Five Dollar Words (and the most valuable word in the English language)
Mark Twain said it best.
“Don’t use a five dollar word when a fifty cent one will do. ”
And, of course, there are a lot of five-dollar words in the English language.
For example, I would consider this a list of five-dollar words:
- Feckless
- Parsimonious
- Heuristics
- Predilection
- Non-Sequitur
- Apotropaic
- Erudition
They are innumerable (five-dollar word).
But I don’t consider any on this list to be the most expensive words in the English language. Not by a long shot. When used improperly, the most expensive word in the English language can cost you copious (five-dollar word) amounts of time and money.
Use it sparingly. Use it thoughtfully. Don’t be flippant (maybe more of a two-dollar word).
The most expensive word in the English language is “yes”.
Conversely (five-dollar word), the most valuable word in the English language is “no”.
(There is a difference between expensive and valuable.)
