Grammar girl here, my new book 101 Trouble Some Words You'll Master in No Time is officially

on sale, and today I'm going to share two more entries from the book to entice you

to buy the whole thing.

The DI prefix in dilemma means two or double, which lend the support to the idea that dilemma

should be used only to describe a choice between two alternatives.

The Associated Press Style book and Garner's Modern American Usage not only support that

limitation, but go further saying that dilemma should be used only for a choice between

two unpleasant options.

Nevertheless, Garner also notes that other uses are ubiquitous.

Marium Webster's Dictionary of English Usage and the Columbia Style Guide to Standard American

Usage say it's fine to use dilemma to describe any serious predicament.

When the American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style takes an intermediate position,

the whole thing is troublesome.

So what should you do?

Is it a dilemma?

Unless you're writing for a publication that requires you to follow a style guide that

limits dilemma to a choice between two bad options, it's not wrong to use dilemma to describe

a difficult problem, even when alternatives aren't involved, or to use dilemma to describe

a difficult choice between pleasant options.

Still, you'll see most clever when you use dilemma to describe a choice between two bad

options.

In other instances, before using dilemma, ask yourself of another word, such as problem,

...