Writing
Guidance for writing clear, consistent UI copy.
As an addition to the WFP Editorial Style Guide, this page contains specific guidelines for interface text.
General style
Aim for clarity, accuracy and consistency.
Write for a global audience
Many people who use WFP products in English are not native speakers, and much of what you write may be translated.
Use common words. Do not invent words. Avoid metaphors. Avoid jargon.
Be concise
Write simply and directly. Make every word count. Do not explain things that go without saying. Avoid repetition.
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❌ Don’t
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Avoid “please” when giving instructions.
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Be self-explanatory
Individual text elements – titles, buttons, captions – should be understandable independently. Avoid texts that are meaningless by themselves.
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Use active verbs
Use active verbs instead of passive.
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❌ Don’t
Details can be found at the Service Catalogue Help page.
Guide the user
Error and success messages should state what happened and, where possible, what the user can do next. Be direct; avoid blame.
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❌ Don’t
Empty states should explain what is missing and how to add content, if that is possible.
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Spelling
See Spelling.
Capitalization
Use sentence case
For all UI texts – headings, texts, button labels, messages – use sentence case, i.e. capitalize only the first word in the sentence or phrase, and keep the rest lowercase.
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Words to capitalize
Preserve capitalization of abbreviations, proper names, and proper nouns.
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Capitalize specific WFP titles such as Executive Director and Deputy Executive Director; do not capitalize general job titles such as budget officer or project director.
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Stylistic uppercase
If you need uppercase text for stylistic reasons, use Tailwind CSS to convert normal-case text to uppercase.
Never hard-code all-caps text; screen readers may read it as abbreviations.
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<p className="uppercase">Beta</p>❌ Don’t
<p>BETA</p>Punctuation
Avoid unnecessary punctuation in UI elements.
Avoid full stops on solitary sentences
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Use full stops on multiple sentences
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Use full stops on body text
In body text, end all sentences with a full stop. Body text is persistent text that appears directly in the page or dialog body, not inside a UI element (such as a button, input field, or tooltip).
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Avoid exclamation points
Exclamation points imply yelling at the user. There is almost never a reason to use them.
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Don’t use “(s)” for plurals
When an item can either be singular or plural, simply write the word in the plural form.
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Numbers and units
See Numbers and units.
Date and time
See Date and time.
Resources
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| WFP Editorial Style Guide | The style that WFP uses for all of its documents, websites and publications. Includes spelling, acronyms, punctuation and numbers. |
| WFP Voice, Tone and Terminology | This guideline helps you to embody WFP’s brand identity in words. |
| United Nations Editorial Manual Online | The style to be followed in UN documents, publications and other written material. |
| Oxford English Dictionary | Fallback resource for spelling. |