Writing and editing Plain language
Everything we publish should be in plain language, also known as plain English. This means using clear language that all readers can understand.
Research shows that 80% of people prefer sentences written in plain language. This includes expert users with a high level of specialist knowledge. The more complex the issue, the greater the preference for plain language.
Read more in the GDS blog post Clarity is king (opens in a new tab)
Put users’ needs first
First, identify your users and their needs so that your publication or content can meet those needs.
Think about what your users need to know. You do not need to tell them everything or overwhelm them with information.
Read more about how to identify your users' needs (opens in a new tab)
Plain language titles and headings
Plain language particularly applies to page titles and subheadings. They should help users to know immediately where to find the information they need.
Users visit the ONS website to complete specific tasks. Frontload your headings so that the words that match your users’ tasks are at the beginning. For example, for users who have come to the website to download data, it is helpful to frontload the heading with the action, “Download the data” instead of using a heading like “Dataset”.
Simple, task-focussed headings make it easier for users to find information on our website.
Calls to action
We should frontload each call to action with a verb. For example, where we are asking a user to click on a link or email us with feedback.
Email us at content.design@gov.uk (opens in a new tab) to give feedback on our Style guide.
Complete our questionnaire.
Be concise
When writing:
- use short sentences
- use simple sentence structures
- break up large blocks of text with plain-language subheadings
View our guidance on structuring your content (opens in a new tab) for more information about writing concisely.
Write simply
Do not use complex or long words where simple or short words are suitable. If you cannot avoid technical terms, explain them in the text, include interactive glossary definitions, or direct the user to an appropriate glossary page.
You should also ensure that any acronyms are written out in full, with the acronym in brackets for their first use in each numbered section. Read our Abbreviations guidance. (opens in a new tab)
Do not use jargon or language that journalists or commentators will need to simplify for readers, as this could result in the content being misunderstood.
Use consistent language
Use consistent language so that users know what to expect and can absorb information more quickly.
Do not use terms specific to your topic interchangeably. Choose one way to describe each idea and use it consistently.
For example, you might describe survey respondents as “children”, “young people”, or “students”, but using these terms interchangeably may confuse users, as they can have different definitions.
Find out more about words to watch (opens in a new tab) and words not to use. (opens in a new tab)
Use the active voice
Use the active voice, wherever possible, because it helps to make sentences shorter and clearer.
The active voice is when the sentence’s subject is doing something to the sentence’s object.
The study (subject) showed (verb) a trend (object)
The passive voice is when the sentence’s object has something done to it.
A trend (object) was shown (verb) by the study (subject)
Be clear
Make sure that your sentence can only be read in one way and that your meaning is clear.
This sentence could be confusing:
Taylor worked on the development stage of the project and is now part of the policy group with responsibility for legislation.
It is not clear in this sentence whether the policy group or Taylor is responsible for legislation. If we wanted to say that Taylor is responsible for legislation, a clear version of this sentence would be:
Taylor worked on the development stage of the project and is now part of the policy group, where she has responsibility for legislation.
Editing tools
Hemingway Editor (opens in a new tab) is an online tool that gives your writing a readability grade. It will report on its complexity and make suggestions for improvements.
We should aim for a reading age of nine years because research shows that even expert users prefer plain language and content that they can scan easily.
Do not paste sensitive information or unpublished data into Hemingway – it is not a secured or encrypted platform. Instead, use the Flesch-Kincaid reading level tool in Microsoft (opens in a new tab)
You can use Hemingway to analyse your published content to help improve readability of your writing for future publications.
Hemingway Editor performs best with Google Chrome.