# Writing

Sets the voice, the sentence rules, punctuation and case, the words to use and the glossary for everything Werklist publishes.

* Kind: foundation
* Page: https://design.werklist.com/foundations/writing
* Version: 2.1.2

## Rules

* Be direct. Tell the reader what happens, in the imperative where it fits: Send the offer.
* Earn trust with specifics: a date, a figure, the name of a document.
* Leave out hype: no superlatives, no exclamation marks and no emoji in the product.
* Keep a sentence only if the reader would lose a fact, a rule or an example without it.
* Give each sentence a subject that acts. A recruiter, a candidate and an employer act. A solution or an experience does not.
* Name the thing, not its category: a work permit, not documentation.
* Write to the reader, in the present tense and the active voice.
* Do not stack three adjectives or three fragments for rhythm. Use a number when the reader needs it, not for effect.
* Leave out we. The offer did not load, not We could not load the offer.
* Do not point by position. Above, below and on the left mean nothing to a screen reader or on a phone.
* Sentence case for headings, buttons, labels and navigation.
* No dash as punctuation. Split the sentence in two, or join the parts with and, so, because or then. Write ranges with to.
* Hyphenate a compound only before a noun (end-to-end placement, sign-in page). Leave it open elsewhere (end to end, sign in).
* End a sentence with a full stop. Leave it off headings, labels and buttons. No exclamation marks, and no question as a heading.
* Flow words: Continue to go on, Done to finish, Cancel to leave without a change. A destructive button names the act.
* Leave out advertising words such as seamless or world-class. AI-powered only when naming WerkAI.
* Prefer the words of the trade, such as placement and work permit.
* Write in English. Screens people outside Werklist open, such as a booking link, also come in Croatian and Serbian. Trade terms such as shortlist and onboarding stay in English.
* One name for one thing: WerkOS (not the app, the hub or the CRM), WerkAI, board grid, report table, light theme and dark theme (not mode, not skin), email, color.

## Content

* Button: a verb and its object, not OK or Submit. Send offer.
* Link: where it goes, not Click here. Read the usage terms.
* Error: what happened and what to do, in one calm sentence. The offer did not load. Try again.
* Error in a field: how to fix it, next to the field. Use the name as it appears on the passport.
* Empty state: one sentence and the next action. No documents yet. Upload a document.
* Label: a noun in sentence case, with no colon. Start date.
* Placeholder: an example of the format, not the label. name@company.com.
* Setting: what it does when it is on. Email me when a work permit is approved.
* Permission request: what the access is for, when it is needed, then Continue. Werkcall uses your camera and microphone for the interview.
* Unavailable: say so plainly. Not available in this workspace.
* Destructive action: name the act on the button, not Yes. Delete board.