26 Common Writing Mistakes to Avoid

Do things right by avoiding common mistakes:

• “B” is an abbreviation for bytes. “b” is an abbreviation for bits.
• Check your facts. If you’re going to state something as a fact, it had better be a fact.
• Make sure your data and technology are not obsolete.
• Don’t use any impossible requirements, such as 100% uptime.
• Don’t assume knowledge on the part of your reader.
• If you promise something will appear later, make sure it does.
• Don’t use JPEG for images with lines or thin text, because JPEG is lossy.
• Don’t have blank lines or rows in a table.
• “Things”, “thing’s”, and “things’” are multiple, single ownership, and multiple ownership.
• Check for run-on and fractional sentences.
• Check punctuation, capitalization, and spelling. Punctuation must follow spacing rules.
• Make sure there are no missing articles, such as “a”, “an”, or “the”.
• “Login” and “setup” are events. “Log in” and “Set up” are actions.
• “Than” is a comparison. “Then” is a time.
• “Ran” and “run” are two different words. “Was ran” is always wrong.
• “Different” needs a “different than what”. “Various” doesn’t.
• “Prospective” is looking ahead. “Perspective” is just looking.
• “-” in a compound word or at the end of a line. “—” as a thought separator.
• “Until” and “‘til” are times. “Till” is a cashbox.
• “Software”, “firmware”, “hardware”, and “water” are indiscreet. “A water” is never right.