A to Z of style

Avoid, except where it is specifically used in a brand name or trademark, or in rare cases where we are limited by the available space.

Where you use this symbol to mean either, do not surround it with spaces. So: and/or.

Use the % symbol, not the word percent. If you are compelled to spell it out for some reason then note that both percent and per cent are acceptable — but let’s favour percent, to be consistent.

Favour the £ symbol over the word pounds for most purposes.

Only use decimal places for pence unless this level of precision is warranted for the context.

Some currencies share the same symbol. In the unlikely need to disambiguate — say, between the United Kingdom pound and the Egyptian pound — use the appropriate codes or abbreviations, and be consistent. So: Code GBP in comparison to EGP; or, abbreviation GB£ in comparison to E£.

Note that expectations for the order and spacing of different currency symbols varies a great deal — see How to Format 30+ Currencies from Countries All Over the World (external URL).

Lower case. Hyphenated.

Lower case. Hyphenated.

Before an acronym, let pronunciation be your guide:

Use abbreviations with care. Don’t take it for granted that all readers are familiar with an abbreviation.

For example, you wouldn’t usually need to expand BBC if the subject is popular media and your audience is British.

alternating current.

See also abbreviations.

We define an acronym as a set of initial letters of words, which we then pronounce as a word (PIN; NASA).

We define an initialism as a set of initial letters of words, which we do not pronounce as a word (BBC; IP).

In general, you should use upper case for both acronyms and initialisms. But note the common exceptions:

See dates and times.

A Latin term that means as needed. Two words, no hyphen. However, avoid this term and use plain English instead.

Advice = noun. Advise = verb. So: I advise you, but you might not heed my advice.

Two words, hyphenated. See also plugin; plug in.

Where you mean to convey influence or change:

Where you mean to convey action, use effect. So: they wish to effect a change in consumer behaviour.

Where you mean to convey pretence, use affect for both verbs and adjectives. So: she affected a convincing accent.

Where you use these terms in the sense of early product release, use upper case. In prose, be sure to use the correct sense. So: this is an ALPHA release, not this is in ALPHA.

Do not place spaces around the forward slash.

Two words, hyphenated.

One word.

application programming interface.

Use your judgement here. Words like allows, needs, offers and permits are anthropomorphic, but generally acceptable. For more explanation see Your device has no feelings: Avoiding awkward anthropomorphization in technical writing (external URL).

As an adjective: two words, hyphenated. Commonly used to describe the power and communications state of mobile phones and other devices.

application, as in a computer programme.

This term is usual in the context of a 'mobile' operating system, such as Android or iOS — even where the actual device is static, as with a TV set top box.

In the context of a 'standard' operating system or computing device, such as a desktop or laptop PC, it is more usual to use the full term application.

Specific features in Microsoft Windows that may activate when the user connects a storage device. Note the capitalisation.

One word. Lower case.

bit. Lower case.

byte. Upper case. There are eight bits in a byte. Orders of magnitude in computing are complicated by the technical difference between decimal and binary quantities. See Kilobyte (external URL).

Two words, hyphenated. Nouns that relate to software, especially where a database is concerned.

One word. Refers to a hidden method of access that will bypass the normal authentication systems.

Backup = noun. Make a backup of your data.

Back up = verb. Back up your software to a USB stick.

One word.

Lower case.

basic input/output system.

Trademark. Note the capitalisation.

One word. Also note the opposite term whitelist.

Can be a noun or a verb. Don’t use weblog, except to explain the etymology of the word blog.

Two words.

Note the capitalisation and the hyphen.

Note the capitalisation and the lack of a hyphen.

Aside from markup in the source code for content, use brackets in the content as follows:

Synonymous terms. They mean The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Use your judgement, but in general favour UK and United Kingdom over Britain and British — UK interests, rather than British interests.

Note that Great Britain = Wales, Scotland and England — that is, the main land mass in the UK. Therefore, Great Britain and Northern Ireland can make sense in some cases, but Britain and Northern Ireland does not.

Noun. Two words, hyphenated. Don’t confuse with in-built.

See also steps (ordered lists).

These terms refer to the 'non-personal' information and systems that people access through personal devices. Favour these terms over others like corporate information or enterprise systems.

bring your own device. The scenario in which staff use their own personal devices to access corporate systems and business data.

Always expand this acronym on first use. So: this is more commonly known as 'bring your own device' (BYOD).

Avoid BYOD device as this is repetitive (tautological).

In general, favour normal sentence capitalisation and avoid other modes of capitalisation. However, there are many exceptions, so we clarify some common examples here.

For more detail on capitalisation in relation to government, see the Government Digital Service style guide at A to Z (external URL).

Do capitalise (that is, use title capitalisation):

Do not capitalise (that is, use normal sentence capitalisation):

Do not use UPPER CASE for emphasis.

A Latin term that we use to mean approximately. Avoid this term and favour plain English instead — unless you mean to refer to a period in history in the appropriate academic sense.

In the absence of other guidance for a project, default to the Harvard referencing method.

For simple cases, the format is like this: {'article title inside single quote marks'}, {publication in italics}, {issue, or date}. For example: 'Collaboration: the future of content', ISTC Communicator, Summer 2019.

Clean-up = adjective. Clean up = verb.

Lower case. So: Use of cloud services.

One word.

Some contractions are okay, as we don’t want to sound too formal — such as they’ve, we’ll, can’t and don’t.

Avoid others like should’ve, could’ve and would’ve, and don’t use incorrect perversions of these contractions such as should of or coulda. Similarly, avoid they’re — or at least use the correct homophone for the context (they’re/their/there).

Two words, no hyphen. Favour this term to describe any device that belongs to the business (as opposed to the employee). See also business data; business systems.

Two words, hyphenated.

Two words, hyphenated. See also quotation marks; quote marks; quotes.

Avoid if possible, but if you must use this term then be sure to hyphenate it.

curriculum vitae. As with other initialisms — upper case, no full stops.

This term is often used in combination with other terms that relate to the electronic medium of digital networks — including the Internet. With the exception of the word cyberspace, separate cyber in phrases (cyber security; cyber attack; cyber criminal). Hyphenate for clarity when you compound terms with cyber to form an adjective (cyber-aware systems).

Use this plural in the singular fashion: the data is encrypted, not the data are encrypted.

Though this is technically incorrect, it is in such common use that it sounds more natural to most people.

No hyphens.

One word, no hyphen.

One word, no hyphen.

There’s no one 'right way', but here are some good conventions:

Three words, hyphenated.

One word. Lower case — unless it is part of a proper noun, of course. So: desktop operating systems; Windows Desktop.

A general term for electronic items, especially laptop computers, smartphones and tablets. See also BYOD.

One word, no hyphen.

decibel. Note the capitalisation.

database management system.

distributed denial of service. Lower case 'o'. See also DoS.

Discreet = careful not to attract attention. Discrete = having a clear independent shape or form.

A digital display interface standard. Note the capitalisation.

direct memory access.

denial of service. Lower case 'o'. See also DDoS. Do not confuse with DOS, as in Microsoft’s old Disk Operating System.

One word. Indicative of time that a service is unavailable. Note also the opposite term uptime.

These are contractions of 'electronic <something>'. Do not hyphenate everyday examples like ebook, ecommerce and email — and do not insert needless capital letters (eBook).

Capitalise as normal if you mean the proper noun, and not if you don’t. So: we live on planet Earth; the Earth is round; I’ve got on earth on my shoes.

Idioms follows their own rules, but usually use lower case. So: Down to earth; four corners of the earth); earthly concerns.

One word, no hyphen. Lower case.

A contraction of a Latin term that we use to mean for example or such as. Lower case. No stops.

However, avoid this term and use plain English instead.

If you really must use it for some reason, then use it at the start of a new sentence or parenthesis, with a comma. So: Eg, like this or (eg, like this).

Do not confuse with ie, which has a different meaning.

Do not use. Use Ireland.

One word, no hyphen. Lower case.

Use bold styling for emphasis, not UPPER CASE or italics.

Hyphenate.

One word.

Three words, no hyphens. Lower case.

Refers to the full range of risks that an organisation or business enterprise may face. This may include, legal, operational, financial, health and safety, competitive and information risk. The management of enterprise risk implies consideration of all such risks collectively. See also risk.

Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

If you must use this abbreviation of the Latin term then do not end it with a full stop (unless it is at the end of a sentence of course!) — but see etcetera.

A Latin term that we use to mean and so on.

However, avoid this term and use plain English instead. Better yet, consider whether you can make a more concise and complete statement rather than leave the reader with questions about what the 'other stuff' you allude to might be.

See end user device.

A laptop computer interface standard that replaces the earlier PCMCIA. Note the capitalisation.

frequently asked questions. Note that there is no apostrophe.

Two words, hyphenated.

Farther refers to length or distance — it is the comparative form of the word far. Use this word in relation to physical distance.

Further can mean to a greater degree, additional, or also, in reference to time, amount or continuation. Use this word for metaphorical or figurative distance or degree. Avoid continuations with this word — use also or consider whether you can make a simpler sentence.

See Topic titles and topic file names.

Two words, hyphenated. Idiomatic — consider a plain-English alternative.

There is much debate on this as both 's' and 'ss' are in common use — but strictly we should use a single 's', so let’s stick to this for consistency. So: focused; focusing; focuses (verb); foci (plural noun).

Do not use outdated terms like bulletin board or message board unless you mean to refer to a legacy system.

Adjective: two words, hyphenated.

giga. See also byte.

gigabits. See also byte.

gigabytes. See also byte.

gigahertz. Note the capitalisation.

One word.

Lower case unless it’s part of a title. So: UK government; China’s government; the government; Government Digital Service. Note that Welsh Government does exist as a title.

Half = noun. Halve = verb. Halves = plural of half. So: You halve the apple into two halves. Then we’ll each eat a half.

Use only standard capitalisation, also known as sentence case. Never use title case or full upper case for headings. Get some tips on how to construct good headings at Titles and headings.

Adjective: Two words, hyphenated.

One word, unless you mean to refer to a specific page that is actually named 'Home' of course. So: Our homepage is actually called the Home page. Note that web page is two words.

It can be tricky to use hyperlinks well in documentation. Get some tips at Write effective hyperlinks

See also e-words.

Be careful with words that end with ing, especially gerunds (that is, verb forms which function as nouns, such as 'running').

It is all too easy to use such words in ways that weaken the text and create more room for doubt. Use more descriptive verbs or more plain and powerful phrases instead.

For more information, see Are -ing words really that bad? (external URL).

infrastructure as a service. Note lower case 'a’s.

Avoid idioms and other figurative and informal expressions.

That said, there is a difference between informative content, such as instructions, and entertainment content, such as short stories. This style guide is mostly concerned with standards for informative content, to make it as clear as possible.

For entertainment content — such as short stories — it is okay to add interest through a more varied use of UK English.

Persuasive content — such as marketing materials — must be engaging. This may mean that you use a certain amount of informal language. But you must know your target audiences particularly well so that you can craft your message and adapt it for each case to be sure of a positive reception.

A contraction of a Latin term that we use to mean that is. Lower case, no stops. Use it with a comma before and after, ie, like this — or in parenthesis, with a comma after (ie, like this). Do not confuse with eg, which has a different meaning.

However, avoid this term and use plain English instead.

The worldwide collection of networks that offer a number of services, one of which is the Web. In general, use lower case (internet access; internet service provider). It isn’t wrong to capitalise when you use the word as a proper noun — the Internet — but it can be tricky. Be consistent, and if you want to know more see When Should I Capitalise 'Internet'? (external URL).

Often abbreviated to IoT. Note the capitalisation.

input/output memory management unit.

See Internet of Things.

Internet protocol security. Note the capitalisation.

Note the capitalisation and the lack of hyphens in branded products from Apple Inc. (and others): iPod; iPhone; iPad; iCloud; iTunes; iMac; and so on.

Infrared Data Association. Note the capitalisation.

The international short form for International Organization for Standardization. In most contexts where ISO is relevant you do not need to give the expansion.

When you refer to ISO standards, include the year. For example, ISO/IEC 18044:2004.

It’s is a contraction of it is. Its means belonging to, much like his and hers — no apostrophe. Its' is meaningless.

Do not use italics for emphasis. Use italics to reference the title of an article, document or publication, or for defined keywords where appropriate.

One word. For past tense, use jailbroke and jailbroken, not jailbreaked.

Note the capitalisation.

kilo. Means 1,000. Lower case.

kilobyte. See also byte.

One word.

One word.

local area network. Always upper case. Note also virtual LAN; VLAN.

In general, avoid Latin terms and their contractions like ie, eg and ad hoc. They may be obscure to some readers. Favour plain English alternatives instead.

Use UK English word choices and phrases — but avoid terms that can confuse readers who are more familiar with other varieties of English, or for whom English may not be their first language.

See also idioms and spelling.

In general usage, favour this abbreviation over the full term Limited.

Licence = noun. License = verb. So: Refer to the Acme Corporation licence for terms; I am licensed to carry out this work for Acme Corporation.

Two words.

Noun, as in vendor lock-in.

Log in = verb. Login = noun. So: To log in to the system, enter your username and password in the login form; If you’ve forgotten your login details, contact support.

Two words, hyphenated.

Hyphenate when you use the phrase as a modifier/adjective, but not when you use it in noun form. So: In the long term, we intend to build many more relationships; We intend to build many more long-term relationships.

mega. Upper case.

megabyte. See also byte.

One word.

Lower case. Except where it forms part of the title for a specific government minister, of course.

minimum viable product.

network device protection profile.

network intrusion prevention systems.

None = pronoun that means not one or not any (I went to buy some oranges but they had none). Non- = a prefix that we add to words to mean not or the opposite of (non-sexist; non-functional).

See Numbers.

Adjective. Three words, hyphenated. Denotes ready-made software, as opposed to custom-built software. So: significant use of off-the-shelf software.

Two words, hyphenated.

Upper case. Okay is also acceptable.

Lower case. open source = noun (this software is open source). open-source = adjective (open-source software). Don’t use open-sourced as an adjective.

One word, no hyphen.

One word, no hyphen.

Adjective. Two words, hyphenated (risk management is not a one-off activity).

opt-out = noun (since the opt-out, the school has performed well). opt out = verb (some people will decide to opt out).

See Numbers.

operating system. Don’t use O-S or O/S or O.S. Note that Apple devices use iOS or MacOS, and Google Android-based devices use Android OS.

See off-the-shelf.

platform as a service. Note the capitalisation.

proportionate, appropriate and cost-effective.

One word, no hyphen. Often a better choice than password as it is more general and implies a longer, more secure choice.

Always avoid using the passive case, unless you must avoid agency. For example, don’t say it is recommended that the user checks there are no leaks when you can say make sure that there are no leaks or at the very least we recommend that you make sure there are no leaks.

Do not use passive case, except where there really is no better way — which there usually is unless you have a specific need to be vague about agency. Instead, use the active case, usually in the imperative, and in the first or second person.

It should always be clear who or what is the 'actor' in the sentence. For instructions, indicate the appropriate user role and assume that the reader is the primary actor, and indicate the appropriate user role as necessary

personal computer. Usually denotes an 'IBM-compatible' computer that runs the Microsoft Windows operating system. So: I work with both Macs and PCs.

See % (percent).

Adjective. Favour this term when you mean to describe an unmanaged end-user device that is owned by the employee rather than by the business.

Plugin = noun, as in a software component that extends functionality (I like the flow chart plugin).

Plug in = phrasal verb. Avoid phrasal verbs, and use a clearer alternative (plug your charger into your phone, not plug in your charger).

Don’t use an apostrophe to pluralise an abbreviation — unless the abbreviation ends with an s. Even then, it is often better to add the appropriate plural noun (Automated SOS messages, not Automated SOS’s). See also abbreviations.

Practice = noun (with enough practice, you might become an expert). Practise = verb (you should practise your skills).

Principal = main. Principle = basic idea. (the nation’s principal export is oil. they prided themselves on their inclusive principles).

Unless you mean to refer specifically to a computer program, use programme.

Lower case.

As with other acronyms and initialisms, do not include stops. So: MSc; BA; BSc; GCSEs.

Do use a hyphen for A-levels and O-levels.

In brief: Use double quote marks only to quote passages of text or actual speech; use single quote marks for unusual phrases.

One word, no hyphen.

While there can be no single definition of the concept of risk, it often refers to the effects of uncertainty on organisations or people. In common usage, it only refers to negative outcomes. However, some may use it to refer to both positive and negative impacts of uncertainty. Risk is not synonymous with hazard. See also enterprise risk.

software as a service. Note the capitalisation.

One word.

Two words, hyphenated.

Lower case.

Setup = noun (check the software setup). Set up = verb (set up the software). Don’t hyphenate.

One word. Note the capitalisation.

Nouns. Lower case, single hyphen.

One word, all lower case.

subject-matter expert (in the context of content development); small- or medium-sized enterprise (in the context of business).

Lower case.

Use modern UK English spellings. So: immobilised, not immobilized; colour, not color.

See also localisation and internationalisation.

Do not use double spaces after a full stop or other punctuation — this became redundant when computers and proportional fonts replaced typewriters and monospace fonts. Use only a single space.

Adjective. Two words, hyphenated.

Startup = noun (startup directory; startup scripts; startup company. Start up = a phrasal verb that you should avoid (start the system, not start up the system.

Use steps to guide a reader through a process.

See also bullets (unordered lists).

One word.

Avoid the common mis-spelling supercede.

Noun only — don’t use telephone (or 'phone) as a verb, use call instead. Use spaces between city and local exchanges, unless an alternative is more memorable.

See also National conventions for writing telephone numbers (external URL).

Two words, no hyphen. Lower case. Never 3^rd party.

…​waits for no-one. It is also tricky to punctuate:

See Titles and headings and Topic titles and topic file names.

For government ministers:

A set of software tools. One word, no hyphen.

Either is acceptable, but favour towards as it is more common in UK English.

Check the spelling and capitalisation of trademarks and brands, and use them correctly. Do not use a trademark as a verb (search for it, not google it).

Symbols like ™ and ® can be useful where appropriate, but don’t overdo it — on the first mention should be enough in most cases.

Lower case. Single hyphen, to make the adjective before the noun.

Generally preferable to United Kingdom or Britain — though retain correct titles of course. So: British Embassy, not UK Embassy.

See also Britain; UK.

Hyphenate.

One word, no hyphen. Only acceptable if you’re referring to networks and the like. The equivalent for human trust is distrusted.

One word, no hyphen. Indicative of time that a service is available. Note also the opposite term downtime.

Hyphenate when you use the term like an adjective to describe the operative noun, but not when you use it as the focus of a statement (we always use the up-to-date version; the publication is up to date).

Preferable to UNIX.

Software that has not been patched. One word, no hyphen.

See Numbers.

uniform resource indicator. There is a technical difference between URL and URI, but URL is in common use even where URI would be more accurate. Favour URL except where the distinction is important.

See also hyperlinks (usage).

uniform resource locator. See also hyperlinks (usage).

When quoting URLs, always use lower case and only include prefixes if the protocol and/or the sub-domain are something other than http://www or https://www. For example, use domain.com, or ftp://sub-domain.domain.com, but not www.domain.com or http://domain.com. If you need to include a long URL that breaks a line, insert the line break before a forward slash. Some examples:

Noun. Two words, no hyphen.

A Latin term that we use to mean against or perhaps compared with. Commonly abbreviated to vs.

However, it is usually better to avoid this term and use plain English instead.

virtual local area network. Don’t use vLAN, vlan, or any other permutation.

virtual machine.

voice over instant messenger. Note the capitalisation.

voice over Internet protocol. Note the capitalisation.

virtual private network.

See versus.

Use while to convey activities that happen in parallel. Use whilst to acknowledge opposing or contrasting viewpoints. So: I worked on a crossword while I drank my tea; Whilst I do like coffee, I much prefer tea.

Two words. Lower case.

One word. Also note the opposite term, blacklist.

Note the capitalisation and the hyphen. This is actually a registered trademark. Try to use a general phrase instead, such as wireless network; or refer to the specific technology that you mean, such as wireless LAN.

One word, no hyphen.

Adjective. Two words, hyphenated.

One word.

Hyphenate constructs (a 10-year-old system). See also dates and times.

One word. Note the capitalisation.