The Power of Plain Language
April 23, 2025
Plain language is writing that is clear, to the point, and easy to understand. The Federal Plain Language Guidelines define plain language as "communication your audience can understand the first time".
Plain language is useful for everyone, and crucial for users with language barriers and cognitive challenges. It improves access to services and creates a better experience for your reader.
Tips and Tricks
- Consider your audience: Be sure to use words and phrases that your target audience can understand. If you’re unsure what your target audience is, an 8th-9th grade reading level is a good starting point.
- Provide the most important information first: What are your users' top tasks? Make sure that that information is the most prevalent.
- Introduce acronyms: When using acronyms, be sure to use the full name when first using the acronym. For example, introduce “Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI)” first before simply using “ATI”.
- Less is more: Be mindful of using redundant words. Instead of saying “complete an application”, simply say “apply”.
- Break up content: Use short, descriptive headings. Keep paragraphs and sentences short when possible.
- Use active voice: In many cases, active voice is preferable to passive voice. In active voice, the subject acts upon something. For example:
- Active: A dog ate the apple.
- Passive: The apple was eaten by the dog.
