Corporate Jargon Clarity Index
Decode the vague phrases people keep dropping in Slack.
Clear breaks down workplace jargon by directness, specificity, tone safety, and async clarity so teams can replace soft shorthand with messages that actually land.
Start with the phrases that create the most guesswork.
These entries have the lowest clarity scores across the whole index.
Rightsize 2/10 clarity
Rightsize Meaning - Clarity Score + Alternatives
Rightsize scores 2/10 for clarity. It sounds tidy, but it often hides whether the real change is cost cutting, role elimination, or a smaller plan. Here are 3 sharper alternatives.
Rightsizing 2/10 clarity
Rightsizing Meaning - Clarity Score + Alternatives
Rightsizing scores 2/10 for clarity. It sounds measured, but it usually hides the concrete impact that people are trying to understand first. Here are 3 sharper alternatives.
In Due Course 2.5/10 clarity
In Due Course Meaning - Clarity Score + Alternatives
In Due Course scores 2.5/10 for clarity. It postpones the answer without telling the reader whether later means today, next month, or never. Here are 3 sharper alternatives.
Move Fast and Break Things 2.5/10 clarity
Move Fast and Break Things Meaning - Clarity Score + Alternatives
Move Fast and Break Things scores 2.5/10 for clarity. It sounds bold, but it blurs which risks are acceptable, which systems cannot break, and who pays the price for the speed. Here are 3 sharper alternatives.
Browse by the kind of confusion a phrase creates.
Some phrases hide a decision. Some soften a deadline. Some just make a simple sentence sound more corporate than it needs to.
Avoidance Phrases
- Circle Back: to return to a topic later (3.1/10) Read entry
- Touch Base: to connect briefly with someone (3.4/10) Read entry
- Check In: to ask for a quick update or reconnect on a topic (4.3/10) Read entry
Capacity And Scope
- Move the Needle: to make a meaningful impact (3.6/10) Read entry
- Low Hanging Fruit: an easy opportunity with relatively high payoff (3.9/10) Read entry
- Bandwidth: available capacity to take on work (4.2/10) Read entry
Tone-Risk Phrases
- Per My Last Email: as stated in my previous email (2.9/10) Read entry
- Going Forward: from now on (3.7/10) Read entry
- Learnings: lessons or takeaways from an experience (4/10) Read entry
Strategy-Speak
- Move Fast and Break Things: prioritize speed even if mistakes or disruption happen (2.5/10) Read entry
- Paradigm Shift: a major change in how something is approached or understood (3/10) Read entry
- Run It Up the Flagpole: to float an idea for reaction from more senior people (3.3/10) Read entry
Polite Softeners
- In Due Course: at some later time, after other steps happen first (2.5/10) Read entry
- Back Burner: something deprioritized for now (2.8/10) Read entry
- Table This: to pause a topic and return to it later (2.8/10) Read entry
Project And Ops
- Double Click: to go deeper into one point or idea (4.3/10) Read entry
- Buy-In: support or agreement from the people who need to back a plan (5/10) Read entry
- Stakeholders: people affected by a decision or responsible for part of it (5/10) Read entry
How it works
Every phrase is scored the same way. The score is based on directness, specificity, tone safety, and async clarity so you can see why a phrase feels vague instead of just being told that it does.
Directness
Does the phrase say what the sender actually wants, or does it force the reader to infer the ask?
Specificity
Does it include the time, owner, or outcome needed to act without a follow-up question?
Tone Safety
How likely is it to sound passive-aggressive, condescending, or emotionally loaded in text?
Async Clarity
Does the meaning hold up in Slack or email without vocal tone, live context, or instant clarification?
Clear fixes the sentence while you type. Paste a vague Slack message into Clear and get a tighter rewrite before your teammate has to guess what you meant.