Why do I leave words out when writing
Executive summary
You commonly leave words out of writing for two broad reasons reported in the literature: deliberate concision or accidental omission. Style guides and writing teachers promote omitting needless or superfluous words to tighten prose [1] [2] [3], while cognitive and HCI research and forum reports show unintentional omission of short “function” words during rapid typing or misperception errors [4].
1. Why editors tell you to cut words — concision as craft
Many style authorities treat omission as a technique, not a mistake: legal and academic writing guides explicitly recommend removing “surplus” words such as “is authorized to” → “can” or “pertaining to” → “about,” and flag compound constructions that use several words where one would do [1]. Purdue’s OWL describes common wordiness patterns and shows how deleting needless modifiers and filler clarifies meaning [2]. Writer-focused outlets likewise teach ruthless pruning — “omit needless words” is a basic editing maxim in guides like Writer’s Digest and Strunk & White–influenced advice [3]. In these sources, omission is purposeful: the writer seeks clarity, rhythm and precision by deleting redundant or weak words [1] [2] [3].
2. Why you accidentally drop words — cognitive and typing errors
Other reporting locates omissions in human processing limits. Human–computer interaction and psychology discussion note “misperception errors” when typing quickly: writers commonly omit short function words (for example “are,” “it”), or substitute one small word for another, because lexical function words are more vulnerable to error [4]. That work frames some omissions as slips of attention or motor execution rather than stylistic choices [4]. Available sources do not mention neurological diagnoses or clinical causes beyond this HCI/psychology framing.
3. Two different practices share the same surface result
The same blank space in a sentence can reflect either disciplined editing or a slip. Style guides and editors celebrate intentional omission to avoid superfluous “of,” redundant prepositions, or extra modifiers [5]. By contrast, forum and Q&A evidence shows people unaware they dropped a word until proofreading, especially with short function words in fast typing [4]. Readers and reviewers must distinguish whether the omission improves clarity (a deliberate edit) or harms comprehension (an unintentional error) [2] [4].
4. Linguistic patterns and deliberate omission: ellipsis and diary drop
Linguistics recognizes deliberate omissions as valid constructions. Terms like “ellipsis” cover cases where words are left out intentionally but the meaning remains clear — common in informal speech and writing — while phenomena like “diary drop” describe omission of subject pronouns in some registers [6]. Quotation-style omission uses ellipsis points when you deliberately remove part of a quoted passage [7] [8]. These are controlled, rule-governed omissions distinct from accidental deletions [7] [8] [6].
5. Practical checks: how to tell which kind you’re doing
Apply editorial tests drawn from the style resources: read the sentence aloud; if meaning is intact and clearer, the omission is likely deliberate and useful [2] [3]. If the sentence sounds clipped, missing a small connector, or forces the reader to re-run the line, you may have accidentally dropped a function word — a known pattern in typing errors [4]. When in doubt, use focused proofreading passes: first for structure and concision (cutting surplus words), second for mechanics and missing elements (catching misperception errors) [3] [2].
6. Competing incentives: brevity vs. complete grammar
Editing cultures push brevity for readability and persuasive force (legal and technical guides recommend simplifying phrases and eliminating “word-wasters”) [1] [2]. Meanwhile rapid digital composition encourages speed and skimming, a context in which function-word slip-ups become more frequent [4]. The sources show a tension: omissions can improve prose when intentional [1] [2] but degrade it when they arise from typing or attentional limits [4].
7. Actionable steps drawn from sources
Adopt a two-pass workflow referenced in writing guides: one pass to cut needless words and tighten phrasing [1] [2] [3], another pass to hunt for accidental omissions of small function words and punctuation that impair comprehension [4] [2]. Use read-aloud proofreading and targeted checks for short function words — they are the ones most likely to be omitted unintentionally [4].
Limitations and sourcing note: this analysis draws only on the provided writing guides, linguistic Q&A, and psychology/HCI discussion; available sources do not mention clinical diagnoses or brain-injury specifics beyond user-level anecdotes [4].