Writing Tip 207: “Business” Vs. “Busyness” - Kris Spisak

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Bee “Business” vs. “Busyness”
You can refer to a bee’s busyness, but if you’re referring to its business, that doesn’t quite make sense—unless it’s an entrepreneurial bee, making the most of its local honey, of course.

I don’t want to get all up in your business, but no matter how busy you are, make sure you know the difference between “business” vs. “busyness.”

I see the logic of this typo. After all, when you’re talking about the state of being happy, the word is “happiness”; when you mention how someone is savvy, you talk about their “savviness”; when you refer to how something is silly, you mention its “silliness.”

This “-y” to “-iness” transformation is a natural part of our everyday spelling.

The problem is that “business” is already a word.

Therefore, the correct word to use when thinking about the busy nature of your day-to-day is “busyness.”

Side note: When did it become so common for the response to “How are you?” to be “Busy”?

I’ll momentarily forgive the adjective vs. adverb slip, considering a “how” question should be answered with an adverb, but why is this the answer we all give and hear so often? A while back, I made a resolution to stop answering this way myself, not because I wasn’t busy, but because it doesn’t really answer the question, does it? Whether you’re busy or not, you could be doing wonderfully or terribly, after all. The “busy” answer has a variety of meanings too, from stressed to overjoyed, so why don’t we start answering this question a bit more precisely? We’re all busy.

Just a thought. You know editors always have side thoughts on everyday language use…

In the end, though, I hope all is well with you amidst your busyness, whether it’s busyness with your business or otherwise.

Happy writing!

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Tag » How Do You Spell Busy