# Word list

The canonical list is https://developers.google.com/style/word-list, and it
changes. The following table extracts the entries that prohibit or discourage a word. When
a specific word matters and it isn't here, check the page.

Guide content © Google, used under CC BY 4.0
(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

## Contents

- [Words not to use](#words-not-to-use)
- [Time-anchored words](#time-anchored-words)
- [Jargon with plain equivalents](#jargon-with-plain-equivalents)
- [Inclusive language](#inclusive-language)
- [Slop list: words](#slop-list-words)
- [Slop list: shapes](#slop-list-shapes)

## Words not to use

| Word | Use instead |
|---|---|
| abort | stop, exit, cancel, end |
| access (verb) | see, edit, find, use, view |
| actionable | "that you can act on", useful |
| ad hoc | a specific English equivalent |
| admin | administrator, unless it's a UI label |
| agnostic | platform-independent, or the precise term |
| aka | also known as |
| allowlist (verb) | rewrite; the noun is fine |
| allows you to | lets you |
| America, American (for the US) | US, United States |
| and/or | *or*, or spell out both cases; allowed where space is limited, such as in a table |
| and so on, and so forth, etc. | phrase the introduction so the list is openly partial |
| anti-pattern | the specific problem |
| as (meaning *because*) | because |
| as of this writing | delete; it's implied |
| blackhat, grayhat | illegal, unethical, in violation of the rules |
| blackhole (verb) | dropped without notification |
| blacklist | denylist, excludelist, blocklist |
| blind to | unaware of, ignore, disregard |
| brown bag | learning session, lunch and learn |
| build cop, build sheriff | build monitor |
| cell phone, cellphone | mobile phone, mobile device |
| cellular data, cellular network | mobile data, mobile network |
| chapter (outside books) | document, page, section |
| check (a checkbox) | select |
| click here | descriptive link text |
| comprise | consist of, contain, include |
| config | configuration, configuring |
| cons | disadvantages |
| copy and paste | say what to enter |
| could | can, might |
| crazy, insane, bonkers, mad, loony | complicated, complex, baffling, unexpected |
| cripple | slow down |
| currently | delete; it's implied |
| demilitarized zone, DMZ | perimeter network |
| denigrate | disparage |
| denylist (verb) | rewrite; the noun is fine |
| deselect, uncheck | clear |
| desire, desired | want, need |
| disable (for something broken) | inactive, unavailable, turn off, deactivate |
| disclosure triangle | expander arrow |
| display (as an intransitive verb) | give it an object, or use *appears* |
| does not yet, eventually | delete; describe what exists |
| dojo | training, workshop |
| dumb down | simplify, remove jargon |
| dummy variable | placeholder |
| e.g. | for example, such as |
| exploit (meaning *use*) | use |
| fat (of a connection or client) | high-capacity, full-featured |
| female adapter | socket |
| final solution | solution, optimal, best |
| first-class citizen | higher-order, or the actual characteristic |
| foo, bar, baz | a meaningful placeholder |
| for instance | for example, such as |
| ghetto | clumsy, inelegant, a workaround |
| gimp, gimpy | the precise deficiency |
| Google (as a verb) | search with Google |
| grandfathered | legacy, exempt, made an exception |
| gray-box (testing) | translucent-box, or describe the method |
| grayed-out | unavailable |
| graylist, greylist | provisional list |
| guys, you guys | everyone, folks |
| gypsy | Romani, Roma, Traveller |
| hamburger menu | the menu's actual label |
| hang, hung | stops responding, doesn't respond |
| he, him, his (generic) | they, them, their |
| health check, healthy | responsive, functioning |
| higher (of versions) | later |
| hit (a key or button) | click, press, type |
| holiday, the holidays | the specific month or quarter |
| hover | hold the pointer over |
| i.e. | that is |
| impact (as a verb) | affect |
| in order to | to; keep the longer form only where it aids reading |
| interface (as a verb) | interact, communicate |
| jank, janky | the specific glitch |
| just | delete it |
| k8s | Kubernetes |
| kebab case | dash-case |
| kebab menu | the icon's label |
| key (meaning *crucial*) | important, or say why |
| kill | stop, exit, cancel, end |
| lame | the precise problem |
| latest | the version number or date |
| learnings | knowledge, what you learned |
| left-nav, right-nav | navigation menu |
| leverage | use |
| login (as a verb) | sign in, log in |
| long press | touch & hold |
| lower (of versions) | earlier |
| male adapter | plug |
| man hours, manpower, manned, manmade | person-hours, staff, workforce, staffed, artificial |
| man-in-the-middle | on-path attacker |
| mankind | humanity |
| master (with slave) | primary, main, original |
| may (for possibility) | can, might |
| MIME type | media type |
| mobile (as a noun) | mobile phone, mobile device |
| mom test, grandmother test | novice user test |
| monkey (of people), monkey test | the specific term |
| native (of people) | built-in, or the precise term |
| NoOps | fully managed |
| now, presently, at present | delete; it's implied |
| nuke | remove, delete |
| old, older (of versions) | earlier |
| omnibox | address bar |
| on-prem, on premise | on-premises |
| out of the box (figurative) | say what needs no configuration |
| performant | fast, accurate, or the metric |
| persist (transitive) | make persistent |
| pets versus cattle | manually configured versus automated |
| please | delete it |
| pop-up, popup | dialog, menu |
| possible, impossible (meaning can/can't) | can, can't |
| postmortem | retrospective; blameless postmortem in DR and DevOps contexts |
| quick, quickly | delete it, as with *simple* and *simply* |
| regex | regular expression |
| repo | repository |
| sane | valid, sensible |
| sanity check | quick check, confidence check, preliminary check, coherence check |
| scale (alone) | add the magnitude or direction: *scale up*, *scale to 200 nodes* |
| shall | must, or an imperative |
| simple, simply | delete it |
| since (causal) | because |
| slave | replica, secondary, follower |
| soon | delete; don't pre-announce |
| spin up | create, start |
| STONITH | fence failed nodes |
| surface (as a verb) | make available, expose |
| tag (for a whole element) | element |
| tl;dr | a summary sentence |
| type (as an instruction) | enter |
| unarchive, uncompress, unzip | extract |
| under (of versions) | earlier |
| user (for the reader) | you |
| via | through, by using |
| vs. | versus |
| while (for contrast) | although |
| whitelist | allowlist, trustlist, safelist |
| will (for present behavior) | present tense |
| with (for ownership) | has |
| would | can |

Also: *data* takes a singular verb. *each* isn't a synonym for *all*. Write
*whether*, not *if*, when presenting alternatives. Spell out *SaaS* on first
mention. Prefer *view* to *access*, *want* to *desire*, *username* to *account
name*.

## Time-anchored words

Drop these when describing behavior, per
https://developers.google.com/style/timeless-documentation:

as of this writing · currently · does not yet · eventually · existing · future,
in the future · latest · new, newer · now · old, older · presently, at present ·
soon

| Not recommended | Recommended |
|---|---|
| These **new** subcommands let you interact with HTTP load balancing. | These subcommands let you interact with HTTP load balancing. |
| The following options aren't **currently** supported. | The following options aren't supported. |
| The emulator **now** supports the following filters. | The emulator supports the following filters. |

Release notes, changelogs, commit bodies, status reports, PR descriptions, and
dated posts are the exception: anything whose subject is a change at a point in
time. Anchor the date instead:
"The January 14, 2026, release adds a resource panel."

## Jargon with plain equivalents

From https://developers.google.com/style/jargon. Try to write around jargon
first; if it stays, define it on first use.

| Jargon | Plain |
|---|---|
| blast radius | affected area |
| ingest | import, load; *ingest* is right only when the operation also involves significant processing |
| off-the-shelf | ready-made, pre-built |
| back-of-the-envelope design | informal design |

## Inclusive language

Beyond the preceding entries, three general rules from
https://developers.google.com/style/inclusive-documentation:

- **No ableist language.**
- **No gendered language** where a neutral term exists.
- **No gratuitously violent or graphic metaphors** when a precise term exists.

## Slop list: words

An extension, not guide text. Every entry breaks the guide's own rules on
buzzwords and figurative language.

| Avoid | Use |
|---|---|
| leverage, utilize | use |
| robust | say what it withstands: "handles malformed input without crashing" |
| seamless, frictionless | say which step is gone: "no second login" |
| delve, dive into, deep dive, unpack, explore | examine, read, or do it |
| journey, landscape, ecosystem, realm, tapestry, fabric | the actual thing |
| elevate, empower, unlock, supercharge, harness | the actual verb |
| streamline, optimize (with no metric) | name the metric and the change |
| cutting-edge, state-of-the-art, next-generation | the version number or date |
| game-changer, needle-mover, force multiplier | what changes, measured |
| holistic, synergy, paradigm, best-in-class | delete the sentence, state the fact |
| best practice | the practice, and who recommends it |
| boilerplate | name the code that repeats |
| magic (of a framework) | say what it does and when |
| enterprise-grade, production-ready | the property you mean: replicated, monitored, backed up |
| lightweight, zero-bloat | the dependency count or the startup time |
| orchestrate | say what calls what, in what order |
| going forward, at the end of the day, that said | delete |
| it's worth noting that, it's important to note that | delete, then state the note |
| in today's fast-paced world | delete the clause |
| navigate (figurative), foster, underscore, showcase, spearhead | a plainer verb |
| meticulous, comprehensive, seamlessly, effortlessly | delete the adverb, show the coverage |
| resonate, align (of ideas), unlock value | say what agrees with what |

## Slop list: shapes

An extension. These patterns survive a word-level cleanup.

- **The aphorism.** Short, balanced, unfalsifiable. See `SKILL.md`.
- **Antithesis.** "It's not just a linter, it's a contract." Say what it is, once.
- **The triad.** Three parallel items where the third exists for rhythm. Keep the
  two that carry information.
- **The em-dash aside for drama**, staging a reveal mid-sentence. This house
  style has no em dashes (see `mechanics.md`); the shape still matters when
  editing someone else's text.
- **The rhetorical question opener.** "So what does this actually mean?" State
  the answer.
- **Praise as preamble.** "Great question", "You're absolutely right", "Excellent
  catch."
- **The mirrored summary.** A closing paragraph restating the reply in the same
  order with different words.
- **Hedge stacking.** "It might potentially be somewhat unclear whether." Pick
  one hedge or commit.
- **Bullets of equal length and shape**, each a fragment ending in a period,
  covering unequal ideas. Prose handles unequal ideas better.
- **Bolding mid-sentence** for emphasis the sentence already carries.

## See also

Superlatives (*best*, *fastest*, *never*, *always*) and overpromises (*ensure*,
*guarantee*) are in `claims.md`.