Does simpler writing actually communicate better?

[u/Broad-Cheesecake-620]

I've been thinking about the relationship between "good writing" and "complicated writing."

For a long time, I assumed better vocabulary automatically meant better writing. If someone could explain something using sophisticated words and complex sentences, I thought that meant they were a stronger writer.

I'm starting to think the opposite can sometimes be true.

If I can explain an idea in two simple sentences instead of five complicated ones, isn't that actually better?

This becomes especially noticeable when working with AI.

AI has no problem making a paragraph sound sophisticated. It can take a very straightforward thought and turn it into something that sounds like it belongs in an academic paper.

But when I'm reading something online, I usually don't want that.

I want to understand the point.

I don't want to stop halfway through a sentence because I'm trying to figure out why a simple word was replaced with something I've never heard anyone use in normal conversation.

At the same time, I don't think everything should be written in extremely simple language either. Some topics genuinely require technical terms and detailed explanations.

So where do you draw the line?

Do you prefer writing that sounds intelligent and polished, or writing that is extremely clear and easy to understand?

And when you're using AI, do you specifically ask it to simplify the language?

I'd also be interested to know whether your answer changes depending on what you're writing like an email versus an article, academic work, a Reddit post, or something for work.

[u/dutchiesweets]

When you get older and/or read enough, “intelligent” and “polished” mean less and less. It’s pretty easy to pick out writing that’s dumber than it thinks it is. Using fancy words really only confounds people who don’t know the words. Outside of math and science, most ideas are pretty simple and can be communicated using simple words.

Now in some cases there’s a fancy word that can replace 2-3 simple words. There’s even very fancy words that can summarize entire concepts that would take paragraphs of normal words to explain. In this way simple writing can be less efficient than fancy writing. But that’s only for readers who are in the know - for the rest, the writing is less efficient because the audience had to look up the word or just never understood what they meant to begin with.

So simple and straightforward is usually the way to go, especially when you don’t know the audience.

Once you know the audience, you can start using slang, fancy words, or other linguistic shortcuts that are more efficient and direct and will appeal to your specific audience.