Welcome to the official home of the WordPress Documentation Team.
This team is responsible for coordinating all documentation initiatives around WordPress, including the handbooks and other general wordsmithing across the WordPress project.
Want to get involved?
Start here to find out more about what we do and how to contribute:
Documentation Issue Tracker on GitHub: Submit any Documentation Team-related issues on GitHubGitHubGitHub is a website that offers online implementation of git repositories that can easily be shared, copied and modified by other developers. Public repositories are free to host, private repositories require a paid subscription. GitHub introduced the concept of the ‘pull request’ where code changes done in branches by contributors can be reviewed and discussed before being merged be the repository owner. https://github.com/
Weekly meetings
Join our discussions of documentation issues here on the blog and on Slack.
Acronym for Linux, ApacheApacheApache is the most widely used web server software. Developed and maintained by Apache Software Foundation. Apache is an Open Source software available for free., MySQLMySQLMySQL is a relational database management system. A database is a structured collection of data where content, configuration and other options are stored. https://www.mysql.com/., PHPPHPPHP (recursive acronym for PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open source general-purpose scripting language that is especially suited for web development and can be embedded into HTML. https://www.php.net/manual/en/preface.php.. Use uppercase.
For more information about spelling out abbreviations, see Abbreviations.
Avoid using in cross-references. Whenever possible, use a link for cross-references, so that readers can find the relevant information.
Use later to refer to future versions of a product or software. Don’t use lower, older, higher, and newer in context of versions.
Examples
Not recommended: To use BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. patterns, you must have GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ 7.7 or higher.
Not recommended: To use BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. patterns, you must have GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ 7.7 or newer.
Not recommended: To use BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. patterns, you must have GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ 7.7+.
Recommended: To use BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. patterns, you must have GutenbergGutenbergThe Gutenberg project is the new Editor Interface for WordPress. The editor improves the process and experience of creating new content, making writing rich content much simpler. It uses ‘blocks’ to add richness rather than shortcodes, custom HTML etc. https://wordpress.org/gutenberg/ 7.7 or later.
Don’t use to describe products, functions, features, technologies, standards, updates, or software. Instead, use only the version number or later to indicate a range of updates.
It’s OK to use latest if you’re instructing users to keep their software up to date.
Example
Recommended: To use the newest features, make sure you’re using the latest version of WordPress.
Don’t use left as a directional term by itself. Instead, use a term such as upper left, lower left, leftmost, or on the left side of. When you use left to modify a noun, insert a hyphen, as in upper-left corner.
Don’t use left-hand as a modifier.
In general, avoid using directional language such as left, right, up, down in instructions to locate UI elements or other content. Directional language proves to be difficult for accessibility or for localization. People with cognitive impairments, as well as people using assistive technologies such as screen-reading software and might have difficulty interpreting directional language. If a particular UI element or other content is difficult to convey, include a screenshot or illustration.
Don’t use to describe a previous version of a product, function, feature, technology, software, or standard. Instead, use former, earlier, a contextually relevant term, or the version number, if any.
Don’t use let or lets to refer to something that WordPress makes possible for the user. Instead, use a direct alternative describing what the user wants to do.
Examples
Not recommended:BlockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. patterns let you predefine block layouts.
Recommended: You can predefine blockBlockBlock is the abstract term used to describe units of markup that, composed together, form the content or layout of a webpage using the WordPress editor. The idea combines concepts of what in the past may have achieved with shortcodes, custom HTML, and embed discovery into a single consistent API and user experience. layouts using block patterns.
In general, don’t hyphenate words ending with -like unless the root word is a proper noun, ends in double l‘s, has three or more syllables, or the deriving word is difficult to read.
Use link to describe text, graphic, button, or another element that users can select to go to another document, another place within the same document, or to a webpage.
Don’t use hot spot, hot link, or shortcut to refer to a link.
As a verb, it is OK to use link to refer to the action of creating a link, but don’t use link to describe connecting to a cross-reference. Use go to to describe the process of going to another webpage or document, place, or webpage.
Use one word as a noun, as in login screen and logout screen. Use two words as a verb, as in log in to your computer and log out of your computer.
Use log in and log out to refer to start and end the procedure of starting use of a computer or device account.
Use log in to, not log into.
Don’t use log on, logon, log off, logoff, or log out from.
Examples
Not recommended: Log into your computer.
Recommended: Log in to your computer.
Recommended: You must log in as a multisiteMultisiteMultisite is a WordPress feature which allows users to create a network of sites on a single WordPress installation. Available since WordPress version 3.0, Multisite is a continuation of WPMU or WordPress Multiuser project. WordPress MultiUser project was discontinued and its features were included into WordPress core.https://codex.wordpress.org/Create_A_Network. network administrator.
Recommended: Go to the login screen.
Not recommended: After saving your changes, log out from the administrator dashboard.
Not recommended: After saving your changes, log out the administrator dashboard.
Recommended: After saving your changes, log out of the administrator dashboard.
One word. Not lower case. Don’t use lowercase as a verb. Don’t use lowercased.
When using both uppercase and lowercase together as a noun or to modify a noun, spell out both words. Don’t use a suspended hyphen (as in upper- and lowercase).
Hyphenate as adjectives. Use instead of bottom left and bottom right.
Example
Recommended: The lower-left corner
In general, avoid using directional language such as left, right, up, down in instructions to locate UI elements or other content. Directional language proves to be difficult for accessibility or for localization. People with cognitive impairments, as well as people using assistive technologies such as screen-reading software might have difficulty interpreting directional language. If a particular UI element or other content is difficult to convey, include a screenshot or illustration.
