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The guide
256 chapters and sections. Open a chapter below to find a specific topic.
1. Introduction
2. Writing Principles
- Read Writing Principles
- 2.1 Tone and Voice
- 2.1.1 Person and Voice
- 2.1.2 Finding Your Tone
- 2.1.3 Concise and Memorable Writing
- 2.1.4 Making Reading Easier
- 2.1.5 Give Readers What They Need
- 2.1.6 Writing That Holds Up Over Time
- 2.2 Writing for a Global and Diverse Audience
- 2.2.1 Writing Across Languages and Regions
- 2.2.2 Inclusivity and Neutral Language
- 2.2.3 Cultural Sensitivity and Representation
- 2.3 Accessibility in Writing
- 2.3.1 Making Room for More Readers
- 2.3.2 Formatting for Assistive Tools
- 2.4 Choosing Your Words
- 2.4.1 Choosing Words With Care
- 2.4.2 Writing for Clarity and Simplicity
- 2.5 Writing With Other People
- 2.5.1 Shared Style Decisions
- 2.5.2 Names and Terms From Other Sources
3. Terms and Style
- Read Terms and Style
- 3.1 Words and Their Forms
- 3.1.1 Compounds and Prefixes
- 3.1.1.1 Compound Modifiers
- 3.1.1.2 Prefixes
- 3.1.2 Putting Words in Order
- 3.2 Abbreviations and Acronyms
- 3.2.1 Everyday Abbreviations
- 3.2.2 Business and Productivity
- 3.2.3 When To Spell It Out
- 3.2.4 File Formats and Extensions
- 3.2.5 Medical and Health
- 3.2.6 Networking and Security
- 3.2.7 Technology and Computing
- 3.2.8 Time and Measurement
- 3.3 Word List
- 3.3.1 Numbers and Symbols
- 3.3.2 A–Z
- 3.4 Interfaces and Interactions
- 3.4.1 Navigation Phrasing
- 3.4.2 Small Words That Help
- 3.4.3 Physical Device Actions
- 3.4.4 Alerts and Messages
4. Language and Grammar
- Read Language and Grammar
- 4.1 English in Different Places
- 4.1.1 Your English, Your Readers
- 4.1.2 Choosing Spellings
- 4.1.3 Finding a Useful Dictionary
- 4.1.4 Naming Apps and Browsers
- 4.2 Third-Party and Specialized Terminology
- 4.2.1 Third-Party Terms and Spelling
- 4.3 Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Initialisms
- 4.3.1 Abbreviations
- 4.3.2 Acronyms
- 4.3.3 Initialisms
- 4.3.4 Other Types of Abbreviations
- 4.3.5 Spelling Abbreviations and Acronyms
- 4.4 Verbs And Verb Forms
- 4.4.1 Verbs
- 4.4.2 Words Ending in -Ing
- 4.4.3 Contractions
- 4.5 Nouns and Pronouns
- 4.5.1 Nouns
- 4.5.2 Pronouns
- 4.5.3 Possessives
- 4.5.4 Plurals
- 4.6 Sentence Structure
- 4.6.1 Misplaced Modifiers
- 4.6.2 Prepositions
- 4.7 Articles
- 4.8 Writing Clarity and Redundancy
- 4.8.1 Avoid Redundancy
- 4.8.2 Parallelism in Writing
- 4.8.3 Metalinguistic Awareness
5. Punctuation
- Read Punctuation
- 5.1 Types of Punctuation
- 5.2 Formatting Punctuation
- 5.2.1 Emphasis and Punctuation
- 5.2.2 Lists and Inline Elements
- 5.2.3 Parentheses and Quotation Marks
- 5.2.4 Accessibility Considerations
- 5.3 Commas
- 5.4 Colons and Semicolons
- 5.5 Apostrophes
- 5.6 Periods and End Punctuation
- 5.7 Quotation Marks
- 5.8 Dashes, Hyphens, and Slashes
- 5.8.1 Dashes
- 5.8.1.1 En Dash
- 5.8.1.2 Em Dash
- 5.8.2 Hyphens
- 5.8.3 Slashes
- 5.9 Parentheses and Brackets
- 5.10 Other Punctuation
- 5.10.1 Ellipses
- 5.10.2 Ampersands
- 5.10.3 At Sign (@) and Number Sign (#)
- 5.10.4 Miscellaneous
6. Capitalization and Case Usage
- Read Capitalization and Case Usage
- 6.1 Sentence-Style Capitalization
- 6.2 Title-Style Capitalization
- 6.2.1 General Title-Style Capitalization Rules
- 6.2.2 Capitalization in Titles and Headings
- 6.2.3 Capitalization in Lists
- 6.3 Acronyms and Initialisms
- 6.4 Specialized Capitalization
- 6.4.1 Names With Distinctive Capitals
- 6.4.2 Names, Labels, and Generic Terms
- 6.4.2.1 Brand Names Used as Everyday Words
- 6.4.3 Drop Caps
7. Formatting and Style
- Read Formatting and Style
- 7.1 Text and Paragraph Formatting
- 7.1.1 Templates and Styles
- 7.1.2 Text and Character Formatting
- 7.1.3 Spacing
- 7.1.4 Justification
- 7.1.5 Tabs and Indents
- 7.1.6 Columns
- 7.1.7 Headers and Footers
- 7.1.8 Superscript and Subscript
- 7.2 Date, Time, and Contact Info
- 7.2.1 Date and Time Formatting
- 7.2.2 Phone Numbers
- 7.2.3 Addresses
- 7.2.4 Names and Contact Information
- 7.2.5 Time and Place
- 7.3 Formatting Punctuation
- 7.4 Code and Syntax
- 7.4.1 Inline Code
- 7.4.2 Code Blocks and Snippets
- 7.4.3 Placeholders and Values
- 7.4.4 Comments in Code
- 7.4.5 Color-Coded Syntax
8. Numbers and Organization
- Read Numbers and Organization
- 8.1 Headings and Titles
- 8.2 Numbers and Symbols
- 8.2.1 Numerals Vs. Words
- 8.2.2 Number Ranges
- 8.2.3 Large Numbers and Decimals
- 8.2.4 Ordinals
- 8.2.5 Currency
- 8.2.6 Units of Measure
- 8.2.7 Arithmetic
- 8.2.8 Symbols
- 8.3 Lists and Procedures
- 8.3.1 Bullets and Unordered Lists
- 8.3.2 Ordered Lists
- 8.3.3 Vertical Lists With Lead-Ins
- 8.3.4 Procedures and Instructions
- 8.4 Reference and Navigation
- 8.4.1 Tables of Contents
- 8.4.2 Hyperlinks and URLs
- 8.4.3 Text Links
- 8.4.4 Anchor Links
- 8.4.5 Footnotes
- 8.5 References and Citations
9. Design and Layout
- Read Design and Layout
- 9.1 General Design Principles
- 9.2 Page Layout
- 9.2.1 Page Formatting
- 9.2.2 Header and Footer Structure
- 9.2.3 The Opening Page
- 9.3 Fonts and Typography
- 9.3.1 Choosing Fonts
- 9.3.2 Font Size
- 9.3.3 Font Colors
- 9.3.4 Emphasis and Styling
- 9.4 Notices and Tooltips
- 9.4.1 Information Boxes
- 9.4.2 Tips and Advice
- 9.4.3 Notices and Warnings
- 9.5 Sidebars
- 9.6 Summary Boxes
- 9.7 Visuals and Design
- 9.7.1 Visual Considerations
- 9.7.2 Visual Identity
- 9.7.3 Formatting and Placement
- 9.7.4 Off-Center Placement
- 9.7.5 Types of Visuals
- 9.7.6 Visuals and Accessibility
- 9.7.7 Graphics and Images
- 9.7.8 Stock Photos
- 9.7.9 Screenshots
- 9.7.10 Annotations and Callouts
- 9.7.11 Figures and Diagrams
- 9.7.12 Tables and Charts
- 9.7.13 Pull-Quotes
- 9.7.14 Icons and Emoji
10. Writing for Different Content Types
- Read Writing for Different Content Types
- 10.1 Instructions and Reference Writing
- 10.1.1 Getting-Started Guides
- 10.1.2 Quick Reference Guides
- 10.1.3 Longer Guides
- 10.2 Configuration Guides
- 10.2.1 Installation Guides
- 10.2.2 Setup Guides
- 10.3 Helping Readers Solve Problems
- 10.3.1 Working Through a Problem
- 10.3.2 Product Manuals
- 10.4 Articles and Everyday Communication
- 10.4.1 Informational Articles
- 10.4.2 Blogs and Social Posts
- 10.4.3 Emails and Messages
- 10.5 Writing About Products
- 10.5.1 Changelogs and Release Notes
- 10.5.2 Product Overviews
- 10.5.3 New Product and Feature Guides
11. Editing and Proofreading
- Read Editing and Proofreading
- 11.1 Editing and Proofreading
- 11.2 Keeping Track of Revisions
- 11.2.1 Tracking Changes
- 11.2.2 When To Revisit a Piece
- 11.2.3 Reviewing and Sharing Revisions
- 11.3 Avoiding Common Errors
- 11.3.1 Consistent Formatting
- 11.3.2 Text Styles
- 11.3.3 List Styles
- 11.3.4 Using Additional Styles
- 11.3.5 Making Formatting Easier
- 11.4 Tools and Resources
- 11.4.1 Finding Another Perspective
- 11.4.2 Writing Tools
- 11.4.3 Revising Your Personal Style Guide
12. Appendixes
- Read Appendixes
- 12.1 Writing Samples and Reusable Structures
- 12.1.1 Writing Samples
- 12.1.2 Reusable Structures
- 12.1.3 Text and Paragraph Formatting
- 12.1.4 Manuals and Large Documents
- 12.2 Writing Across Regions
- 12.2.1 Spelling and Vocabulary Across Englishes
- 12.2.2 Words That May Not Translate Well
- 12.2.3 UTC Offsets and Time Format
- 12.2.4 Holidays and Cultural References
- 12.2.5 Fictional Example Names and Locations
- 12.2.6 Units of Measure and Abbreviations
- 12.2.7 Country Names and Abbreviations
- 12.3 Inclusive Language
- 12.3.1 Examples of Inclusive Language
- 12.3.2 Gender-Neutral Alternatives
- 12.3.3 Alternatives to Outdated Terms
- 12.3.4 Terms About Disability
- 12.4 FAQ
- 12.4.1 About Untitled
- 12.4.2 Questions About Writing and Style
- 12.5 Using the Reference
- 12.6 Before You Share
Word list
329 entries, grouped by first letter.
A
C
L
M
P
S
- Samsung
- screenshot
- search
- search engine
- selection rectangle
- self
- sentence-style capitalization
- settings, Settings
- setup, set up
- share sheet
- Shift key
- Shift-click
- Shift-drag
- shows up
- shutdown, shut down
- sidebar, sidebar menu
- sighted
- sign
- sign in
- sign out
- sign-on, sign on
- signaled, signaling
- since, because
- single
- single sign-on
- Siri
- size
- size
- slash
- slave
- sleep
- slide
- slider
- slideshow
- slot
- smartphone
- smiley
- so-called
- social media
- social media
- socket
- soft copy
- software
- software development kit
- software license agreement
- soundtrack
- source code
- source file
- space
- Space bar
- space character
- spam
- speakerphone
- spinning wait cursor
- Spotify
- SSD
- standalone
- standby, stand by
- start
- Start menu
- startup, start up
- stationary, stationery
- step
- stepper
- still image, still-image
- stop
- storage device
- storage, storage space
- streaming device, streaming player
- sub (prefix)
- subdirectory
- submenus
- super (prefix)
- support
- swipe
- switch
- switch
- switch on, switch off
- symbol
- sync, synced, syncing
- system
- system files
- System Preferences
- System Settings
- system software
- systemwide
T
- tab
- Tab key, tab character
- tap
- tap and hold
- TCP/IP
- technical support
- telecommunication
- terminal
- text field
- that
- their, there, they’re
- then, than
- they, their, them
- third party, third-party
- Threads
- thru
- TikTok
- tilde (~)
- tile
- time zone
- timeline
- timeout
- timestamp
- title bar
- titled
- titles, window
- to-do
- toggle
- toolbar
- toolkit
- tooltip
- touch
- touch and hold
- touchscreen
- toward
- trackball
- trackpad
- troubleshoot, troubleshooting
- tune in to
- turn on, turn off
- TV
- TV monitor
- tweet
- two-factor authentication (2FA)
- two-step verification
- type
- type
- type size
- type style
- typeface
- Türkiye
W
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