Probably, Not Prolly!

Do you cringe when someone scratches her fingernails down a blackboard or clicks her teeth against a metal utensil? Well, I have the same feeling when I read prolly in someone’s Facebook comment or blog post.

I was all ready to write, “Prolly isn’t a word! Please avoid using it! Go for the real word, probably, instead.” Before I began my post, however, I did some research. It turns out, prolly has entries in several dictionaries. (You don’t know how much it pained me to write that last sentence.” It’s accepted as a spoken colloquialism.

Spoken colloquialism.

There it is. Spoken. It’s accepted as a spoken word. If you use the word in your manuscripts, make sure you’re using it in dialog.

I also avoid using it in Facebook posts, too.

But that’s just me.

Happy New Year!

Happy Writing!

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her publications include three novels Irish Encounter and Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts as well as nonfiction articles. A member of ACFW, RWA, and SinC, she writes for SeriousWriter.com. She and her husband live in North Carolina and enjoy visits with their two daughters and twin sons.