This Is How to Get Your Next Job

#12: Don’t Use Non-Words, Fillers, and Other Annoying Things

Although it’s nearly impossible to say for sure, there are at least 250,000 distinct English words, according to the Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary. Some linguists say there are over one million words and that the number is growing.

Even so, be wary of using non-words. These are words that are either misspelled, mispronounced, or are combinations or incorrect derivations of real words. A few examples include “flustrated,” “supposebly,” “orientated,” “irregardless” and such words as this from the Oxford University Press vault of non-words: “glocalization.”

Non-words also include vocal fillers. These are “Um,” “uh,” “ya know,” and the one that makes ...