Plain language guidelines
Plain language is communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it.
First
Help the user find what they need
What is plain language?
The Plain Writing Act of 2010 defines plain language as:
Writing that is clear, concise, well-organized, and follows other best practices appropriate to the subject or field and intended audience.
Source: PlainLanguage.gov
Three objectives of plain language
Evaluate your content. If it meets these three objectives, you have likely written in plain language. Nice work!
Accessibility and consistency are especially important when writing for CT.gov. Plain languaging helps us avoid government jargon that can act as a real barrier for many users.
Second
Help them understand what they find
Third
Help them use what they find to meet their needs
Four steps to writing plainly
CT.gov best practices suggest writing for a 6th-grade readability level or below.
Keep it Simple
Avoid complex words
Use common simple words instead of unusual or complex ones. Check out this table of alternatives for complicated words and phrases.
If you feel it’s important for the reader to understand a jargon-y or complex term, then just explain it.
Write like you talk
When creating content, write like you’d talk to a regular person.
- Use everyday language. Ex: say “help” instead of “assist” and “use” instead of “utilize”.
- Address the reader as “you” and refer to your agency as “we”.
- Use contractions like “won’t” and “can’t”.
Write in active voice
Always use active voice in your writing, not passive voice. Active sentences are stronger, clearer, more trustworthy, and usually shorter.
Active Voice
Active and passive are the two voices used in English writing. According to Mary Dash, “Active voice clearly identifies the action and who is performing that action. Unfortunately, much of government writing is in the passive voice, giving documents a wordy, bureaucratic tone.”
Active voice enacts “writing like you talk,” one of the four steps to writing plainly for CT.gov.
Passive: An appeal can be filed by an applicant if they disagree with the board’s decision.
Active: Applicants can file an appeal if they disagree with the board’s decision.
Passive: We were told by the usher where our seats were.
Active: The usher told us where our seats were.
Passive: Hair is cut by the barber.
Active: The barber cuts hair.
Example: Plain language
See the two passages below. The first is the original copy. The second is the same information, rewritten in plain language with an improved content structure.
Before:
The Pension Funds Management Division (PFM) executes the investment programs of the Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (CRPTF), which consists of six State Pension Funds and nine State Trust Funds.* As principal fiduciary of the CRPTF, State Treasurer Erick Russell is responsible for managing the invested assets for approximately 212,000 state and municipal employees, teachers, retirees and survivorships who are pension plan participants and beneficiaries as well as for trust funds that support academic programs, grants, and initiatives throughout the State.
Prudent investment management requires the proper safeguarding of the CRPTF assets to ensure the retirement security of the beneficiaries and the spending policies of the pension and trust funds. The Division's professional operations are conducted through three units: Risk Management; Investment Oversight, Accounting and Control; and Performance and Analysis. Source: (Pension Funds Overview)
After:
Connecticut Retirement Plans
The Pension Funds Management Division (PFM) is responsible for Connecticut Retirement Plans and Trust Funds (CRPTF). There are six State Pension Funds and nine State Trust Funds.*
The State Treasurer and Your Retirement Funds
State Treasurer Erick Russell is a principal fiduciary of the CRPTF meaning he is responsible for managing assets for approximately 212,000 state and municipal employees, teachers, retirees, and their heirs. The CRPTF manages invested money for:
- Pension plan participants
- Beneficiaries
- Trust funds that support academic programs, grants, and programs in the State of Connecticut
The Pension Fund Management Division’s Operations
The Division's professional operations are conducted by these units
- Risk Management
- Investment Oversight
- Accounting and Control
- Performance and Analysis
Plain Language 101 from DAS BITS on Vimeo.
Video: Plain Language 101
Watch this video summary of all the Plain Language material you just learned about on this page.
Helpful tips
If you'd like to learn more about plain language, check out all the latest on plainlanguage.gov.
Want to know if your content is in the active or passive voice? Try the Zombie Test.
Resembles spoken language and gives a subject credit for an action. In active sentences, the subject is doing an action.
Using specialized terms known by government officials or professionals, without consideration for the users understanding. We should avoid using government jargon in our writing.
Often uses extra words and “helping” verbs that aren’t necessary to deliver the message. In passive sentences, the subject is being acted upon.
A way of writing to your audience that’s simple and easy to understand.
Related pages
Voice, tone and audience
Focus on the one essential thing you want your audience to remember after reading your content.
Accessibility best practices
Build inclusive websites that are accessible to people with diverse abilities.
Inclusivity best practices
Inclusive web content removes bias and assumptions from a website so that users won’t feel excluded.