Safe to say, the following article will be free of verbiage! Hopefully, that will give you a hint of what that word means. Verbage or verbiage are both commonly used in the English language. However, not both are grammatically acceptable. And one of the two is a Grammar Nazi’s nightmare!
To say that one is correct, and the other isn’t, would mean giving you an answer without explaining the logic. That’s what we’ll do in the following sections – explain the logic of why you’ve been assuming the incorrect form to be correct.
The following sections will also investigate the different ways you can use the correct form, demonstrating with examples. Follow along to learn the correct usage and sound grammatically correct.
Verbage or Verbiage – What’s the Meaning?
When looking at the meaning, it is possible to mix the two words and think both mean the same. That’s far from the truth – verbage is incorrect and is often misused by people! It is simply the misspelling of the word, which does not practically have a grammatically correct usage.
On the other hand, verbiage is the correct form, which means excessive use of complex words that have negative connotations. And no, there’s no role of Amercian vs British English either! There’s only one correct spelling representing the meaning, and that’s this one.
Often, you’d see people confuse the two words – as many do with other common English terms. However, unlike other confusing terms, this one does not have alternative spellings at the root of its misuse. It’s just misinformation.
In addition, with existing terms with confusing alternative spellings and similar sounding words, it further deepens the confusion. Moreover, there are many people who believe verbage is acceptable. And we’re on a mission to remove that misconception!
Unless you’re a professional writer or a hardcore reader, it’s difficult to expect you to know the correct spelling. Even many avid readers often end up confusing common words due to misconception. Verbage or verbiage is one of those words that fall in that category, too.
Why Do People Mix These Two Up? What’s The Correct Form?
Verbiage instead of verbage is the correct spelling, whereas the latter is just not a real word. It is also one of those mistakes that people often make under peer pressure – because they’ve heard the incorrect pronunciation, they’re prone to accept it as the correct one.
But why do people get it wrong when it is incorrect to begin with?
My theory is that confusion arises due to the lack of knowledge of the correct pronunciation. People get the spelling wrong because they miss out on the emphasis on a very important alphabet, which makes all the difference.
A common question amongst people who use the word is do you pronounce the i in verbiage – yes! That’s a crucial component that helps remember the correct word.
You see, similar to foliage, verbiage has an i followed by –age. So, following the rules of grammar, one can get it right if one remembers this small difference. When you remember the pronunciation, you will never mix it with the incorrect word!
Words in English are usually broken up into two or more fragments to get the pronunciation right. This is one of the technical grammar rules known as phonetic spelling which helps with the correct usage.
Here’s the pronunciation: Ver-bi-age or Vuh-bee-uhj or our-bee-uhj
This pronunciation tells you that I play an important role in pronunciation – saving you the embarrassment of making the mistake.
Coming to verbage, the word is more of a portmanteau of verbiage and garbage. Condescending, I know – but that’s what it can be best explained as. The pronunciation comes to –
Vuh-bujh or Vuur-bujh
This is how you can clearly tell the difference between the two and remember the correct spelling for future use.
How Do I Remember The Correct Usage? Hacks I Find Useful!
Here are a few tricks to remember the correct usage of the word and avoid making the mistake of mixing up the words. Check these out:
- Remember the pronunciation! One of the effective ways I avoid mixing up words is by using helpful aids like this. With verbage or verbiage, I remember the pronunciation and never get the usage wrong!
- Synonyms always help. By remembering synonyms, you can ensure the correct usage without mixing up the two words. It is always best to remember a few synonyms to get you out of situations when you forget the correct word.
- Remember the definition. The definition works best when you mix up words frequently. Out of verbage or verbiage, the latter (verbiage) means excessively wordy – it may be writing or speech. Whereas the former is more of an incorrect word that represents the mixing of verbiage and garbage.
- There’s no American or British English alternative. A common reason why people make the mistake of using verbage instead of verbiage is this. The abundance of words with two spellings and/or pronunciations in British and American English is to blame. People assume even the wrong word is correct in another part of the world!
I hope that was just the right verbiage to explain the best hacks that I use to remember the right usage of commonly mixed words.
Using Verbiage In A Sentence
Verbiage is a word that has been in use since the early 1700s – it has French roots in the word Verbier. This is an important fact that helps remember the correct spelling and usage, too!
Furthermore, to help with the correct usage, here are a few verbiage examples of usage:
- The first draft of Pam’s speech was full of verbiage, so she is rewriting it.
- The verbiage of this book hides the fact that it is not 100% original.
- The technical verbiage makes it difficult for me to understand the contract.
- The verbiage in the sophomore English paper is surprising, and I’m still in shock!
- The downside of this verbiage is that it makes it impossible to understand the estimates.
- The terms of use in my new phone have boring verbiage, so I skipped it and moved on after clicking the box.
- I should use verbiage instead of verbage in my sentences.
- Verbage is not a word. Verbiage is!
These are all the popular ways to use the correct form, follow these carefully and you can easily use the grammatically correct form! The simplest way to remember the correct usage is by remembering the hacks I shared above!
Tricks for Mastering The Use
Now that you know the correct form out of verbage or verbiage, it is important that we also help you with the hacks to remember it. That’s where the above two sections will come in handy!
I share the best hacks that help me avoid embarrassing mistakes and a few sentences usage that can simplify its meaning. Usage can also help with the correct pronunciation and help others know the correct form!
Comment down below if you want to explore more interesting, albeit confusing, pairs!
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