i just caught myself using the word “conflating” in a casual conversation. that was so embarrassing. i gotta stop reading books

March 28, 2026 - 17:28 UTC

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This doesn't even occur to me as a weird word. Just some insight into how book my mind is
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me too am also happy with not bein 2 smart an also limitin my intelecetual capabilites to fit in wit otther peepl
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Don't panic. The Searchers threw "nonchalant" into a pop song in the 1960s.

(For context, the rest of the lyrics were at the "guitars playing lovely tunes" level of sophistication).
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Books is the devil.
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Don’t force yourself into a procrustean bed. (I just read that word in a book)
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I used the word “large” and everyone stopped and looked at me funny.

“You mean, like, big?”

“There’s a emoji for that”

We all decided to agree that it was a British word and we didn’t use it round here.
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Recently I used "jocular" when coaching u14 soccer and it came out if nowhere.
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The worst is when you go to use a book word and you realize you don't know how to pronounce it. That's how they really know you're a book guy.
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"How do you know the definitions and usage of words you pronounce so poorly?"
Been there.
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The number of times I’ve talked to my wife about politics only to realize mid sentence I’ve never said a name out loud before…
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I heard someone without a moncle use the word "obsequious".
I had to chuckle and tell him that word doesn't actually Work for him.
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To inflate two balloons at once.
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Or definition two, to exaggerate the amount of crime.
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I grew up reading the already old books on my dad’s bookshelves, and I find myself using language that had no place in the second half of the last century. Bringin’ it back.
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It's even worse that you meant inflating and now you just have a bunch of come filled balloons because of a mispronunciation
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I would never conflate conflate with inflate
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I’m sad that there are people that don’t think “conflating” is a perfectly normal word to use. It’s a regular in my vocabulary.
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sheesh, how am i supposed to explain this to my two beautiful sons
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It's a perfectly cromulent word
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You’re not gonna survive in this new America with big fancy words like “conflating“ or “books”
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"Decroded" is arguably worse
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As someone who suffers from Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia, conflating is a gateway word to the other large words. Thank you for your attention to this matter
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being on Bluesky is a good way to achieve that goal
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😬
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egads, what peripatetic discombobulation!
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Careful you're not conflating having a large vocabulary with being erudite
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If you get conflated with helium your head can fly off.
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You know what they say about building a vocabulary: use it three times and it’s yours.
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The problem is, there's no other word that as accurately and concisely means "conflation." That's the thing about having a sizeable vocabulary...it gives you the power of nuance. It's like having a ruler with more tick marks on it.
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This!
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the trick to not sound smart is to just use one sound words when you talk
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Now I know how awkward I am. Marvelous.
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Ha. But having to think through what is common nomenclature and what is not is kind of like what applied behavioral therapy is.
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