Use clear language
Plain English is mandatory for all of GOV.UK. That’s because we want content to be accessible and understandable to everyone who needs it.
Data on adult literacy rates from a range of studies show that:
- 1 in 6 adults in England have very poor literacy skills
- 1 in 4 adults in Scotland experience challenges due to their lack of literacy skills
- 1 in 8 adults in Wales lack basic literacy skills
- 1 in 5 adults in Northern Ireland have very poor literacy skills
The definition of ‘literacy skills’ varies by nation, but you can see that many people who will need to read GOV.UK will struggle unless language is kept simple.
There will also be some users who do not have English as their first language, particularly if you’re writing for an international audience.
The GOV.UK audience is potentially:
- anyone living in the UK
- British citizens living abroad
- people abroad who want to do business in or travel to the UK
This means the government must communicate in a way that most people understand.
Write clearly for specialists too
Research shows that people with higher levels of literacy prefer plain English because it allows them to understand the information as quickly as possible.
For example, research into use of specialist legal language in legal documents found:
- 80% of people preferred sentences written in clear English – and the more complex the issue, the greater that preference
- the more educated the person and the more specialist their knowledge, the greater their preference for plain English
Some users can understand complex specialist language, but they do not want to read it if there’s an alternative.
Even when writing for a specialist audience, you still need to make sure everyone can understand what the content is about.
Know about words to avoid
Take a look at the words to avoid entry in the A to Z style guide. The list is not exhaustive. It’s an indicator to show you the sort of language that confuses users.
Do not use formal or long words when easy or short ones will do. Use ‘buy’ instead of ‘purchase’, ‘help’ instead of ‘assist’, and ‘about’ instead of ‘approximately’.
Avoid government ‘buzzwords’ and jargon. Often, these words are too vague and can lead to misinterpretation or empty, meaningless text. We can do without these words.
With all of these words, you can generally get rid of them by breaking the term into what you’re actually doing. Be open and specific.
Words ending in ‘–ion’ and ‘–ment’ tend to make sentences longer and more complicated than they need to be.
Use specialist language if needed
Where you need to use specialist terms, you can. They’re not always jargon. You just need to explain what they mean the first time you use them.
For example, users may need to be familiar with a legal term like ‘bona vacantia’ in order to complete a task. Explain the term in plain English when you first use it.
Think about your users’ choice of words
Use the language that users:
- will be familiar with
- use themselves
You might want to look at common search terms to find what words are more commonly used. For example, you can look at whether more users search for ‘heavy goods vehicle’ or ‘lorry’.
Be careful with contractions
Use contractions like “you’ll”, but avoid negative contractions like “can’t” or “don’t”. Many users find negative contractions hard to read, or misread them as the opposite of what they say.
Avoid “should’ve”, “could’ve”, “would’ve” and “they’ve” too. These can also be hard to read.
Make requirements clear
If you’re talking about a legal requirement, use “must”. For example: “Your employer must pay you the National Minimum Wage (NMW)”.
If you feel that ‘must’ does not have enough emphasis, then use ‘legal requirement’, ‘legally entitled’ and so on. For example: “Once your child is registered at school, you’re legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly”.
When deciding whether to use ‘must’ or ‘legally entitled’, consider how important it is for us to talk about the legal aspect, as well as the overall tone of voice.
If a requirement is legal, but it’s administrative or part of a process that will not have criminal repercussions, then use “need”. For example: “You will need to provide copies of your marriage certificate”. This may be a legal requirement, but not completing it would just stop the person from moving on to the next stage of a process, rather than committing a more serious offence.
If something is optional, you can use ‘can’. Avoid more complicated terms like “You may be able to”.
Keep paragraphs and sentences short
Keep chunks of text short.
Paragraphs should have no more than 5 sentences each.
Try to split up sentences that are over 25 words long.
There’s no maximum or minimum overall page length. It’s most important that you write well. If you write only a single paragraph but it’s full of jargon, then it’s too long.