﻿---
title: Word choice
description: Recommendations for choosing the right words in your documentation.
url: https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/5279/contribute-docs/style-guide/word-choice
---

# Word choice
Find the right term to use in your technical documentation. Apply this guidance as follows:
- **Preferred**:  This term is recommended.
- **Use with caution**:  This term might be ambiguous.
  Make sure you are using the term correctly.
- **Avoid**: This term might be offensive or non-inclusive.
  Whenever possible, use the alternate suggestion, or a more specific term.

<tip>
  Use the [Vale linter](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-content/pull/5279/contribute-docs/vale-linter) to check for style issues while writing documentation. Vale automatically flags common style guide violations, so you can catch and fix issues before publishing.
</tip>

---


| Word                     | Status              | Usage notes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
|--------------------------|---------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **abort**                | 🔴 Avoid            | This word can be offensive. Use _shut down,_ _cancel,_ or _stop_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| **above**                | 🟠 Use with caution | Don't use to refer to a postion. Directional language does not meet accessibility requirements.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| **add**                  | 🟢 Preferred        | Use for establishing a new relationship.  Often used in create-then-add scenarios: _Create a dashboard, then add a visualization_. _Remove_ is the correct opposite.                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **app**, **application** | 🟠 Use with caution | Use only when needed for clarity.  Otherwise, a Kibana app name can stand alone.  _App_ is a well-known abbreviation for _application_ and is preferred.                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **begin**                | 🟠 Use with caution | Similar to _start_, using _begin_ depends on the context. _Begin a procedure,_ _begin an analysis,_ or _begin an installation_ are common phrases. Similarly, _start a program,_ _start an engine,_ or _start a timer_ are frequently used.  _Start_ is considered less formal than _begin_. _End_ is the correct opposite of _begin_. |
| **below**                | 🟠 Use with caution | Don't use to refer to a position. Directional language does not meet accessibility requirements.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **blacklist**            | 🔴 Avoid            | This word has roots in racism. Use _blocklist_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **boot**                 | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _start_ or _run_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| **can**                  | 🟢 Preferred        | Use to convey permission.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| **cancel**               | 🟢 Preferred        | Use to stop an action without saving pending changes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **cannot**, **can't**    | 🟢 Preferred        | Use to indicate you don't have the ability to do something.  Often confused with _unable_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
| **choose**               | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _select_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **click**                | 🟠 Use with caution | OK when describing mouse actions. Otherwise, use verbs that work with multiple devices, such as _select_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| **clone**                | 🟠 Use with caution | Use when creating a copy that is linked to the original. Often confused with _copy_ and _duplicate_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **copy**                 | 🟠 Use with caution | Use when creating an exact copy in the same location as the original. Often confused with _clone_ and _duplicate_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| **could**                | 🔴 Avoid            | Replace with _can_ or _might_ whenever possible.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **create**               | 🟢 Preferred        | Use for creating an object from scratch Not _create new_.  _Delete_ is the correct opposite.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **delete**               | 🟢 Preferred        | Use when deleting data that users can no longer retrieve.  _Create_ is the correct opposite.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
| **disable**              | 🟠 Use with caution | Don't use to describe something that is broken. Use _inactive_, _unavailable_, _deactivate_, _turn off_, or _deselect_, depending on the context.                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **duplicate**            | 🟠 Use with caution | Use when creating a copy of an object in the same location as the original.  Often confused with _copy_ and _clone_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **easy**, **easily**     | 🔴 Avoid            | It can be frustrating for users to think that something is easy, but then struggle to do the task. Typically the same meaning can be conveyed without this word.                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **edit**                 | 🟢 Preferred        | Not _change_ or _modify_. Edit is the better choice for localization.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| **e.g.**                 | 🔴 Avoid            | Don't use Latin abbreviations. Use _for example_ or _such as_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| **enable**               | 🟢 Preferred        | Use when turning on or activating an option or a feature.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| **enter**                | 🟢 Preferred        | Use to refer to the user entering text. Not _type_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **execute**              | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _run_ or _start_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| **hack**                 | 🔴 Avoid            | For a noun, use _tip_ or _work-around_ instead. For a verb, use _configure_ or _modify_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **hit**                  | 🔴 Avoid            | For a noun, use _visits_ (as in web visits). For a verb, use _click_ or _press_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| **i.e.**                 | 🔴 Avoid            | Don't use Latin abbreviations.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| **invalid**              | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _not valid_ or _incorrect_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| **kill**                 | 🟠 Use with caution | Use _cancel_ or _stop_ unless the actual command is `kill`.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
| **launch**               | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _open_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **may**                  | 🟠 Use with caution | Use _may_ for permissibility. Use _can_ for capability. Use _might_ for possibility.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **open**                 | 🟢 Preferred        | Use instead of _launch_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **please**               | 🔴 Avoid            | In most cases, _please_ is unnecessary. Exceptions are situations where the user must wait or do something inconvenient. Or, if the text sounds too abrupt without it.                                                                                                                                                                 |
| **remove**               | 🟢 Preferred        | Use when removing a relationship, but not permanently deleting the data. For example, you remove a visualization from a dashboard. _Add_ is the correct opposite.                                                                                                                                                                      |
| **select**               | 🟢 Preferred        | _Select_ is preferred over _choose_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   |
| **simple**, **simply**   | 🔴 Avoid            | Often used before a before a verb like _select_, but doesn't add any information or value. Implies that users should have been able to do such a simple task without assistance.                                                                                                                                                       |
| **start**                | 🟠 Use with caution | _Start_ and _begin_ depend on the context. _Start a program,_ _start an engine,_ or _start a timer_ are common phrases. Similarly, _begin a procedure,_ _begin an analysis,_ or _begin an installation_ are frequently used.  _Start_ is considered less formal than _begin_.                                                          |
| **terminate**            | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _stop_ or _exit_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
| **type**                 | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _enter_ because there is typically more than one way to enter text than typing.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
| **unable**               | 🟠 Use with caution | _Unable_ means not being able to perform an action. Often confused with cannot.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
| **utilize**              | 🟠 Use with caution | Don't use _utilize_ when you mean _use_.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| **view**                 | 🟢 Preferred        | Preferred over _see_ because _view_ is more inclusive.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
| **whitelist**            | 🔴 Avoid            | Use _allowlist_ instead.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |