Writing accessible content
Accessible content is easy to follow and understand, and compatible with assistive technology.
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Write in plain English
The language we use throughout our services and websites should be simple and clear. We use plain English to make sure our content is easy to understand for all our users.
Plain English means using everyday language, avoiding jargon and explaining any acronyms or technical terms if you have to use them. This helps neurodiverse people, people with cognitive disabilities or impairments, and people who speak English as a second language. However, studies show that most people – including subject experts – prefer plain English because it’s quicker and easier to read.
Find out more in this plain English guide from the Plain English Campaign opens in a new window
Measuring readability
A good way to check if your content is written in plain English is to check its readability. These measurements are based on a formula that doesn’t always take into account context and your target audience, so use them as a guide rather than a rule. We’d recommend using the following measurements:
- Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease – the higher your score, the easier your content is to read. We like to aim for 70 and above, but 60 and above is usually more realistic
- Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level – the lower the grade, the easier your content is to understand. We like to aim for 8 and below where possible
Tools like the Hemingway Editor can help you identify issues which are causing a poor reading grade. It will highlight things like passive sentences, long sentences, sentences which are difficult to read, and words which have simpler alternatives. Again, use this tool as a guide.
Structure your content with headings
Break up your content into sections with headings. Your headings should be short, useful and relevant to the content under them. This should have an added bonus of improving your SEO. Avoid using ‘clever’ headings or puns.
Make sure that your headings follow the correct heading hierarchy – H1, H2, H3 and so on. Headings should be ‘nested’. This means you should have one H1, with H2s underneath. If you’ve got subheadings under any of your H2s, these would be H3s and so on.
Example
- This is a H1, and the title of the page
- This is a H2, a section of the page
- This is a H2, a section of the page
- This is a H3, a section within the above H2
- This is a H3, a section within the above H2
- This is H4, a section within the above H3
- This is a H3, a section within the above H2
- This is a H2, a section of the page
Skipping levels could make it difficult for people using screen readers to navigate the page. You should never jump straight from a H2 to a H4, although you can jump from a H4 back up to a H2.
Here’s a visual example of how heading structure translates to page design.
Avoid directional or device-specific language
Avoid using directional language like ‘Click the start button on the left-hand side of the page’, because not all users will be able to see the page layout.
Avoid using device-specific language like ‘click’ or ‘tap’ as your users will be using a mix of devices, and some may be using keyboards to operate them. Use something more general like ‘select’ or ‘choose’.
Avoid block capitals and italics
People with low vision or cognitive disabilities like dyslexia may rely on the shape of words to help them read. Writing in all capitals gives all words the same shape, making them harder to read. Even people without low vision or dyslexia often rely on word shape to help them scan or read quickly.
Screen readers may read words in all capitals letter by letter, as they may assume it’s an acronym. Using ‘text-transform: uppercase’ doesn’t always fix this problem, so it’s better to avoid writing in all caps altogether.
Italics are also harder to read for a lot of people, so it’s best to avoid this as much as possible.