debunked by a Harvard linguist.

[Via Ragan]


This story has been updated since its original publication.


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