Plain Language: The Federal Guidelines in 12 Rules

Where the rules come from

The Plain Writing Act of 2010 was approved on October 13, 2010. It defines plain writing as writing that is clear, concise and well-organized and that follows other best practices appropriate to the subject and the intended audience. Within a year of enactment, each federal agency had to use plain writing in every covered document it issues or substantially revises: anything needed to obtain a benefit or service or to file taxes, anything that explains a benefit, and anything that explains how to comply with a requirement, on paper or online. The Federal Plain Language Guidelines are the how-to that goes with the law; they now live on Digital.gov, and the former plainlanguage.gov pages are archived. Nothing in them is specific to government, which is why the rules below work for a product manual or a landlord's letter just as well.

The 12 rules, each with a before and after

The wording of each rule follows the guidelines; the examples are ours. Across the 11 sentence-level examples (rule 9 is about a paragraph), the plain versions use 145 words where the originals use 195, a cut of about 26 percent, and none of them loses a fact.

Rule	What it says	Before	After
1. Write for your audience	The guidelines call this the first rule. Match the words to what your readers already know and need, and address the reader as you.	Applicants are advised that documentation must be furnished by the applicant prior to adjudication.	Send us your documents before we decide on your application.
2. Put the main message first	Organize so readers know what to expect, and summarize a long document up front. Start each paragraph with a topic sentence.	After reviewing your file, considering the dates involved and checking the fee schedule, we have reached a decision about your refund, which is that it is approved.	Your refund is approved. We reviewed your file, the dates and the fee schedule.
3. Use the active voice	Make the actor the subject. Passive sentences pair a form of to be with a past participle and often hide who acts.	The form must be signed and the fee must be paid before the permit will be issued.	Sign the form and pay the fee. Then we issue the permit.
4. Use the present tense	The guidelines call present tense the simplest and strongest form of a verb; use other tenses only when accuracy needs them.	The office will have reviewed your request and will contact you if anything will be missing.	The office reviews your request and contacts you if anything is missing.
5. Uncover hidden verbs	A verb turned into a noun ending in -ment, -tion, -sion or -ance, often attached to make, take, give or conduct, hides the action.	We will conduct a review of the submission and make a determination.	We review the submission and decide.
6. Use simple words and phrases	Pick the familiar word over the unusual one: use, not utilize; begin, not commence; if, not in the event of.	In the event of a delay, utilize the online portal to commence a new request.	If there is a delay, use the online portal to start a new request.
7. Say must, not shall	Shall is ambiguous and rare in conversation. Use must for an obligation, must not for a prohibition, may for a choice, should for a recommendation.	The tenant shall provide notice and shall not sublet the premises.	You must give notice. You must not sublet the apartment.
8. One idea per sentence	Break a complex idea into parts and give each part its own sentence instead of stacking clauses and exceptions.	You may renew online unless your license expired more than a year ago, in which case you must apply in person, although members of the military may renew by mail.	You may renew online if your license expired less than a year ago. Otherwise, apply in person. Military members may renew by mail.
9. Keep paragraphs short	No more than 150 words in three to eight sentences, never more than 250, and one topic per paragraph. A one-sentence paragraph is fine now and then.	A 300-word paragraph that covers eligibility, fees and deadlines in one block.	Three paragraphs under headings: Who qualifies, What it costs, When to apply.
10. Cut noun strings and wordy prepositions	Add a preposition or an article to show how stacked nouns relate, and replace phrases such as on a monthly basis with monthly.	Submit the customer account verification documentation on a monthly basis in order to remain eligible.	Send the documents that verify your account monthly to stay eligible.
11. Use headings, lists and tables	Headings in a consistent hierarchy let readers skim, lists make detail scannable, and tables make complex relationships clear.	Bring your ID, proof of address and the signed form, and if you are applying for a child also bring their birth certificate.	Bring: your ID, proof of address, the signed form. For a child, also bring the birth certificate.
12. Prefer positive wording and plain emphasis	Say at least instead of no fewer than, only if instead of not unless. Use bold sparingly, avoid underlining and all caps, and avoid e.g. and i.e.	DO NOT submit no fewer than two copies (i.e., one is not acceptable unless pre-approved).	Submit at least two copies. One copy is accepted only if we approved it in advance.

Three of these do most of the work on a typical draft. The active voice (rule 3) names who acts, which is usually the information a reader came for. Hidden verbs (rule 5) and simple words (rule 6) are mechanical: find the nouns in -tion and -ment, find the Latinate verbs, and swap them. The guidelines' own contrast for the active voice is "It must be done" against "You must do it", and their hidden-verb example turns "We conduct an analysis of the data" into "We analyze data".

The guidelines' list of wordy phrases

These pairs come from the Familiar terms and Style pages of the guidelines. The left column is what to replace, the right what to say instead. Paste a draft into the find and replace tool with whole-word matching on and work down the left column; after a few documents the swaps become a habit.

Instead of	Say
a number of	several, a few, many
a sufficient number of	enough
at this point in time	now
is able to	can
on a monthly basis	monthly
on the ground that	because
an amount of X	X
be responsible for	must
in order to	to
assist, assistance	aid, help
commence	begin, start
implement	carry out, start
in order that	for, so
in the amount of	for
in the event of	if
promulgate	issue, publish
utilize, utilization	use
addressee	you

The Style page adds two limits that are easy to check: use no more than three abbreviations in one document, preferably two, and define any you keep on first use; and write out "for example" and "that is" rather than e.g. and i.e. It also asks for a word rather than a slash: "or", "and", or "either X, or Y, or both".

What the readability checker measures, and what it misses

Readability formulas such as Flesch Reading Ease and the grade-level scores look at two things: how long the sentences are and how long the words are, counted in syllables. The readability checker computes those scores and highlights the long sentences, which maps onto rules 6, 8 and 10 directly: shorter words raise the ease score, one idea per sentence shortens the sentences, and cutting wordy phrases does both. The word counter gives the sentence and paragraph counts, so the 150-word paragraph limit is a quick division.

The formulas cannot see the rest. A passive sentence can score the same as its active twin. "Shall" is one syllable. A document that buries its decision in the last paragraph reads as easily, by the numbers, as one that leads with it. And the guidelines are explicit that plain language is not a reading level: write for an eighth-grade reader only if that is your audience. Treat the score as a smoke detector for long sentences and long words, and apply the organizational rules by hand.

A revision pass in order

Name the reader and the one thing they need. Write it as the first sentence, and keep the rest of the document in the order that reader needs it.
Check the structure. Headings in a consistent hierarchy, one topic per paragraph, lists for steps and conditions, a table where two things vary at once. The case converter turns a heading typed in all caps into sentence case or title case, since the design guidance asks you to avoid all caps.
Fix the verbs. Active voice, present tense, hidden verbs uncovered, every shall replaced with must, must not, may or should.
Swap the words. Run the table above against the draft. If the text came out of an AI assistant, the AI text cleaner first strips leftover markdown, odd spaces and decorative punctuation so the search finds every phrase.
Run the numbers. Readability checker for long sentences, word counter for paragraphs over 150 words.
Test it. Hand a short passage to one reader and ask them to say it back in their own words. That is paraphrase testing, and the guidance says to do it at least twice, revising in between.

Frequently asked questions

What is plain language?

Communication your audience can understand the first time they read it. The federal guidelines describe it as writing for a specific audience, with familiar words, short sections, the active voice and the present tense, organized so the main point comes first. It is not the same as simplifying everything: the guidelines say to write for an eighth-grade reader only if that is who your readers are.

What does the Plain Writing Act of 2010 require?

The Act, approved on October 13, 2010, defines plain writing as writing that is clear, concise, well-organized and follows other best practices for the subject and audience. Within a year of enactment every federal agency had to use plain writing in each covered document it issues or substantially revises: documents needed to get a benefit or service or to file taxes, documents that explain a benefit, and documents that explain how to comply with a requirement. Regulations are excluded from the definition.

Why must instead of shall?

The guidelines say shall is ambiguous and rarely occurs in everyday conversation, so readers are unsure whether it states an obligation, a prediction or a permission. Must states an obligation, must not a prohibition, may a discretionary action and should a recommendation. Using those four words consistently removes the guesswork.

How long should a sentence or a paragraph be?

The guidelines give a number for paragraphs, not sentences: no more than 150 words in three to eight sentences, and never more than 250 words. For sentences the rule is one idea each. A readability checker that highlights long sentences is a quick way to find the ones that carry two or three ideas.

Does a good readability score mean the text is plain?

No. Readability formulas count syllables and sentence length, so they reward short words and short sentences, which plain language also favors. They cannot see whether the main message comes first, whether the actor is named, whether shall is used, or whether the document is organized for the reader. Use the score to find long sentences, then apply the other rules by hand, and test the text with real readers.

How do you test whether writing is plain?

The federal guidance names three methods: paraphrase testing, where individual readers explain a short passage in their own words; usability testing, where readers try to find information or complete a form; and controlled comparative studies on a larger scale. It recommends testing at least twice, with revisions in between.

Sources

Written by Tobias. Updated October 24, 2026.