Apr 15, 2014

Grammar Hammer: Irregardless, I still wouldn’t use this word

the Grammar Hammer

nonstandard wordsIrrespective. Irrational. Irregular. Is irregardless a word?

Even though I, the Grammar Hammer, would never use the word “irregardless,” it is in fact listed in the dictionary and used over and over in conversations, on blogs, social networks, and other websites.

“Irregardless” is used when people are describing something “without regard” to something else.

For example: “Irregardless, I’m taking that trip to Vegas this weekend,” said Bob.

What that sentence is trying to communicate is that despite having neither time nor money, Bob is still going to Vegas.

Adding the prefix –ir to regardless creates a double negative (essentially saying something is without without regard).

So, why is this word in the dictionary? The American Heritage Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, and Oxford English Dictionary all list irregardless as a word with the notation that it is considered a “non-standard” word.

Non-standard words include dialect, colloquialisms, and jargon. Yes, these are words too, but their usage is considered common language (examples – “gonna,” “ain’t,” etc.) compared to the “standard” words (those words defined as the language spoken by educated native speakers).

My advice is, as always, to consider your audience for whom you are writing or speaking. If I’m scheduled to give a presentation to my work colleagues I’m not going to say, “Irregardless, I ain’t gonna go into too much detail.” If I’m writing something more casual (it is, after all, National Poetry Month), I still wouldn’t use irregardless, but I might use “gonna.” (I like that one.)

What are your favorite non-standard words that are in the dictionary but not words you would actually speak or write?



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