A Word About Words

What does your favorite word say about you?

Do you have a word you love to say or hear? A word that somehow settles into you, leaving you with a smile? Maybe you like how it rolls off your tongue. Or you enjoy the look of it on paper, the spelling of this word. Possibly, you are enamored with the actual definition.

Whatever the reason (s) you favor a word or two, have you ever wondered if it said anything about you, or your personality? I mean, it seems everything else does if you believe in the social media hype of making correlations between your personality and just about anything.

So, what is your favorite word (or words)? Does this word best describe your mood? Maybe it’s a reflection of your life? Or do you simply like the sound of the word? Is it the word’s definition you like?

Whatever the reason for your favoritism, the word you choose may say something about you. But what?

The two words at the top of my list are: acquiesce and coalesce. In my case, I like the sound of both words when spoken out loud. I think they’re pretty, and definitely sound better than other words that share the same meaning, such as ‘allow’, ‘accept’, or ‘consent’ for acquiesce. Or ‘consolidate’, ‘unite’, or ‘combine’ for coalesce.

I also like the spelling of my two words. It’s part of what makes them pretty. Although, I admit I have trouble spelling them correctly myself.

Let me be clear that I love MANY words. So many words. Don’t ask me to list them, or you’ll be waiting all day for that list to be completed.

Now, take a minute and think about what words you favor. Then ask yourself why you favor them. If it’s how they sound, like it is with mine, maybe you’re a romantic, or dreamer. Or would you consider yourself, in correlation with your word choice, to be serious, loyal, political, or any other descriptions?

Take the word ‘jazz’ for example. What personality tags would you attach to someone who chose this word as one of their favorites? I’d say they are upbeat, fun, and maybe love music. But if they chose a word like catastrophic, I might tag them as dramatic in nature, fearful, or even someone with a big personality.

The point I’m making is that we make our own individual assessments about a person based on their favorite word, or words. You’d be hard-pressed to find any scientific studies on the subject. There are some light “studies” by individuals, but no hard science. Not that I could find, in any case. It’s just fun to think about what words you like best and why.

If you’d like to know the favorite word of other authors, check out this article on Erin Schreiner’s blog (https://www.drinkreadrepeat.com/blog/favwords).

Have fun exploring! Maybe you’ll discover a word or more you never knew before. Checking out synonyms of words in your current vocabulary is a fun resource. Or even reading. I discovered my favorite words while reading books.

Happy reading my fellow book addicts!

Inspirational Quote: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all”–Helen Keller

Book Recommendation: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig.