Top Dead Words List: 103 Overused Words to Avoid
Use the free Dead Word Sandbox below to highlight filler words in your draft in real time, or browse all 192 curated words.
Visit the graveyard of the English language with our dead words list. Breathe life into your writing by avoiding these linguistic relics. Our
Dead Word Sandbox
Paste your draft to highlight filler words, weak adverbs, intensifiers and vague nouns in real time, all in your browser.
0 words0 weak words
Highlighting runs entirely in your browser, nothing is sent anywhere.
Curated word bank
Sparklines show each word's usage in published books since 1800 (Google Books Ngram data). The dot marks the peak decade.
- Says
- Say
- A lot
- Heaps
- All in all
- Overall
- Also
- Moreover
- And
- Together with
- Because
- Since
- Best
- Better
- Superior
- Big
- Colossal
- But
- Yet
- Clearly
- Obviously
- Cold
- Chilly
- Do
- Perform
- Easy
- Effortless
- Etc
- And more
- Every
- Each
- Fast
- Swift
- Fine
- Splendid
- Finish
- Wrap up
- Fun
- Entertaining
- Funny
- Humorous
- Got
- Obtained
- Gives
- Grants
- Good
- Valuable
- Gross
- Disgusting
- Guy
- Chap
- Have to
- Must
- Hopefully
- Ideally
- Hot
- Scorching
- Interesting
- Spellbinding
- It
- The issue
- Kids
- Children
- Know
- Be aware of
- Mad
- Ballistic
- Mean
- Indicate
- More
- Additional
- Nice
- Agreeable
- Nothing
- Nil
- Nowadays
- Currently
- Okay
- Acceptable
- Old
- Ancient
- People
- Citizens
- Perfect
- Unblemished
- Possess
- Command
- Pretty
- Charming
- Sad
- Disheartened
- Said
- Uttered
- Scared
- Terrified
- Show
- Parade
- Small
- Minuscule
- So
- Therefore
- Stupid
- Foolish
- Then
- Afterward
- Up to
- Used to
- Accustomed to
- Weird
- Eccentric
- Well
- Competently
- Went
- Traveled
- Actually
- Surprisingly
- Amazing
- Extraordinary
- Rad
- Mind-boggling
- Awful
- Sickening
- Basically
- Fantastic
- Phenomenal
- I think
- In my opinion
- Just
- Kind of
- Like
- Literally
- Maybe
- Perhaps
- Visibly
- Really mad
- Furious
- Some personal stuff
- My career and family
- Very happy
- Thrilled
- Circle back
- Revisit
- Go-getter
- Ambitious
- Happiness
- Contentment
- Moral
- Law-abiding
- Move the needle
- Leave an impact
- Proactive
- Resolved
- Reasonable
- Impartial
- Responsible
- Conscientious
- Right
- Ethical
- Self-motivated
- Committed
- Success
- Triumph
- Synergize
- Cooperate
- Team player
- Adaptable
- Think outside the box
- Innovative
- Wheelhouse
- Key strength
- A clean slate
- Fresh start
- Bed of roses
- In clover
- Elephant in the room
- Apparent issue
- Falling in love
- Besotted
- Fail
- Gut-wrenching pain
- Heartrending agony
- Heart of gold
- Benevolent
- Right on time
- Like a broken record
- Repeatedly
- Take responsibility
- Stick in the mud
- Traditionalist
- Criminally attractive
- The decision is yours
- Nonchalantly
Looking for another word bank or tool? Browse every writing tool →
Newsletter
The writer's edit
One practical writing tip, a new tool, and a fresh contest deadline, every Thursday. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.