I’m currently reading The Duke and I and the author is constantly using the word “acerbic”. I had never heard of the word before now and had to google the definition. The word has shown up so much that I’m tempted to go through the book and count its appearances lol.
Have you noticed any authors having favorite words that they use page after page?
They’re called “Echoes” or “Echo words”.
It’s an editor’s job to remove them from the final manuscript. Writers tend not to write many chapters at once, or read through cover to cover so get “tunnel vision” when self editing. They might go back to an unfinished chapter and repeat words or phrases, forgetting they have just used that the day before. It’s incredibly common. Just like a musician playing their favourite lick, or drum fill.
Source: wife is an editor