Look a word up in the dictionary to determine whether it’s “real”

We all could benefit from being bolder about challenging the notion of “real” words. If we use a word and we write it down and we all understand its meaning, it’s real, plain and simple. Dictionaries record how people actually use words and sometimes they simply can’t keep up with the pace of change. The word adulting, for instance, is a word most of us have used for years by this point and know well, though you won’t find it in a current standard dictionary. You might also need to make up a word to convey an idea for which there is no “real” word in existence yet (maybe sciencey, not scientific, more accurately describes the sentiment you’re looking to express). And sometimes it just doesn’t matter whether you spell rollercoaster as one word or two; it’s understandable either way.