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Plate WRT·005 · UX writingGrid E2 · Rev. 2026-08-14

Inclusive Language

Writing that does not exclude, misgender or make assumptions about the person reading it.

UX writingCraft conventionIntermediate

Definition

Inclusive language avoids wording that excludes people or embeds assumptions about identity, ability, family structure, nationality or technical knowledge.

Craft convention. True because the industry converged on it. Breaking it costs familiarity, not correctness.

On this plate
  1. 1Definition
  2. 2Practical rules
  3. 3Assumptions built into common fields
  4. 4In practice
  5. 5Local chart
  6. 6Continue from here

Reach for this when

  • Writing any user-facing text.
  • Designing forms that collect personal information.
  • Reviewing an existing product.
  • Designing any form that asks who somebody is.

Common mistakes

  • Structured name fields.
  • Required gender or title fields.
  • Ability-based metaphors in instructions.
  • Idioms that do not survive translation.

Practical rules

  • Use they for a person of unknown gender rather than he or she, or write around the pronoun.
  • Avoid ability metaphors where a plain word exists: 'check' rather than 'see', 'select' rather than 'click' where the input may not be a mouse.
  • Do not assume family structure, marital status or nationality in form fields.
  • Make name fields a single free text field where possible. Structured first and last name fields fail for a large proportion of the world.
  • Make gender fields optional, with an open or non-binary option, and only ask when you genuinely need the data.
  • Avoid idioms and cultural references that do not translate.
  • Use person-first or identity-first language according to the stated preference of the community involved, which differs between communities.

Assumptions built into common fields

FieldAssumptionBetter
First name and surnameEveryone has exactly two names in that orderFull name, one field, generous length
TitleA fixed list covers everyoneOptional, free text, or omitted
GenderTwo options, and that you need itAsk only if you use it, with a free-text option
Postcode formatOne country's shapeAccept the formats of the markets you serve
Phone numberA fixed length and a local formatInternational format, tolerantly parsed

In practice

  1. i.

    The name that would not fit

    Field constraints as exclusion

    A form rejecting a name with an apostrophe, and another truncating at fifteen characters, both told readers their name was invalid. The validation was written for a database column, and the reader is the one who felt it.

Local chart

WRT·005 · Region III · Grid E2

This entry and the entries it is stated to connect with. Each line is labelled with what the connection means.

Accessibility ChecklistCHK·002 · CHECK YOUR WORKForm UX ChecklistCHK·001 · CHECK YOUR WORKInclusive DesignTERM·082 · SHORT DEFINITIONUI to UX WritingAI·006 · RELATED CONCEPTText InputCMP·003 · RELATED CONCEPTContent DesignWRT·004 · RELATED CONCEPTInternationalizationWRT·006 · RELATED CONCEPTMicrocopyWRT·001 · RELATED CONCEPTVoice and ToneWRT·003 · RELATED CONCEPT

Continue from here

Each link says what the connection is, so you can tell a principle from an alternative from a thing people mix this up with.

Applies when you are designing

A FormSettings

Check your work

Review passes that test whether this was done properly.

Short definition

The one-paragraph version, for when that is all you need.

Related concept

Connected closely enough to change how you apply this.