GovWire

Government experts often say that because theyre writing technical or complex content for a specialist audience, they do not need to use plain English. This is wrong.

Research shows that higher literacy people 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 (for example, 97% preferred among other things over the Latin inter alia)
• the more educated the person and the more specialist their knowledge, the greater their preference for plain English

People understand complex specialist language, but do not want to read it if theres an alternative. This is because people with the highest literacy levels and the greatest expertise tend to have the most to read.

Technical terms

Where you need to use technical terms, you can. Theyre not jargon. You just need to explain what they mean the first time you use them.

Legal content

Legal content can still be written in plain English. Its important that users understand content and that we present complicated information simply.

If you have to publish legal jargon, it will be a publication so youll be writing a plain English summary.

Where evidence shows theres a clear user need for including a legal term, for example bona vacantia, always explain it in plain English.

If youre 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, youre 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 administrative, or part of a process that will not have criminal repercussions, then use: need to. 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.

Footnotes and legal language

Do not use footnotes on documents. Theyre designed for reference in print, not web pages. Always consider the user need first. If the information in the footnotes is important, include it in the body text. If its not, leave it out.

Your writing will be most effective if you understand who youre writing for.

To understand your audience you should know:

• how they behave, what theyre interested in or worried about - so your writing will catch their attention and answer their questions
• their vocabulary - so that you can use the same terms and phrases theyll use to search for content

When you have more than one audience, make your writing as easy to read as possible so its accessible to everyone.

The GOV.UK audience

The GOV.UK audience is potentially anyone living in the UK, British citizens living abroad or people abroad who want to do business in or travel to the UK. This means government must communicate in a way that most people understand.

The best way to do this is by using common words and working with natural reading behaviour.

If youre writing for a specialist audience, you still need to make sure everyone can understand what the content is about.

Knowing how people read means youll write in a way they can understand easily and quickly - so you do not waste their time.

All of this guidance is based on the learning skills of an average person in the UK, who speaks English as their first language. This guidance also applies when youre writing for specialists.

Common words

By the time a child is 5 or 6 years old, theyll use 2,500 to 5,000 common words. Adults still find these words easier to recognise and understand than words theyve learned since.

By age 9, youre building up your common words vocabulary. Your primary set is around 5,000 words; your secondary set is around 10,000 words. You use these words every day.

