Guide 82 / 200 5 swaps Formal register
Professional words for “cause”
Five verbs for causation with different force.
i · When it mattersTwo lines, no filler
"Cause" is neutral but heavy — it implies fault in many business contexts. "Lead to" is softer and forward-looking; "drive" and "trigger" carry momentum; "result in" frames outcomes without blame.
ii · The swaps5 ways
- 01Lead to neutral
soft, forward-looking causation
Lead to a smoother handoff.
- 02Drive neutral
forceful, ongoing causation
Drive adoption across the org.
- 03Trigger neutral
sudden, specific causation
Trigger a full audit when the threshold is crossed.
- 04Result in neutral
outcome-first framing
The change will result in faster reviews.
- 05Prompt formal
cause someone to act
The memo prompted an internal review.
iii · And what not to sayKeep this one
In post-mortems, avoid "caused" unless you mean root cause. Use "contributed to" or "coincided with" for partial factors.