Copy
<One or two sentences: this is the canonical source for the product's verbal identity. Pages, meta tags and package blurbs pull from here; when a canonical string changes, change it here first, then propagate. A string that contradicts this file is a bug.>
Canonical assets
These exact strings. Do not paraphrase them per page.
<Only strings used in more than one place. A one-off headline is not a canonical asset.>| Asset | String | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | <name>, <casing rule>. Never <the wrong casings, listed>. |
everywhere |
| Tagline | <the H1 string> | landing H1, social card headline |
| Category descriptor | <what it is, where the tagline has no context> | meta titles, registry listings, directory entries |
| One-sentence description | <one sentence> | <meta name="description">, package description, link previews |
Register by context
<One row per surface that has its own voice. The Example column is mandatory and must quote a string that actually ships.>
| Context | Register | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing hero | <two or three words> | <a real shipped string> |
| UI chrome, buttons and labels | <two or three words> | <a real shipped string> |
| Descriptions, cards and meta | <two or three words> | <a real shipped string> |
| Errors | <two or three words> | <a real shipped string> |
| Empty states | <two or three words> | <a real shipped string> |
| Data labels | <two or three words> | <a real shipped string> |
Copy principles
<Three to six. Each one has to be able to reject a sentence someone would otherwise write. A principle that rejects nothing is wallpaper; cut it.>
- <Principle>. <What it rejects, with an example of the rejected form.>
Banned language
<Every row carries its reason. Without one the next writer cannot tell whether a near-miss is also banned. Do not restate supplied global writing rules, such as no em dashes, never the "it's not X, it's Y" pattern, Simplified Technical English. Record only what is specific to this product.>
| Never | Use instead | Why |
|---|---|---|
| <word or phrase> | <the replacement, or "name the specific thing"> | <the reason, in one clause> |
<Check every ban against the frozen surfaces first: a stored enum value, a route segment, a published export, a CLI flag. A word the product persists cannot be banned in favour of another word, and the ban is the defect when that happens.>
Open questions
Wording calls this file does not settle. Add one here, resolve it, fold the answer into the section above, then delete it from this list.
None open.