I don’t want to get all up in your business, but no matter how busy you are, make sure you know the difference between “business” vs. “busyness.”
I see the logic of this typo. After all, when you’re talking about the state of being happy, the word is “happiness”; when you mention how someone is savvy, you talk about their “savviness”; when you refer to how something is silly, you mention its “silliness.”
This “-y” to “-iness” transformation is a natural part of our everyday spelling.
The problem is that “business” is already a word.
Therefore, the correct word to use when thinking about the busy nature of your day-to-day is “busyness.”
Side note: When did it become so common for the response to “How are you?” to be “Busy”?
I’ll momentarily forgive the adjective vs. adverb slip, considering a “how” question should be answered with an adverb, but why is this the answer we all give and hear so often? A while back, I made a resolution to stop answering this way myself, not because I wasn’t busy, but because it doesn’t really answer the question, does it? Whether you’re busy or not, you could be doing wonderfully or terribly, after all. The “busy” answer has a variety of meanings too, from stressed to overjoyed, so why don’t we start answering this question a bit more precisely? We’re all busy.
Just a thought. You know editors always have side thoughts on everyday language use…
In the end, though, I hope all is well with you amidst your busyness, whether it’s busyness with your business or otherwise.
Happy writing!
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