Wordcraft at Camp: Use vs. Utilize

Julee Briscoe Waldrop, DNP, NC-BC, EBP-C, FAANP, FAAN

Writer’s Camp Counselor

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Wordcraft at Camp offers bite-size lessons on language, clarity, and scholarly style from the counselors at Writer’s Camp.

I remember when one of my writing partners first brought to my attention that use and utilize are not interchangeable. She said it was one of her pet peeves and now it is one of mine. I have observed that many writers use utilize because they think it sounds more professional, formal or academic–but it comes across as a mistake, because it is.

Rule of Thumb

Prefer use for straightforward, intended actions; reserve utilize for novel or unusual purposes.

Quick Definition

• Use = employ something for its intended purpose.
• Utilize = make practical use of something in a novel, unusual, or improvised way (often sounds formal/pretentious when a simple use will do).

In Practice

• Incorrect: “We utilized the PHQ-9 to screen for depression.”
• Correct: “We used the PHQ-9 to screen for depression.”
• Why: The PHQ-9 is designed to screen for depression; that’s an intended use.

• Correct (novel use): “She forgot her hairbrush, so she utilized a fork to comb her hair.”
• Why: The fork is being pressed into service for an unintended purpose.

 

Counselor’s Tip

Choose use almost every time. Reach for utilize only when you need to emphasize an unusual, improvised, or repurposed application—and even then, ask whether use is clearer.

Reference

1. Partridge E. Usage and Abusage: A Guide to Good English. (Whitcut J, ed.). WW Norton; 1997. 

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Author: Julee B. Waldrop

Reviewed and Edited by: Leslie H. Nicoll

Copyright © 2025 Writer’s Camp and Julee Waldrop. CC-BY-ND 4.0

Citation: Waldrop JB. Wordcraft at camp: Use vs. utilize. The Writer’s Camp Journal, 2025; 1(3):4. doi:10.5281/zenodo.17368086