Common Grammar Mistakes Made in Dating Profiles

I’ll be the first to admit that bad grammar is a big turn off, especially for a former English major. There’s nothing that makes me cringe more than seeing bad grammar i.e. it’s vs its. It turns out I am not alone. Many women I’ve personally spoke to let me know that bad grammar and typos is a big no-no. And according to Grammarly and Eharmony’s research, just two spelling errors in your online dating profile could reduce the likelihood of a response by 14%. So next time you work on your online dating profile, send that text/email, be mindful of the most common mistakes we make in the English language.

5. Use of made up words

Urban Dictionary may have officially added LOL into the vocabulary but that doesn’t mean acronyms can replace the proper use of words. If you find yourself using more than two acronyms in a sentence, please stop. Take the time to spell it out. Also please do not turn nouns into verbs i.e. You like having conversations with someone vs You like conversating with someone. Conversating is not a word.

4. Watch your apostrophes

Misuse of apostrophes is common in both social and professional context. It’s vs Its, You’re vs Your. When in doubt about what to use, spell it out i.e. It’s = It is, You’re = You are. Once you spell it out and put it in the context of a sentence, you’ll know whether it makes sense or not.

3. It is a lot, not alot

The spelling of some words is debatable but not this one. It is always a lot and not alot.

2. Hold the punctuation

So you’ve met a really cool guy/girl and you want to show your enthusiasm and excitement with a few !!!. One of two is a nice touch but if you’re ending every sentence with an exclamation mark, you’ll mine as well be shouting with capitalised sentences. Use your words to express your passion and excitement, not just with punctuation.

1. Sometimes less is more

It’s easy to get caught up with telling a new love interest everything you love to do but if you’re sending him essays worth of text and he’s responding with 1-2 liners, there may be a mismatch in the levels of commitment. My simple rule of thumb here is to match the other person’s level of commitment. If he puts in the effort to write paragraphs of text, you can do the same (though if it’s getting to that point, I’d suggest taking it offline). Online dating apps are only meant to be a platform to meet new people, not a platform to start and continue a relationship.

Having good grammar is such a tiny part of creating a great profile but it makes a big difference in helping you make a great first impression. In work and in life, I consult Grammarly to cross reference my grammar and punctuation. Grammarly’s writing app finds and corrects hundreds of complex writing errors — so you don’t have to.

Want to know what men really think about your online dating profile?

Read my free report from 100 interviews with men. Free online dating ebook. 

*I’m proud to recommend Grammarly in love and life. Whether I get paid to say this or not, I genuinely think the app is a time saver. Affiliate links enclosed.

This post was proofread by Grammarly