Grammar + Style

Active voice

Write your content in active voice, as it’s more direct and (you guessed it) actionable. Passive voice can work sometimes for system actions, but active voice should be your default for user actions.

How to write in active voice: Subject (person/thing acting) verb (the action) object (receives the action).

✅ We’re investigating the problem

⛔ The problem is being investigated

💡 Tip: If you’re using past tense verbs, the verb “to be,” or your object is coming before the subject, you’re using passive voice.

Capitalization

Sentence case is capitalizing only the first word and proper nouns in a string of copy, whereas Title Case capitalizes every word except for articles, conjunctions, and (short) prepositions.Whether you use sentence case or title case is a personal choice, but be sure to be consistent with your choice.

💡 Tip: Sentence case is often considered easier to read than title case.

Contractions

Use contractions when possible. Not only do they feel more human, they also help make text more readable.

✅ We’re here to help

⛔ We are here to help

💡 Tip: Don’t force a contraction if it doesn’t sound right when you read it out loud.

Directional language

In the same way that links should not read click here, avoid using directional language such as above, below, right, or left.

Directional language is confusing and unhelpful when spoken aloud by a screen reader. It creates challenges for internationalization (for example, right to left languages) and can conflict with mobile design patterns.

Emoji

Use emoji sparingly. 👀 They can occasionally add a sense of delight to a lower impact message like a “what’s new” screen or push notification, but don’t belong on every screen in a flow. 🖤 Also consider the implications or insinuations of each emoji for your audience. What works with your friends may not translate to your users.

Punctuation

Ampersands

Don’t use & or + when and will suffice.

✅ Security and privacy

⛔ Security & privacy

Commas

Use the serial comma (aka the Oxford comma) in lists of three or more to add clarity.

✅ Planes, trains, and automobiles

⛔ You, me and Dupree

💡 Tip: Never use a comma in a bulleted list. That’s what the bullet point is for!

Colons and semicolons

Use colons sparingly, semicolons even less so. Colons are ok if used to offset a list (rather than an ellipsis, em dash, or comma).

In any other case, if a sentence is long enough to warrant a colon or semicolon, consider breaking it into two shorter sentences.

✅ Why you shouldn’t share your SRP: phishers, scammers, and other nefarious folks.

⛔ Only enter a number you’re comfortable with spending; you can always increase the spending cap later.

Ellipses

Use ellipses in address format abbreviations. Avoid ellipses in most other cases. They insinuate an unfinished thought or statement, which isn’t exactly helpful for most scenarios. Often times, the impulse to use an ellipsis can be better directed towards animation in UI (on a loading screen, for example).

✅ 0x0000...0000

⛔ Ooopppsss…loading…

💡 Tip: If truncation is the reason for an ellipsis (excluding address format abbreviation), consider revising your content. Not only is brevity the soul of wit, it’s also the backbone of good UX.

Exclamation points

Use sparingly, if at all. Save them for really exciting moments! Never use them in error messages or alerts. And don’t double up!!

✅ The Ethereum Merge is here!

⛔ Error!

Hyphens and dashes

Use a hyphen (-) without spaces on either side to link words into a single phrase. Most prefixes don't require hyphens to be understood. Hyphens are often overused. Only use one if not doing so causes confusion or ambiguity.

Use an em dash (—) with no spaces on either side to offset an aside. Be sure to use a true em dash, not a double hyphen (--).

Use an en dash (–) with no spaces on either side for a fixed range of numbers.

💡 Tip: On Mac, the keyboard shortcuts are: option - for en dash, and shift option - for em dash.

Periods

Periods often end up in places they shouldn’t, and aren't used in places that they should be. A good rule of thumb is don’t use a period unless it’s part of a multiple sentence description. Never use periods in headers, menu items, or subheaders. Never double space after a period.

✅ Only enter a number you’re comfortable with spending. You can always increase the spending cap later.

⛔ Only enter a number you’re comfortable with spending. You can always increase the spending cap later

💡 Tip: When there’s more than one sentence, all sentences should end with a period. Otherwise, skip the period.

Question marks

If you’re tempted to use a question mark in UX copy, consider whether you can rewording the copy into an affirmative statement. It’s okay to use question marks in some cases (like if you’re legitimately asking the user a question), but avoid them on buttons, toggles, and most CTAs.

✅ Don’t see your token?

⛔ Done?

Slang and jargon

Write in plain language — avoid slang and jargon. Keeping your words as human as possible helps with comprehension, localization, and accessibility. If you need to use a technical term, briefly define it so everyone can understand.

As web3 evolves, so will what falls under the jargon category (gas, dapps, etc…).