Are you EXTREMELY or VERY stressed? (and, is there a difference?)
I wasn’t an English major, and I’m certainly not a grammar expert. I couldn’t tell you much about diagramming sentences or the finer points of verbs and adverbs. Honestly, I overuse commas, rely on asterisks for emphasis, and my book editor told me I’m too loose with the em-dash.
*However*, I can tell you a thing or two about redundant, repetitive language. (See what I did there?) This past week, I’ve come across several surveys with scales that include two upper-limit options, like extremely and very. Below is an example from a SurveyMonkey template. (Oh the horror—that means they’re actually recommending this question to people!)
Here’s my question: what’s the real difference between extremely and very? Instinctively, we might think extremely is just a little more than very. But I looked it up to double-check my hunch—and guess what? They’re actually synonyms. Both mean “a lot” or “to a high degree.” In fact, the Oxford Languages definition of extremely even uses the word very!
So why include both on your scale?
By giving respondents two nearly identical options, you’re asking them to split hairs over something that doesn’t have a meaningful difference. And that’s the kind of confusion we want to avoid in good survey design.
Good surveys are simple, with clear answer choices for everyone.
Having to choose between extremely and very isn’t clear for the survey taker—and it’s definitely not clear for you! I mean, I know I wouldn’t want to explain that difference in a report!
If I were creating a template for SurveyMonkey (just waiting for their call...), I'd do something along the lines of:
In a typical week, how often do you feel stressed about work? (see that subtle change? I could be stressed about work at home...)
Never
Rarely (I'd love a more simple word here, and always struggle with this...suggestions??)
Sometimes
Often
When you’re working on your surveys, make sure each answer choice is meaningfully different. Definitely don't use any synonyms unless you are asking people want word they prefer :)
