ghostwriter
/ˈɡəʊstˌraɪtə/ IELTSAcademic
noun
A ghostwriter is a person who writes a book, article, speech, or other text for someone else. The other person gets the credit, not the writer.
- She hired a ghostwriter for her memoir.
- The politician's speech was written by a ghostwriter.
Adinary Nuance
A ghostwriter is different from an editor, who improves someone else's writing, and from a copywriter, who writes marketing text. It is also different from a freelancer, because not every freelancer writes secretly for another person. Use ghostwriter when one person writes in another person's name.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- người viết thuê
- Spanish
- escritor fantasma
- Chinese
- 代笔者
- Japanese
- ゴーストライター
- Korean
- 대필자
Etymology
The word comes from English ghost, used here for someone invisible or hidden, and writer. It became common in the 20th century.
Common phrases
hire a ghostwriterwork as a ghostwritera celebrity ghostwriter
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is ghostwriter formal or informal?
- It is a normal business and publishing word, and it is fairly formal.
- What is the difference between a ghostwriter and an editor?
- A ghostwriter writes the content. An editor only improves what is already written.
- Can a ghostwriter get credit?
- Usually no. The client gets the public credit, not the ghostwriter.
- Is ghostwriter used in business writing?
- Yes. People use it for speeches, books, blogs, and company content.