Language is weird. You're sitting at your desk, staring at a cursor that’s blinking like it’s mocking you, and you realize you’ve used the exact same transition four times in one email. It’s frustrating. We all get stuck in these linguistic ruts where our brains just default to the easiest, most available path. Usually, that path leads to "this means" or "in other words." But if you’re looking for other ways to say this, you aren’t just looking for synonyms; you’re looking for a way to sound like a human who actually knows what they’re talking about.
Words are tools. If you only ever use a hammer, everything starts looking like a nail, and your writing starts to feel stiff, repetitive, and—honestly—a little bit lazy.
The truth is that the way we phrase things dictates how people perceive our authority. In a 2023 study on linguistic style and perceived competence, researchers found that lexical diversity—basically, not saying the same stuff over and over—directly correlates with how "expert" a speaker seems to their audience. So, if you keep saying "this means" every time you explain a point, you're subconsciously telling your reader that you’ve reached the ceiling of your vocabulary. Let's fix that.
Why Variety Actually Matters for Your Brain (and Your Reader)
Most people think shifting your vocabulary is just about "fluff." It’s not. It’s about cognitive load. When a reader sees the same phrase repeated, their brain starts to glaze over. It’s called semantic satiation. Basically, the word loses its meaning because the brain stops processing it as a distinct concept and starts seeing it as white noise.
Think about the last time you read a corporate memo.
"We are pivoting our strategy. Other ways to say this include 'shifting focus' or 'realigning goals.'" It’s dry. It’s dusty. It feels like it was written by a committee that hasn't seen sunlight in three weeks.
Instead, you could say: "We’re changing course because the old way isn't hitting the mark anymore." See? Different vibe.
Swapping Out "This Means" and "In Other Words"
If you're trying to clarify a point, you probably default to "this means." It's the bread and butter of explanation. But it’s also incredibly passive.
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- To put it simply: Use this when you’ve just dropped a massive bomb of technical jargon and need to throw the reader a lifeline.
- Essentially: This is great for high-level summaries. It signals that you’re stripping away the nonsense to get to the core.
- Specifically: Use this when you want to move from a broad concept to a concrete example.
- That is to say: A bit more formal, sure, but it works wonders in legal or academic writing where precision is everything.
I once worked with a editor who banned the phrase "in other words" from our style guide for six months. At first, we all panicked. How are we supposed to explain things? But it forced us to be more direct. Instead of explaining a concept twice—once poorly and once "in other words"—we had to just write it clearly the first time. That’s the real secret. Sometimes the best way to find other ways to say this is to just delete the first attempt and start over.
Mastering the Professional Pivot
In a business setting, you often need to rephrase a sensitive topic. You can't always be blunt. If a project is failing, you don't necessarily want to say "this is a disaster."
Instead of "this is a problem," try "this presents a unique challenge" or "we’ve encountered a bottleneck." Is it a bit "corporate speak"? Maybe. But it keeps the conversation focused on solutions rather than blame.
Harvard Business Review contributors often talk about "reframing." Reframing isn't just about finding a synonym; it’s about changing the perspective of the sentence.
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug." — Mark Twain.
Twain was right. If you’re in a meeting and you say "to reiterate," you sound like a boss. If you say "like I said before," you sound like you’re annoyed. Tone is everything.
Conversational Alternatives for Daily Life
Let's get real for a second. In a text message or a casual chat, you aren't going to say "to put it another way." You'd sound like a robot.
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- Basically: The king of casual explanations.
- Look at it this way: This invites the other person into your logic. It’s collaborative.
- It’s kinda like: Use this for analogies. Analogies are the ultimate "other way to say this" because they bridge the gap between the unknown and the known.
- What I’m getting at is: This is the perfect "save" when you realize you've been rambling for three minutes and your friend looks confused.
The Technical Side: When Precision Trumps Style
In technical writing—think software documentation or medical journals—you have to be careful. You can't just swap words out because they sound cool. In these fields, words have specific, rigid definitions.
If you are writing about a "bug" in a piece of code, other ways to say this might include "anomaly," "regression," or "logic error." Each of those means something slightly different to a developer. An anomaly is weird; a regression means something that used to work is now broken. If you use them interchangeably, you’re going to confuse the people who are trying to fix the problem.
Always consider your audience. Are they experts? Use the jargon. Are they beginners? Use the "it’s kinda like" approach.
Breaking the "AI" Writing Habit
We have to talk about the elephant in the room. A lot of people are using LLMs to write their emails and reports now. The problem? AI loves certain phrases. It loves "it is important to note," and it absolutely obsesses over "furthermore."
If you want your writing to feel human, you have to break these patterns.
Humans don't talk in perfectly balanced bullet points. We don't use "moreover" in casual conversation. We use "also" or "plus." We start sentences with "And" or "But" even though our third-grade teachers told us not to. (They were wrong, by the way—starting a sentence with a conjunction is a great way to create rhythm).
Try varying your sentence length. Short sentences punch. They grab attention. Long, flowing sentences can be beautiful, but only if they lead somewhere. If every sentence in your paragraph is 15 words long, your reader is going to fall asleep.
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Actionable Steps to Improve Your Vocabulary Today
Don't just read this and go back to your old habits. That’s a waste of time. If you want to actually get better at finding other ways to say this, you need a system.
First, identify your "crutch words." We all have them. Mine is "actually." I use it way too much. Once you know what your crutches are, you can consciously look for them during your first edit.
Second, read more than you write. Read fiction, read long-form journalism from The New Yorker or The Atlantic, and read technical manuals. See how different writers handle the same problems. Notice how a novelist describes a feeling without ever using the word for that feeling. That’s the ultimate "other way to say it."
Third, use a reverse dictionary. Instead of looking up a word to find its definition, you type in a definition or a concept to find the word. It's a game-changer when the word is "on the tip of your tongue" but you can't quite grab it.
Finally, stop trying to sound smart. The smartest people I know use the simplest language. They don't need to hide behind big words or complex sentence structures. They say what they mean, and they say it clearly. If you can't explain a concept to a ten-year-old, you probably don't understand it well enough yourself.
Next Steps for Better Writing:
- Audit your sent folder: Go back through your last ten sent emails. Highlight every time you used a repetitive phrase like "I think" or "in other words."
- The "One-Word" Rule: For your next important document, try to find one place where you can replace a five-word phrase with a single, more powerful verb.
- Read aloud: This is the oldest trick in the book because it works. If you stumble over a sentence while reading it out loud, it’s a sign that the phrasing is clunky and needs a fresh approach.
- Practice active voice: Instead of "this was decided by the board," try "the board decided this." It’s shorter, punchier, and usually much clearer.
Language is a living thing. It’s messy, it’s constantly changing, and there is almost never just one "right" way to say something. The goal isn't perfection; the goal is connection. When you find other ways to say this, you aren't just changing words—you're making it easier for someone else to understand your world. Give yourself permission to experiment. Some of your experiments will fail. You'll write a sentence that sounds pretentious or confusing. That’s fine. Delete it. Try again. That’s where the real writing happens.