The 40 tells · Words · No. 01
Why "delve" makes writing sound machine-made
Flagged "Delve"
People rarely say "delve" out loud. In everyday writing it was a slightly old-fashioned word, the kind found in a book review or a history essay. Then it started turning up in product pages, cover letters and support replies, usually as "let's delve into".
Readers noticed, and now the word does the opposite of what the writer wanted. It doesn't say "careful and thorough". It says "nobody read this before it went out".
Before
In this guide, we'll delve into the key factors that shape your pricing strategy.
After
This guide covers the three things that set your price: your costs, your time and what the buyer can get elsewhere.
The fix
Cut the announcement and start with the first point.
Write this instead
- look at
- cover
- go through
- dig into
- or just start with the first point
What the checker matches
Any of these, in any case:
- delve
- delves
- delving
- delved