Jargon words are special words or expressions used by a profession or group that are frequently difficult for others to understand. Does your copy suffer from jargon mania? In order to sound knowledgeable or authoritative, sometimes we like to use ‘special’ word, instead of a small word.
The cure is painless. Keep it simple.
Unless you are writing for a very specialist audience, carefully examine your piece for jargon and if you have included any of the ‘insider’ words, replace them with simpler word or phrase.
If you are writing for a particular group of reader or browsers, it’s perfectly acceptable to use the words of that trade or hobby. For example, you may find yourself needing to use a legal or technical term in order to fully explain an issue or item.
Make sure you have a balance of understandable and jargon words. Above all, don’t use long words to impress when short word will suffice (or should I have written ‘when a short word will do’…..)