Photo: weheartit
It's not that surprising.
By Caithlin Pena — Written on Feb 08, 2016
Online dating has been on the rise in recent years. According to Pew Research, it has lost much of its stigma; one in five American adults aged 25 to 34 have tried online dating. But just like regular dating, it's not without its obstacles.
Do you wonder why no matter how many interesting things you write about yourself, or no matter how funny your opening line in a chat conversation is, you rarely ever get a response?
Well, it turns out that you may not be getting responses because of your awful grammar and spelling.
The popular writing app Grammarly partnered with the dating site eHarmony "to determine whether the writing skills displayed in people's online dating profiles affect their chances of finding romance."
Grammarly market analyst Michael Mager said, "Online writing strips away social cues like facial expressions and gestures. When you have only your writing speaking for you, it's important to communicate clearly."
For the study, Grammarly reviewed 10,000 male and female eHarmony matches. Fifty percent of that number advanced to two-way conversations, while the other fifty percent didn't. The matches answered questions on their dating profiles, which were analyzed for grammar, spelling, and punctuation accuracy.
What they found reveals the true power of words.
1. Choose your words and language carefully.
It's important for online daters to think about how the words they use make their potential date feel. For example, Grammarly found that men who write "women" are 28 percent more successful than the men who write "girls." It's also important to know how to properly use "whom," as you're 31 percent more likely to get contacts from the opposite sex.
Meanwhile, women should avoid the words "divorce," "separate," and "my ex," as they'll receive four percent fewer messages.
2. Men need to pay attention to their spelling.
No one wants to appear illiterate, but shortcuts and text talk are just so easy to use, right? You may want to re-consider that stance. According to the study, women make twice as many grammar mistakes in their profiles as men. However, this doesn't seem to affect the responses they receive. Men reduce their chances for a match by 14 percent.
This may be because men tend to use 21.9 percent more words than women in their responses. Seeing all those spelling errors and text talk get irritating eventually. Furthermore, American women on OKCupid receive up to 17 more messages than men, so women can afford to be pickier in their matches.
3. Potential dates judge you based on your grammar.
It's a close call, but 88 percent of women and 75 percent of men rank grammar over confidence. Meanwhile, 84 percent of women and 69 percent of men prefer confidence over grammar. So, yes, words do matter and speak so much louder in the world of online dating. Grammar and spelling mistakes are messy; it's like you don't even care enough to make an effort.
Taking the time to properly choose the correct words, and checking your spelling and grammar shows true effort, that you're someone a future partner can trust and commit to. Don't let incorrect and misspelled words ruin your chance to find true love.