5 alternatives you can use instead of “look at”

This week, I’ve been editing a thesis for a master’s student. One thing I noticed during my editing was that this student seemed to have a preference for the phrase “look at”.

I’ve talked before about replacing prepositional phrases with single words. This post is specific about alternatives you can use for “look at”. The handy thing about this phrase in particular is that there are lots of alternatives.

Here are just 5:

  1. Investigate
  2. Study
  3. Research
  4. Explore
  5. Examine

These aren’t the only options either. You can probably use any synonym you can find for these words.

Repeatedly using the same phrase or word keeps your writing stale. If you regularly replace them with alternatives, on the other hand, you freshen your writing and engage your reader.

By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.