Plethora effect

[Ernesto]

The plethora effect is when kids use words in [college application] or SAT essays that sound good but they dont really know the meaning of. Sometimes theyll accidentally use thme as words that sound similar but have completely different meanings (for example, accidentally saying homeliness instead of homelessness) or sometimes theyll just be totally wrong. It was given the name a few years ago when someone decided that plethora was a good SAT word and everyone started using it in [college essays], much to the chagrin of the people who actually read the things. Its basically a result of kids prepping for the SAT and college process too much. (Starting SAT review books in middle school, taking tons of Princeton Review classes, etc.) Can sometimes be helped with the use of [spellcheck].