There’s a particular mix-up I encounter far too often in the books I read, and it never fails to make me wince. It’s the confusion between wary and weary—two words with entirely different meanings, yet frequently (and bafflingly) misused.
To be wary is to be cautious, alert, or on guard. It’s the word you want when your protagonist is approaching a shadowy alley or giving a suspicious stranger the side-eye.
To be weary, on the other hand, is to be tired—physically, emotionally, or mentally exhausted.
So when a character in a tense confrontation looks at someone “with a weary glance” and then goes on to prepare for battle, I can’t help but groan. Are they sleepy? Or are they simply cautious? More often than not, it’s clear the author meant wary, not ready for a nap.
It’s a small error, yes, but one that disrupts the flow of the story. For writers and readers alike, precision matters. The right word doesn’t just convey meaning—it shapes tone, emotion, and clarity. And when a word is misused, especially one as distinctive as weary in place of wary, it jolts the reader straight out of the world you’ve worked so hard to build.
So please, fellow writers: let’s give these two words the respect they deserve. Be wary of your edits, and don’t let your characters grow weary of misuse.
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