Repeated Words
A repeated-word finding identifies adjacent identical words that may be an accidental duplication.
REPEATED_WORDDefinition
Adjacent repetition often results from editing, but can also be grammatical, rhetorical, quoted, or intentional. Detection is easy; deciding whether to delete is editorial.
BAD vs GOOD
The report was was approved.
The report was approved.
Why it matters
Accidental duplication is a common proofing defect that readers notice immediately.
Rule strength
Editorial heuristic. This is not an absolute linguistic law; locale, genre, content, and house style can change the correct decision.
Exceptions and editorial considerations
- Intentional emphasis such as “very, very”, grammatical sequences across clause boundaries, names, quotations, and lyrics.
How to fix it manually
- Read the complete sentence.
- Confirm whether punctuation or a clause boundary makes the repetition legitimate.
- Delete only the accidental occurrence and proof the result.
Adobe InDesign guidance
Navigate to the exact occurrence and edit in context; a blind global replacement can remove valid repetition.
How Avellio detects it
Avellio emits REPEATED_WORD for adjacent identical word tokens under its text guards.
Manual editorial review only.
Language and locale differences
This principle has no separate Avellio locale override in the current registry; composition and house style can still affect judgment.
Authoritative references
- Avellio User Manual — Complete issue identifier referenceAvellio product source
Avellio references document product behavior. External standards and authorities support the general or locale-specific typographic guidance. Where traditions disagree, this page states the disagreement instead of manufacturing one universal rule.