Prose checks › Uncommon words Pro
Prose check: uncommon wordsPerspicacious, lugubrious, obfuscatory.
A rare word can be exactly right. A page full of them makes readers stop and squint. Falcontext finds the long, uncommon words in your narration.
Which uncommon words count
A word of seven letters or more that isn’t among the 20,000 most used in English fiction (Google Books, 2000–2019).
Names and dialogue aren’t counted. A character who talks like a dictionary is a character.
How many is normal?
More than you’d guess. The middle book of the 38 I measured had 12.6 per 1,000 words; three in four stayed at 15.9 or fewer.
Where these numbers come from.
How Falcontext checks uncommon words
Guidelines, not rules. A rare word can be the perfect word. This just counts how many.
- Finds
- Words of 7 letters or more outside fiction’s 20,000 most used, in the narration.
- Traffic light
- Up to 14 per 1,000 words
- Up to 18
- More than 18
Uncommon words are checked in pass 4 of the self-editing guide, after structure, scenes and sentences.
What’s your favourite word that nobody else uses?
Questions about uncommon words.
Should I avoid long words in fiction?
No. A rare word can be just right. Many in a row can slow the reading, which is what this check points out.
How does Falcontext decide a word is uncommon?
It’s 7 letters or longer and not among the 20,000 words most used in English fiction from 2000 to 2019, by Google Books’ counts.
Related checks
In Falcontext
Your next chapter starts today.
Set a goal, open your draft and let the checks look over your shoulder.
Add to Chrome – it's freeOr get the desktop app or Perch, the web app.
Free forever plan · No sign-up · Pro from $1.99/month with a free trial