Another word confusion I wondered about, newsletter versus newspaper.
It’s simple enough. A newsletter is generally an internal form of communication with news of particular interest that targets a specific group of people.
A newspaper is a public form of communication filled with news, advertisements, editorials, and more that has a more general audience.
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
If you found this post on “Newsletter versus Newspaper” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Newsletter | Newspaper |
|---|---|
 — |
 |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun
Plural: newsletters |
Noun; Verb, intransitive
Plural for the noun: newspapers Third person present verb: newspapers |
| Noun: A bulletin issued periodically to the members of a society, business, or organization
|
Noun: [Often shortened to paper] A printed publication (usually issued daily or weekly) consisting of folded unstapled sheets and containing news, feature articles, advertisements, and correspondence
Verb, intransitive: |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: Newsletters can be printed or electronic and are often sent to customers, employees, or subscribers of a business or organization. Authors setting up a website are encouraged to send out a newsletter, a.k.a. an email, to subscribers. Our apartment building has a monthly newsletter. The company newsletter is useful but dull. It’s not debatable as it’s in newsprint. |
Noun: All the newspapers carried the story. I read this great newspaper article on the truth behind FEMA helping after Hurricane Helene. Murdoch owns many newspapers. She left her muddy boots on a piece of newspaper. Ms Henry joined the newspaper 10 months ago. Other names for newspaper include gazette, tribune, herald, and mercury. Verb, intransitive: John’s newspapered for years. So, are you still newspapering? |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: newsy Noun: newsagent, newscast, newscaster, newspaperdom, newspapering, newspaperman, newspaperwoman |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| First used in the 1670s, newsletter comes from news + letter. | The earliest known use of newspaper comes from news and paper and was in 1667 in the writing of the Earl of Arlington, as a noun. The earliest known use of the verb was in the early 1700s, in the writing of Daniel Defoe. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Building Your Website, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Marketing Help & Resources, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, and/or Writing Ideas and Resources.
Resources for Newsletter versus Newspaper
Some of these links may be affiliate links, and I will earn a small percentage, if you should buy it. It does not affect the price you pay.
Apple Dictionary.com
The Free Dictionary: newspaper
Pinterest Photo Credits
September 2006 Newsletter is courtesy of the National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab). and is under the CC BY 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. Antique Newspaper is in the public domain, via RawPixel.
