Glossary

Acronym / Initialism

Acronyms and initialisms are both types of abbreviations formed from the initial letters of a phrase, but their pronunciation differs.

• Initialisms are pronounced by spelling out each letter.
• BBC, CPU, EU, CTA
• Acronyms are pronounced as a single word.
• NATO, laser, NASA, radar
• First occurrence: when using an acronym or initialism for the first time in a piece of content, write the full term followed by its abbreviation in parentheses. The abbreviation can then be used on its own from this point on.
• The European Union (EU) is working on new regulations.
• Pluralisation: add an s to the abbreviation, without apostrophe.
• CVs, NGOs, POCs, POs, (MMO)RPGs.

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Call to Action (CTA)

Text that prompts a user to perform a specific action, often referring to the clickable UI element itself (like a button or link).

• Save changes
• Download report

Provide clear context (like warnings or consequences of an action) elsewhere in the UI. This allows your CTA button text to remain short and direct.

Example: The warning below could lead to two CTAs.

Attention: Deleting your profile will permanently revoke your access to the platform via this email address. If you want to keep access, go to settings to save or edit your profile.

• CTA 1: Go to settings
• CTA 2: Delete profile permanently

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Capitalisation

Refers to the use of uppercase (CAPITAL) and lowercase (capismal - huhu) letters. Consistent capitalisation enhances user experience when it comes to readability, tone, and accessibility.
See Capitalisation for detailed guidelines.

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Case

Refers to specific styles of capitalisation used for text, such as in titles or sentences.

• Sentence case: a capitalisation style where only the first word of a sentence (or heading/title) is capitalised, along with any proper nouns or other words requiring capitals for specific reasons.
• Title case: a capitalisation style where the first letter of most words is capitalised (minor words like short articles or prepositions are often excluded).

Be warned:

Cases to Avoid

For user interface text, never use:

• ALL UPPERCASE is difficult to read and often perceived as shouting.
• DO YOUR RESEARCH: VACCINES IMPLANT 5G IN CHILDREN
• Alternating Caps (SpOnGeCaSe) impair readability and implies insult when used in quotes.
• dO YoUr rEsEaRcH: vAcCiNeS ImPlAnT 5g iN ChIlDrEn

Sentence case must be used in most UI situations.

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Compound modifier (compound adjective)

Two or more words acting together as a single adjective before a noun.

• Real-time data, high-voltage system, state-of-the-art solution.

Compound modifiers often require hyphenation for clarity. See Punctuation - Hyphen.

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Contraction

A shortened form of a word or group of words, with an apostrophe marking the omitted letters:

• It is → it's
• Do not → don't
• Must not → mustn't

Contractions can make text more conversational, but make sure they don't reduce clarity, especially for non-native English speakers.
See Punctuation for guidance on usage.

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Currency ISO code

A three-letter code defined by the International Organization for Standardization's ISO 4217 to represent currencies.

• EUR: Euro
• GBP: Pound Sterling
• USD: US Dollar

Use for precision, especially in official or financial contexts. Place the code before the amount, separate the code from the amount with a non-breaking space, and make sure to follow standard formatting for thousands separators or decimal points.

• Total cost: EUR 1 000

See Currency for more details.

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Dash

See Hyphen entry below.

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English as a Second Language (ESL)

Refers to individuals who are learning or using English when it is not their native language.
Our guidelines aim for clarity for all users, including ESL speakers. This often translates into the following guidelines:

• Favour common words over jargon or complex idioms.
• Use simple sentence structures.
• Beware how contractions and nuanced phrasing might be interpreted.
• Prioritise directness and explicit wording.

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Heading

Text used to introduce a section of content. Headings are typically styled (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to indicate their level in the document's structure.
Clear, well-structured headings are crucial for scannability and accessibility. See Capitalisation and Punctuation sections for more details.

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Hyphen -, en dash –, em dash —

These three punctuation marks are often confused but serve very distinct purposes.

• The hyphen - is a short mark used primarily to join words or parts of words.
• Please refer to punctuation for detailed guidelines.
• The En Dash – is longer than the hyphen, and typically used to indicate a range or connection.
• Use for ranges of dates, numbers, or time: June–August, Pages 50–100, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM
• The Em Dash —, the longest of the three, is used to mark an abrupt change in thought, for emphasis, or to set off parenthetical statements.
• The results were conclusive—immediate action was required.

Using the correct mark improves readability and professionalism. See the Punctuation section for detailed usage guidelines.

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Oxford comma (or serial comma)

The comma used before the final conjunction (usually "and" or "or") in a list of three or more individual items.

• The system requires input, processing, and output.

Be warned:

When two items in a list form a single item or a subgroup of items within the list, don't use the Oxford comma to highlight the closer relations between these items.

• Hyphen, En dash and Em dash
• Sports, culture, health and nutrition, and other topics we have written articles about for the blog.

Using the Oxford comma is recommended to enhance clarity and prevent ambiguity. See the Punctuation section for more details and examples.

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Sentence > Phrase

Understanding the distinction between a phrase and a sentence is key to applying grammar and punctuation rules correctly.

• Phrase: a group of related words that functions as a single unit within a sentence. A phrase cannot express a complete thought as it typically lacks a subject and its corresponding verb.
• "The new system" and "High-voltage systems" are noun phrases without a verb expressing action or state.
• "was activated quickly" and "require" are verb phrases without a subject doing or being anything.
• "under the new regulations" and "careful handling." are prepositional phrases floating in the void.
• Sentence: a group of words that expresses a complete thought. It contains at least a subject (who or what is doing or being something) and a predicate (the main verb telling what the subject does or is).
• "The new system was activated quickly under the new regulations."
• "High-voltage systems require careful handling."

Recognise the difference: punctuation (like end stops) and capitalisation rules often apply to sentences but not necessarily to isolated phrases. Make sure your sentences always form a complete thought.

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UI (User Interface) element

Any distinct component of a user interface that users see or interact with: buttons, labels, tooltips, menus, input fields, alerts.

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Verb

A word or a multi-word construction (main verb with auxiliary/helping verbs or particles) that expresses an action, an occurrence, or a state of being.
Multi-word constructions take many forms:

• "is processing": verb phrase; present continuous
• "will be updated": verb phrase; future; passive
• "look up": phrasal verb
• "get on with": phrasal-prepositional verb
• etc.

English conjugation and tense usage rules can confuse non-native speakers and non-native writers. Make your life easier by keeping things simple, clear, and focused on content rather than form.

• Use clear, strong, single-word verbs.
• Favour single-word verbs to enhance clarity and concision.
• Keep the parts of multi-word verbs together as a single unit.