The number of writers who confuse these two adjectives is frightening.

Abhorrent is something that is horrifying, that would cause you to at least jump back because you’re startled. To wit, She found the dead cockroach floating in her soup absolutely abhorrent.

Aberrant, however, is something that is a little weird. For example, The culmination of her aberrant behavior came with the wearing of a long, trailing wedding dress to the funeral.

Now that you know the difference between these two words, readers of your books never should have to shudder or recoil in horror over their misuse.

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My name is Rob Bignell. I’m an affordable, professional editor who runs Inventing Reality Editing Service, which meets the manuscript needs of writers both new and published. I also offer a variety of self-publishing services. During the past decade, I’ve helped more than 300 novelists and nonfiction authors obtain their publishing dreams at reasonable prices. I’m also the author of the 7 Minutes a Day… writing guidebooks, four nonfiction hiking guidebook series, and the literary novel Windmill. Several of my short stories in the literary and science fiction genres also have been published.