Our key counseling words are ambiguous and misleading. There are a number of possible meanings that could be supplied for each. The words do not have identifiable agreed‐upon relationships to significant events in real life. The result is miscommunication and misunderstanding. The negative effects on counseling research and training are discussed. The points are illustrated by reference to “counseling.” Words should clearly symbolize or describe identifiable events in real life. Writers should try to use words the reality of which can be verified. Readers need to stay reality‐oriented instead of word‐oriented, especially when the relationship between words and reality i