Copy & Content

The territory

28 core terms mapped for this field, ranked by how often builders reach for them. Each one is a future entry. Want to bust one? One entry, one file, one pull request.

• microcopythe tiny functional words on buttons, errors, tooltips, empty states"the little words in the UI" · "button text and error wording"
• UX writingwriting interface words so people can finish their task"who writes the words inside the app" · "wording as design"
• content designshaping structure, format, and words around a user need"deciding what content should even exist" · "more than just the wording"
• headlineprimary line expressing the promise and earning attention"the big line at the top" · "the title that hooks people"
• body copysupporting text that explains, persuades, and supplies necessary detail"the main paragraphs" · "the actual writing under the headline"
• voice and tonefixed personality plus situational register that shifts by context"how the brand should sound" · "friendly but not cutesy rules"
• plain languageshortest, most ordinary wording that a hurried reader survives"write it like a human" · "no corporate speak"
• active voiceconstruction where the subject performs the action directly"say who did what" · "stop writing was done by"
• features vs. benefitswhat it does versus what it does for the reader"so what does that mean for me" · "stop listing specs"
• hookthe first line whose only job is earning the second"the opener that grabs you" · "the scroll-stopper sentence"
• helper text vs. placeholderpersistent guidance under a field versus disappearing in-field hint"the grey text inside the box" · "where do I put the instructions"
• messaging hierarchyordered priority of core message, supporting claims, and proof"what to say first" · "which points matter most"
• content strategyplan aligning audience needs, business goals, creation, and maintenance"what content to make and why" · "the plan behind our content"
• editorial style guide (house style)rules for spelling, capitalization, terms, numbers, punctuation"our own rules for writing" · "do we say sign-in or login"
• copyeditingimproving correctness, clarity, consistency, and adherence to house style"cleaning up the writing" · "fixing grammar and consistency"
• weasel words / hedgingvague qualifiers that dodge commitment and dilute claims"why does this sound so wishy-washy" · "stop saying may help"
• AIDAattention, interest, desire, action: classic persuasion sequence"the funnel-shaped copy formula" · "grab, interest, want, buy"
• curiosity gapwithholding just enough to make the next click inevitable"makes you need to know" · "tease without lying"
• objection handling copytext that answers the doubt right where it arises"addressing the but-what-about" · "FAQ that unsticks buyers"
• inverted pyramidmost important information first, detail descending after"front-load the important stuff" · "newspaper-style ordering"
• lede / burying the ledeopening that carries the point; failing to lead with it"the main point is hidden at the bottom" · "start with the actual news"
• content briefspec sheet telling a writer or AI what to produce"the instructions before writing" · "outline plus rules for the piece"
• content modelthe content types and fields a system stores and reuses"what fields does a blog post have" · "the shape of my content"
• voice-of-customer (VoC) miningharvesting real customer phrasing from reviews, tickets, calls"steal words from actual customers" · "copy mined from reviews"
• controlled vocabularyapproved term list so one concept keeps one name"pick one word and stick to it" · "our official list of terms"
• sentence case vs. title casecapitalize like a sentence, or capitalize major words"should headings have capital letters" · "Title Style Or Not"
• boilerplatereusable fixed block, like the standard about-us paragraph"the same paragraph we paste everywhere" · "the standard blurb"
• content pillara big theme all smaller pieces hang off"the main topics we talk about" · "buckets for content ideas"

Deeper in the field

• copy deck one doc listing every string, keyed to its slot
• key message single idea the reader should understand and remember
• angle distinct framing that makes a topic relevant to its audience
• line editing improving sentence-level clarity, rhythm, voice, and concision
• proofreading final check for surface errors after editing and layout
• fact-checking verifying names, numbers, claims, quotations, and source accuracy
• PAS (Problem-Agitate-Solution) name the pain, twist it, then present the fix
• Before-After-Bridge (BAB) show current pain, better future, product as the bridge
• nut graf the paragraph that says why this story matters now
• dek (standfirst) the supporting sentence sitting under the headline
• eyebrow (overline) tiny label line above a headline, also called kicker
• Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level numeric score for reading difficulty of a passage
• Diátaxis four doc modes: tutorial, how-to, reference, explanation
• swipe file curated collection of copy examples to borrow structure from
• bucket brigade short connective phrases that pull readers down the page
• nominalization (zombie nouns) verbs turned into nouns, draining sentences of motion
• slippery slide each sentence engineered so stopping feels harder than continuing
• parallelism matched grammatical structures that give writing rhythm
• rule of three three-part construction that lands harder than two or four
• editorial calendar dated plan of what publishes where and when
• content lifecycle stages from planning and creation through maintenance and retirement
• content audit inventory of existing pages judged for quality and fit
• ROT analysis flagging redundant, outdated, trivial content for cutting
• content repurposing reshaping one piece for a different channel or format
• content atomization breaking one big piece into many smaller fragments
• evergreen vs. timely content that ages well versus content pegged to a moment
• listicle numbered-item article format optimized for skimming and sharing
• blurb short promotional summary of a product, book, or piece
• release notes user-facing summary of what changed in a version
• ghostwriting writing published under someone else's name and voice
• SME interview extracting expert knowledge from a specialist to write from
• preheader text preview snippet shown after an email subject line
• subject line the email's headline; single biggest driver of opens
• single-sourcing write once, publish the same block into many outputs
• content ops the workflow, roles, and tooling that keep content shipping
• AI slop generic machine-sounding filler prose readers now instantly clock