Repeated words: which to keep and which to vary
Not all repetition is a problem. Key terms should stay the same so readers can track them. This guide shows which repeated words help and which make writing feel circular.
Why it matters
Repeating a key term keeps meaning stable, which is good. Repeating incidental words makes prose feel circular and can hide what is new in each sentence.
What you can do
Keep key terms; vary the rest
Hold technical terms constant so readers know you mean the same thing. Reword incidental repeats.
Ask yourself: Which repeated words are key terms the reader must track, and which just recur?
Show an example
BeforeThe program improved outcomes. The program also improved program attendance.
AfterThe program improved outcomes and attendance.
Refer back instead of restating
Use a pronoun or a short reference once the reader knows what you mean.
Ask yourself: Once the reader knows what you mean, do you need to name it again in full?
Show an example
BeforeThe housing authority announced new rules. The housing authority said the rules start in May.
AfterThe housing authority announced new rules. It said they start in May.
Combine sentences that restate
If two sentences make the same point, keep the stronger one.
Ask yourself: Do any two sentences here make the same point?
Show an example
BeforeCosts rose sharply. The sharp rise in costs was significant.
AfterCosts rose sharply.
When to leave it as it is
The repeated word is a key term, or the repetition is a deliberate rhetorical device.
See it in a real text
Prosemetry raises this in paragraph 1 of The Elements of Style: Elementary Principles of Composition by William Strunk Jr. Open the sample at that paragraph to see the note as a writer would, read-only.
See it in your own draft
Prosemetry reads your Word document and marks the passages where this happens, so you know where to look. It doesn’t rewrite anything; the revising stays yours. Free to try, no account needed.
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