As a writer for more than two-dozen years, there are some writing pet peeves that give me a twitch. But, I didn’t want this to be all about me; so, I conducted a friends and family test to see what bothers other people I know.

The Twitch List

Some of the items make me laugh, like “intregal,” while others make me sad, such as when to use to, two, and too. In the end, this list was fun to put together.

Incorrect Word Usage

1. Than vs. then
2. You’re vs. your
3. Their, there, and they’re
4. To, too, and two
5. Affect vs. effect
6. Advise when they should use advice. Loose when they mean lose.

Made-Up Words

1. regardless of context
2. Anyways
3. Fustrated
4. Shouldn’t of
5. Intregal, which people mash up somehow between INTEGRAL and INTRICATE
6. ESPRESSO with an “S” and not EXPRESSO with an “X”
7. Punkin
8. Definately
9. Supposably

Grammatically-Correct Twitches

Though these twitches are grammatically correct, several people found issue with them.

1. Starting the very first sentence of correspondence with “I,” followed by nearly every other sentenced started with “I.”
2. Starting a sentence with “So.”
3. Starting a sentence with “And.”

Want Help?

For those who would like writing help, below are four resources that might come in handy.

• Awesome Is The New Massive, by Mary Norris in “The New Yorker”
• Marketer’s Guide to Writing Well, HubSpot
• Seven (or 7?) Tips On Starting A Sentence With A Number, by Michael Blumfield
• Writing Tip: Don’t Be Haunted by the Ghosts of Repressive Teachers, by Michael Blumfield