Typos Can Distract Your Readers

Inconsistent or sloppy writing can distract your readers. Distracted readers may find something else to pay attention to.

Here’s some inconsistent formatting in a list of today’s most popular articles on the New Yorker website:

Either these underlined letters should be lowercased, or the circled letters should be capitalized. This small inconsistency could distract a reader from the content long enough to think of another site to go read, or another activity that’s more urgent than reading anything.

That’s one reason it’s smart to save time to proofread your business’s writing, even with limited staff and tight deadlines. Consistent, good writing always makes your message more compelling.

For guidelines on parallel style in lists and sentences, see our updated book Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide.

And consider using Write It Well’s proofreading and editing services for your own or your employees’ writing. Just click the more info/contact us button on our homepage to send us a sample document, noting any concerns or goals you have for it.

We’ll copyedit a sample portion for free, and return it within two days. You’ll get estimates of the cost and time frame for our sending you back a full, edited document that will make a great impression.