Style guide
The Government Digital Service (GDS) style guide covers style points for content.
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A to Z
The Government Digital Service style guide covers style, spelling and grammar conventions for all content published on GOV.UK, arranged alphabetically.
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Feedback
How to send the Government Digital Service comments and suggestions about this manual.
Update history
2024-10-25 11:31
A to Z – Added guidance to ‘Times’ section to specify if it’s “UK time” for users outside the UK.
2024-06-28 18:24
A to Z – Added new term for Business Identifier Code (BIC) as agreed in style council
2024-06-05 17:05
A to Z – Updated the N/A entry for accessibility.
2024-04-04 16:47
A to Z – Updated guidance about suggesting a change or addition to the GOV.UK style guide.
2024-02-05 17:30
A to Z – Updated the ‘bold’ entry to clarify when and how bold should be used.
2024-02-05 16:02
A to Z – Added style guide entries for GOV.UK and WhatsApp.
2023-11-28 15:36
A to Z – Added and updated style guide entries for Jobseeker’s Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance.
2023-11-03 17:28
Technical content A to Z – We’ve added a technical content style guide which covers the style, structure and terms you should use when writing content for technical users on GOV.UK.
2023-10-19 12:31
A to Z – Added guidance on alphanumeric entries to ‘Lists’.
2023-10-06 10:04
A to Z – Added ###USA Upper case. Not ‘US’.
2023-09-06 09:44
A to Z – Added guidance about how to use the GOV.UK One Login name and more information about using sign in or log in.
2023-06-05 10:35
A to Z – Updated ‘coronavirus (COVID-19)’ entry to ‘COVID-19’.
2023-02-21 10:52
A to Z – Updated the ‘Bank details’ entry to clarify that bullet points should be used.
2022-07-26 11:01
A to Z – Added new entry ‘Addresses in the UKAmended the entry for ‘Gender’, formally ‘Gender-neutral text’
2022-07-07 10:10
A to Z – Added new entries for coronavirus (COVID-19) and critical worker. These have been moved from the coronavirus (COVID-19) style guide which has now been retired.
2022-05-18 09:19
A to Z – Added a new entry ‘ethnic minorities’.
2022-02-23 15:38
A to Z – Amended the ‘Addressing the user’ entry and added a new entry ‘Gender-neutral text’.