Business Visualizations
Discover the Words That Make You Sound Smarter
Vocabulary can reflect aspects of our personality, and it certainly affects first impressions. Many people would prefer to sound intelligent, so the team at Preply examined which words Americans think make other people sound smarter. Regardless of findings, remember that context matters the most when it comes to vocabulary! People react well to skilled communicators and sometimes big words needlessly complicate your message. But if you want to learn some new words and spice up your vocabulary, look no further than Preply’s fun and fascinating findings.
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The team asked Americans which words they use to sound smarter and these were the top ten results:
- Ambiguous
- Articulate
- Exacerbate
- Aesthetic
- Dichotomy
- Conundrum
- Plethora
- Ambivalent
- Frivolous
- Embellish
- Mitigate
As for who uses “big words” and how often, results varied. Half of Americans reported using complex vocabulary multiple times a week. A little over half of Americans admitted that they’ve purposely used complex words to create an impression of intelligence. Gen Z was the most likely to report using vocabulary to appear smarter. 24% even admitted to using a big word, even though they didn’t know the meaning.
People report using impressive words at work, school, and home. Many Americans say they’re impressed by people who use big words at work. 58% of people have used them in job interviews or while networking to give the impression of knowledge and skill. Only 17% of the team’s survey respondents said they automatically assume complex words indicate that someone has more money and success.
35% of survey takers used complex words as a tool of intimidation and said they use them during fights and arguments. Apparently, big words mean power to some people. As for vocabulary choices on a date, the picture shifts. 34% of respondents said they use complex words on a date, but that might be a misstep. 35% of people feel their dates are pretentious when they use lofty language. 27% of daters say they are attracted to people with an impressive vocabulary, so, like all things in dating, you have to find the right person. Gen Xers are the most likely to be impressed by their date’s vocabulary. Big words are no deal breakers. Only 16% of people say that overusing complicated words would ruin the date.
There’s such a thing as taking your vocabulary too far. Half of Americans say they’re annoyed by people who use complex words in everyday conversation. 29% of people said they have tried to end a conversation with someone using unnecessarily complicated words. These were words survey takers thought made the speaker sound pretentious:
- Capricious
- Equanimity
- Sycophant
- Ephemeral
- Ubiquitous
- Dichotomy
- Juxtapose
- Quintessential
- Fastidious
- Incongruous
Notice that some of these words also appeared on the list of words that make others sound smart, so bear in mind that what impresses one person can irritate another. Learning new words is a positive pursuit that can inspire and broaden your horizons, but remember to consider the right time and place for more unusual words.
Business Visualizations
Chart Tracks E-Commerce Brands with the Biggest Gains and Losses
Online shopping, known as e-commerce, took the shopping world by storm. Today, one-fifth of all retail sales come from e-commerce. Economists predict e-commerce will only continue to grow in the coming years. This industry can be lucrative but not without risks. The competition is tight as the team at LLCAttorney proves with this chart tracking the e-commerce brands with the biggest gains and losses. The results show the shifting e-commerce landscape and just how much of a difference there is between leading retailers and struggling brands.
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As we would expect from this global-dominant brand, Amazon leads the e-commerce industry with the biggest gains. In 2025, Amazon’s revenue amounted to a whopping $95.22 billion. Ever since Amazon debuted as a bookseller in 1994, it has had a meteoric rise, earning more each year. The biggest leap in the company’s earnings occurred between 2017 and 2018, with a 172.8% increase. Amazon only suffered one year in the red after it invested heavily in Rivian, a failed electric vehicle venture. Amazon’s massive catalog of over 12 million products, its entertainment subscription services, digital books, and convenient, fast delivery service make Amazon the powerhouse it is today.
Right behind Amazon, we find the Chinese brand, Alibaba, which earned $21.76 billion in 2025. Alibaba sells a wide range of products at wholesale prices. You’ll find electronics, home goods, beauty products, and even industrial supplies in their offerings. Alibaba’s business-to-business marketplace, which connects small and mid-size businesses directly to manufacturers, allows them to source bulk goods and makes this brand a popular choice. Other Chinese brands top the e-commerce earnings list too, like PDD Holdings (Pinduoduo) and Jingdong Mall (JD.com). Each of the top four e-commerce companies earned over 5 billion in revenue.
Turning to the other end of the chart, we find the brand with the most losses in 2025: Lightspeed POS. They reported a devastating $670 million loss. They earned $1.15 billion, but it wasn’t enough to cover their expenses. This Canadian e-commerce brand is a point-of-sale system for retailers and restaurants. It was once considered a promising company with rapid growth, but its revenue has shrunk significantly in the past few years as competitors have taken bites out of Lightspeed POS’s market. The British brand, ASOS, a clothing retailer, also suffered a massive $500 billlion loss in 2025. American brand Wayfair suffered losses, too, which is surprising considering its past popularity as an affordable home goods retailer with a big selection.
The figures we see here demonstrate that e-commerce is an industry with diverse companies and varying success rates. With tremendous gains and equally earth-shattering losses, we can see e-commerce is volatile, competitive, full of opportunities and challenges alike. The team’s data show that the industry’s biggest giants will be difficult to surpass. Companies like Amazon have set an astronomically high bar for success.
Business Visualizations
Key Statistics Help Us Understand Customer Churn
Customers have an abundance of choice in all industries these days. When customers switch to a new option, companies call this “customer churn.” Customer churn can be a major detriment to business. In nearly every industry, loyal repeat customers can make or break a business. The team at Qualtrics helps us understand the state of customer churn in the past year with 30 key statistics illustrating the landscape. They took a well-rounded approach to their research, using facts that reveal how many customers are leaving, which industries have high churn, and other factors that help us understand why customer churn happens and how to prevent it.
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Customer churn gives businesses a way to quantify how well they’re retaining customers. Churn rate is calculated by dividing the number of customers lost over a set period of time by the total number of customers at the start of that period. This calculation yields the number of customers who didn’t return to do business. High churn rates often signal poor retention strategies or a mismatch between what customers expected and received. We can’t underestimate competitor appeal, though. The team’s data shows that 71% of businesses list price increases as their number one reason for losing customers.
The data make it clear that churn rates vary widely across industries. 61% of retail companies say churn rates are one of the biggest challenges in their quest for success. This could be due to the high level of competition and vastly different prices found in the retail sector. Financial, cable, and credit companies experience high churn rates too, around 25%. We can conclude that spending and saving may have the greatest impact on churn, based on industry rates. The big-box electronics industry only has an 11% churn rate, possibly due to fewer choices, but it may have stronger brand loyalty. For example, you’ll rarely see an X-Box fan make the switch to PlayStation. Speaking of the gaming space, apps don’t enjoy the same low churn rate as consoles might. With a 27.7% churn rate, many people give up on gaming apps and try something new after 30 days.
Data might point the way to solutions to reduce customer churn. We can see subscription-based companies with an exceptionally low churn rate of 3.27%. Software and business subscriptions have lower churn rates than digital media and entertainment subscriptions, but they are still among the lowest we’re seeing. A subscription-based service works hard to keep its subscribers, so maybe other types of businesses could learn something from its strategies. For example, social media apps have an enormous churn rate of 93.3% over 24 months. It’s clear that whatever value customers hoped to get from the platform didn’t materialize.
This information-rich graphic leaves us with a lot to think about. By comparing churn rates across industries, we can reflect on key differences that affect these numbers. Perhaps the most important statistic to hold on to is that U.S. companies could save over $35 billion per year by reducing their churn rates.
Business Visualizations
These States Have Been The Fastest to Adopt AI in the Workplace
AI is spreading rapidly, especially in the workplace. According to surveys, 46% of American workers have used AI a few times in the past year. As the AI industry rapidly expands, Ooma examined how quickly U.S. states are adopting artificial intelligence in the workplace with a data-driven snapshot of current usage and future expectations. Using U.S. Census Bureau survey data, the team’s work highlights geographic trends and broader implications for business as AI becomes more enmeshed in daily business dealings.
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The team’s research ranks states on two key metrics: current AI adoption (whether businesses have recently used AI tools) and projected adoption (whether businesses expect to use AI in the near future). These combined elements allow us to see not only where AI is already in use, but where momentum is building. The infographic provides a visual way to compare states and identify these patterns.
One of the most striking findings is that Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada lead the way in the current AI usage. Over one-fifth of his businesses have recently adopted AI. Colorado stands out as a top state, with 25% of businesses already using AI in some capacity. These tools can include machine learning, virtual assistants, natural language processing, and other AI capabilities, supplementing everyday business tasks such as data analysis, communication, and customer service.
The map also reveals that the same states dominate in projections for future AI use. Colorado and Arizona take top rankings once again. This suggests that early adopters are more likely to keep investing in AI and remain in their leadership positions. States like Utah and Texas ranked highly in future projections, indicating these are emerging areas for AI growth.
We can see states on the opposite end of the spectrum, lagging behind the leaders. West Virginia, Alaska, and parts of the Northeast report much lower levels of current and anticipated use. Even though it’s an economically robust and influential state, New York ranks low for adoption, showing that size and economic power don’t always indicate rapid AI growth.
The team’s work suggests that differences might be influenced by factors like industry composition, workforce skills, and access to tech infrastructure. States with strong technology sectors and a growing startup economy are the most likely to adopt AI quickly, while states with more traditional economies and heavy reliance on physical labor might have slower transitions.
Remember that AI adoption is still in the early stages. Even in leading states, only one in four businesses reports using AI, so there’s still a lot of room for growth. This aligns with broader trends showing AI is expanding rapidly, but it hasn’t yet reached saturation.
The article paints a picture of a fragmented but rapidly spreading AI landscape in the U.S. While some states lead the charge, widespread adoption is still rolling out and could shake up these rankings a lot in the coming years.
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