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Voice and Copy Standards

These standards apply to every page in v2/. No exceptions.

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Language

UK English throughout. Use -ise (not -ize), -our (not -or), -re (not -er).

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Universal rules

Banned words (remove, do not soften): effectively, essentially, basically, meaningful, significant, real (as intensifier), various, several, obviously, clearly Banned phrases:
  • “This section covers” / “This page covers / explains / walks you through”
  • “Understanding X is essential”
  • “It is important to note”
  • “As mentioned above”
  • “and so on” / “etc.”
  • “rather than”
  • “it should be noted”
Banned constructions:
  • not [X] in value statements — state the positive instead
  • if [condition] in body prose — resolve the condition
  • This page [verb] — delete self-reference
  • can/may [verb] in value claims — assert directly
No em dashes. Use commas, semicolons, or separate sentences. No questions in headings. State the fact. “Configuring the gateway” not “How do I configure the gateway?”

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Opening order

  1. Value or outcome before mechanism
  2. Fact before caveat
  3. Reader benefit before system description

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Paragraph discipline

One paragraph, one job. Lead sentence states the fact. Final sentence ends on fact, number, or next step — never a hedge.

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Per-audience voice extensions

Seven audiences, each with specific register and tone. Full detail in the working source. Working source with full per-audience rules: workspace/plan/active/CONTENT-WRITING/Prompts/voice-rules.md Universal copy rules: ai-tools/ai-skills/docs-copy/skills/copy-rules.md

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Domain terminology

Last modified on May 31, 2026