Hedging & Weasel Words

What It Does

Identifies hedge words (somewhat, rather, quite), certainty hedges (probably, perhaps, seemingly), vague quantifiers (some people, various), and weasel phrases (it is said that, needless to say) that weaken narrative voice.

Uses NLP to verify single-word hedges are functioning as adverbs in context.

Why It Matters

Hedge words signal uncertainty in narration, which undercuts the reader's immersion:

• Hedged: "She was somewhat disappointed."
• Direct: "Disappointment tightened her jaw."

In narration, commit to the description. In dialogue or internal thought, hedging can be intentional characterization — so the analyzer skips dialogue lines.

What Gets Flagged

Degree Hedges

Severity: Hint

Words that weaken adjectives and verbs: somewhat, rather, quite, slightly, fairly, a bit, sort of, kind of, pretty much.

Certainty Hedges

Words that undermine authority: probably, possibly, perhaps, maybe, seemingly, apparently, it seems, it appears.

Weasel Phrases

Phrases that hide the source: it is said that, it is believed, needless to say, it goes without saying, as a matter of fact.

Vague Quantifiers

Non-specific amounts: some people, many people, a number of, various.

Example (flagged):

It is said that the king was rather cruel.

Why: Two hedges — "it is said that" hides the source, and "rather" weakens "cruel."

Suggested revision:

The king's cruelty was legendary.

Dialogue Awareness

The analyzer skips dialogue lines — hedging in speech is natural characterization.

Configuration

No configuration options.

Technical Details

• Source: prose-craft
• Scope: Line-level (skips dialogue lines)
• Method: Phrase matching + NLP adverb verification for single-word hedges