Vol. 03 · Professional200 concepts
The casual word, the boardroom word.
Professional words for…
Take a plain word and find the register-matched alternative — for reports, proposals, CVs, and any prose that needs to sound measured without sounding stiff. Each guide has 5–7 options, the register to reach for, and a cautionary note when one of the swaps is widely misused.
No. 01 44 concepts
A — C
- about Regarding Two senses of "about" — each with its own upgrades. → 5 swaps
- accept Approve Five register-appropriate verbs for "accept." → 5 swaps
- add Append Five verbs for the kind of adding. → 5 swaps
- affect Influence Five register-appropriate verbs for "affect." → 5 swaps
- agree Concur Six verbs that match agreement to formality. → 6 swaps
- allow Permit Five words for different kinds of permission. → 5 swaps
- angry Displeased Five words for displeasure that land in writing. → 6 swaps
- answer Respond Five verbs for responding — each specifying the kind of response. → 6 swaps
- apologise Apologise Five ways to apologise at different registers. → 6 swaps
- appear Seem Four verbs that sharpen "appear." → 4 swaps
- appreciate Value Two senses of "appreciate" — both with upgrades. → 4 swaps
- approve Authorise Five verbs for official green-lighting. → 5 swaps
- ask Request Six verbs that tell the reader what kind of asking — polite, formal, or pointed. → 6 swaps
- avoid Prevent Four verbs for different kinds of avoidance. → 4 swaps
- back Support Five verbs for lending weight or credit. → 5 swaps
- bad Poor Six adjectives that tell the reader how bad. → 6 swaps
- bad thing Issue Five nouns that replace "bad thing" with specificity. → 6 swaps
- believe Think Five register-aware verbs for "believe." → 5 swaps
- benefit Advantage Five words for the upside. → 5 swaps
- big Substantial Five adjectives that tell the reader what kind of big — size, importance, or impact. → 6 swaps
- boss Manager Five rungs on the org chart — each a better word than "boss." → 5 swaps
- break Interrupt Five verbs for different kinds of breaking. → 5 swaps
- bring Introduce Five verbs that tell the reader what "bring" actually means. → 5 swaps
- build Construct Six verbs, each with a different build style. → 6 swaps
- buy Purchase Five verbs that match a purchase to its setting. → 5 swaps
- call Contact Five words for "call" that carry more than a phone ring. → 5 swaps
- cancel Revoke Five words that grade the finality of cancelling. → 5 swaps
- cause Lead to Five verbs for causation with different force. → 5 swaps
- challenge Obstacle Four words that say what kind of challenge. → 4 swaps
- chance Opportunity Five words that split "chance" by sense. → 5 swaps
- change Modify Six verbs that tell the reader how much or what kind of change. → 6 swaps
- check Verify Six verbs that match the weight of the verification. → 6 swaps
- choose Select Five verbs for the kind of choosing. → 5 swaps
- clear Evident Five adjectives for "clear" with specific shades. → 5 swaps
- combine Merge Five verbs for joining things. → 5 swaps
- come Arrive Five verbs for arriving, attending, or presenting yourself. → 6 swaps
- come up with Develop Four verbs for generating an idea. → 4 swaps
- company Organisation Five register-appropriate words for "company." → 5 swaps
- compare Contrast Four verbs for how the comparison is being made. → 4 swaps
- complain Object Five verbs that carry "complain" into business register. → 5 swaps
- confirm Verify Five verbs for settling a fact. → 5 swaps
- consider Weigh Five verbs for deliberation. → 5 swaps
- cover Encompass Four verbs for scope and reach. → 4 swaps
- criticise Critique Five register-aware verbs for pointing to a problem. → 5 swaps
No. 02 37 concepts
D — G
- deal Agreement Five words for the paperwork behind "deal." → 5 swaps
- decide Determine Six verbs that attach rigor to a decision. → 6 swaps
- defend Protect Five verbs for different kinds of defending. → 5 swaps
- define Specify Five verbs that name the boundary-setting. → 5 swaps
- deny Refuse Five words that split "deny" by sense. → 5 swaps
- describe Characterise Five verbs for different kinds of describing. → 5 swaps
- design Devise Five verbs for the act of planning a shape. → 5 swaps
- different Distinct Six adjectives for different kinds of different. → 6 swaps
- disagree Dissent Six verbs that keep disagreement professional. → 6 swaps
- discuss Address Five verbs for different kinds of discussion. → 6 swaps
- do Perform Six upgrades for the most overused verb in business writing. → 6 swaps
- downside Drawback Four words for the cost of a choice. → 4 swaps
- drop Fall Five verbs for "drop" by sense. → 5 swaps
- easy Straightforward Five adjectives that describe different kinds of easy. → 5 swaps
- effort Endeavour Five words that grade the kind of effort. → 5 swaps
- end Conclude Six verbs, each with a different implication for how the thing stopped. → 6 swaps
- enough Sufficient Four formal words for "enough." → 4 swaps
- expect Anticipate Five verbs that grade certainty. → 5 swaps
- explain Clarify Five verbs for different kinds of explanation. → 6 swaps
- face Confront Four verbs for squaring up to a problem. → 4 swaps
- fail Fall short Five verbs for different flavours of failure. → 5 swaps
- fast Rapid Five adjectives that match speed to setting. → 5 swaps
- figure out Determine Four verbs for settling what is the case. → 4 swaps
- fill Complete Five verbs for different kinds of filling. → 5 swaps
- find Identify Six verbs that qualify "find" with method. → 6 swaps
- fix Resolve Six verbs that specify the kind of fix. → 6 swaps
- focus Concentrate Four verbs that name the kind of focus. → 4 swaps
- follow Comply with Five verbs for being in line with rules, plans, or people. → 5 swaps
- follow up Revisit Four verbs for the post-meeting ping. → 4 swaps
- forget Overlook Five softer alternatives to "I forgot." → 6 swaps
- get Obtain Six verbs that replace "get" when you need to say how the thing came to you. → 6 swaps
- give Provide Six verbs that name what kind of giving. → 6 swaps
- give up Abandon Four register-aware replacements for "give up." → 4 swaps
- go Proceed Five verbs for leaving or moving on. → 6 swaps
- goal Objective Five words with different scopes of ambition. → 5 swaps
- good Exemplary Six adjectives that promote vague "good" into specific praise. → 6 swaps
- grow Expand Six verbs that pin down what kind of growth. → 6 swaps
No. 03 22 concepts
H — L
- handle Manage Six verbs that give weight to "handled it." → 6 swaps
- happen Occur Five formal replacements for "happen." → 5 swaps
- happy Pleased Five register-appropriate words for satisfaction. → 6 swaps
- hard Challenging Five adjectives that place the difficulty in context. → 5 swaps
- help Assist Seven verbs that sharpen vague "help" into the kind of support you actually provided. → 7 swaps
- hire Recruit Five verbs across recruiting and onboarding. → 5 swaps
- hit Reach Four verbs for reaching a target or mark. → 4 swaps
- hold Maintain Five verbs for "hold" by sense. → 5 swaps
- idea Concept Six words that name the kind of idea. → 6 swaps
- important Critical Five ways to promote a word that means "matters" out of neutral into urgent. → 6 swaps
- improve Enhance Six verbs that carry direction beyond generic "improve." → 6 swaps
- include Cover Four verbs for membership and scope. → 4 swaps
- inform Advise Five register-aware verbs for passing information. → 5 swaps
- job Role Five words for the work you do or hold. → 5 swaps
- keep Retain Six verbs that tell the reader what kind of keeping. → 6 swaps
- lead Manage Six verbs that make "led" specific on a CV. → 6 swaps
- learn Study Six verbs that specify how the learning happened. → 6 swaps
- let Allow Five verbs that replace permissive "let" with professional equivalents. → 5 swaps
- limit Cap Five verbs for "limit." → 5 swaps
- look at Examine Six verbs that sharpen a passive "look" into active review. → 6 swaps
- look into Investigate Five verbs that say what kind of looking. → 5 swaps
- lose Forfeit Five verbs for different kinds of losing. → 5 swaps
No. 04 27 concepts
M — P
- make Produce Pick the verb that tells the reader what kind of making you're doing. → 7 swaps
- match Align Five verbs for lining things up. → 5 swaps
- matter Count Four verbs that say why something matters. → 4 swaps
- mean Indicate Five verbs that name the kind of meaning. → 5 swaps
- measure Gauge Five verbs for the act of measuring. → 5 swaps
- meet Convene Six verbs that give "meet" institutional shape. → 6 swaps
- miss Overlook Five verbs that name what was missed. → 5 swaps
- mistake Error Five words that grade the severity of a mistake. → 5 swaps
- money Funds Five financial words that are more precise than "money." → 5 swaps
- move Transfer Five verbs for shifts of position, schedule, or progress. → 6 swaps
- need Require Five verbs that specify what kind of need. → 5 swaps
- new Novel Six adjectives that promote "new" into more specific territory. → 6 swaps
- nice Pleasant Five adjectives that replace forgettable "nice." → 5 swaps
- notice Observe Five verbs for how you came to see it. → 5 swaps
- offer Propose Five verbs for what kind of offering. → 5 swaps
- people Personnel Five sharper words for the crowd. → 5 swaps
- pick up Acquire Four verbs for what "pick up" is doing in your sentence. → 4 swaps
- plan Strategize Six verbs that raise "plan" into active preparation. → 6 swaps
- point Argument Five sharper terms for "point." → 5 swaps
- point out Note Five verbs for making something visible to the reader. → 5 swaps
- praise Commend Five register-aware ways to say "praise." → 5 swaps
- problem Issue Six nouns that replace "problem" with specificity. → 6 swaps
- promote Advance Two senses of "promote" — both with upgrades. → 5 swaps
- prove Demonstrate Five verbs for strengthening a claim. → 5 swaps
- put Place Five precise verbs for "put." → 5 swaps
- put off Postpone Four register-aware words for "put off." → 4 swaps
- put together Assemble Four verbs for assembling material. → 4 swaps
No. 05 42 concepts
R — S
- reach Achieve Five verbs for arriving at a place, number, or agreement. → 5 swaps
- realise Recognise Four verbs for the moment of understanding. → 4 swaps
- really Markedly Five precise intensifiers to replace "really." → 5 swaps
- reason Rationale Five words that name the kind of reason. → 5 swaps
- receive Obtain Five verbs for acknowledging and processing what arrives. → 6 swaps
- recommend Advise Five verbs with different weights of recommendation. → 5 swaps
- reduce Trim Six verbs that name the kind of reduction. → 6 swaps
- reject Decline Five words that grade the firmness of a refusal. → 5 swaps
- rely on Depend on Four verbs for trusting something to hold. → 4 swaps
- remember Recall Five verbs for memory and recall in business writing. → 6 swaps
- remove Eliminate Five verbs with different weights of removal. → 5 swaps
- report Notify Five verbs for official communication. → 5 swaps
- require Need Five verbs with different amounts of force. → 5 swaps
- result Outcome Five words for "result" that sharpen the shape of the outcome. → 5 swaps
- reveal Disclose Five verbs that vary the force of revealing. → 5 swaps
- review Assess Five words for what kind of review. → 5 swaps
- risk Hazard Five words for risk at different temperatures. → 5 swaps
- run Manage Six verbs for "run" across people, systems, and events. → 6 swaps
- sad Disappointed Five words that name the specific kind of disappointment. → 6 swaps
- save Conserve Five words for the flavour of saving. → 5 swaps
- say State The default reporting verb — and the five sharper ones that mean specific things. → 6 swaps
- sell Market Six verbs that distinguish the kinds of selling. → 6 swaps
- send Forward Five verbs for sending — each naming the artefact or channel. → 6 swaps
- set up Establish Five verbs for different kinds of setting up. → 5 swaps
- share Distribute Five verbs for passing information along. → 5 swaps
- show Demonstrate Evidence-flavoured verbs for when "show" is too soft. → 6 swaps
- shut down Close Five verbs that grade the finality of closing. → 5 swaps
- skip Bypass Four verbs for deliberate passing over. → 4 swaps
- slow Gradual Five adjectives for different kinds of slow. → 5 swaps
- smart Astute Six adjectives that carry more weight than "smart." → 6 swaps
- solve Resolve Six verbs that match the weight of the problem. → 6 swaps
- sort Arrange Four verbs for arranging things. → 4 swaps
- speed up Accelerate Four upgrades for the rush verb. → 4 swaps
- spend Invest Five verbs that sharpen how the spending happens. → 5 swaps
- split Divide Five verbs for the kind of splitting. → 5 swaps
- spread Disseminate Five verbs for spreading reach. → 5 swaps
- stand out Distinguish itself Four verbs for being set apart. → 4 swaps
- start Begin Five verbs that carry their own weight so "start" doesn't have to. → 6 swaps
- stop Halt Six verbs that specify how the stopping happened. → 6 swaps
- succeed Achieve Five verbs for different kinds of success. → 5 swaps
- suggest Propose Five verbs that vary the confidence of a suggestion. → 5 swaps
- sure Certain Five words that register conviction differently. → 5 swaps
No. 06 27 concepts
T — Z
- take Assume Six verbs that specify the type of taking. → 6 swaps
- take on Assume Four formal verbs for "take on." → 4 swaps
- talk Discuss Six verbs that give "talk" its professional shape. → 6 swaps
- teach Train Six verbs that distinguish kinds of instruction. → 6 swaps
- tell Inform Six verbs that raise "tell" into formal communication. → 6 swaps
- test Trial Five verbs for different kinds of testing. → 5 swaps
- thank Appreciate Five register-appropriate ways to say thanks. → 6 swaps
- thing Item "Thing" is the single laziest word in business writing. Here are four sharper words. → 4 swaps
- think Conclude Six verbs that promote "think" from vague to evidenced. → 6 swaps
- time Period Five words for different shapes of "time." → 5 swaps
- track Monitor Five verbs for watching things unfold. → 5 swaps
- train Coach Four verbs for different modes of training. → 4 swaps
- trouble Difficulty Five words that are more specific than "trouble." → 5 swaps
- try Attempt Six verbs that carry more conviction than "try." → 6 swaps
- understand Grasp Five verbs that name the kind of comprehension. → 6 swaps
- update Briefing Five words for different kinds of update. → 5 swaps
- use Employ Six verbs that mean "use" — and say something more specific while they do it. → 7 swaps
- very Highly Often, the best replacement for "very X" is a stronger single word. → 5 swaps
- wait Hold off Four register-aware ways to say "wait." → 4 swaps
- want Require Six verbs that raise "want" into a business claim. → 6 swaps
- waste Squander Four formal replacements for "waste." → 4 swaps
- way Method Six words that name the kind of "way" you mean. → 6 swaps
- win Secure Five verbs for winning in different contexts. → 5 swaps
- work on Develop Six verbs that describe what kind of work it is. → 6 swaps
- workers Employees Five words for "workers" depending on context and register. → 5 swaps
- worry Concerned Five calmer words than "worry" for formal writing. → 6 swaps
- write Author Six verbs, each with its own writing register. → 6 swaps