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In general, we write our documentation in aninformal tone, so we
recommend using common two-word contractions such asyou're,don't, andthere's.
Negation contractions
In particular, we recommend using negation contractions such asisn't,don't, andcan't. It's easy for a reader to miss the wordnotwhen they're scanning, whereas
it's harder to misreaddon'tasdo.
If you need to emphasize the negative, you can use text formatting such asis
<em>not</em>, which renders as "isnot." But in most cases, you don't
need emphasis to make your point clear.
Contractions to avoid
Don't make up nonstandard contractions such asguides'reorbrowser's(where'smeansis).
Don't use three-word contractions such asmightn't've.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-02-21 UTC."],[[["\u003cp\u003eDocumentation generally follows an informal tone, encouraging the use of most contractions, especially negation contractions like \u003cem\u003edon't\u003c/em\u003e for clarity.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eNoun + verb contractions, such as \u003cem\u003ebrowser's\u003c/em\u003e, should be avoided as they can cause confusion with possessive forms, except in rare, clear cases.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eDouble contractions (e.g., \u003cem\u003emightn't've\u003c/em\u003e) should be completely avoided for better readability.\u003c/p\u003e\n"],["\u003cp\u003eRemember the distinction between \u003cem\u003eits\u003c/em\u003e (possessive) and \u003cem\u003eit's\u003c/em\u003e (contraction of "it is").\u003c/p\u003e\n"]]],["The documentation recommends using common two-word contractions like \"you're\" and \"don't,\" especially negation contractions such as \"isn't\" and \"can't\" to improve readability. While emphasizing the negative with formatting like \"is *not*\" is acceptable, it's usually unnecessary. Avoid creating nonstandard contractions, like \"guides're,\" or using three-word contractions like \"mightn't've.\" The focus should be on clarity using established, informal contractions.\n"],null,["# Contractions\n\nIn general, we write our documentation in an [informal tone](/style/tone), so we\nrecommend using common two-word contractions such as *you're* , *don't* , and\n*there's*.\n\nNegation contractions\n---------------------\n\nIn particular, we recommend using negation contractions such as *isn't* , *don't* , and\n*can't* . It's easy for a reader to miss the word *not* when they're scanning, whereas\nit's harder to misread *don't* as *do*.\n\nIf you need to emphasize the negative, you can use text formatting such as `is\n\u003cem\u003enot\u003c/em\u003e`, which renders as \"is *not*.\" But in most cases, you don't\nneed emphasis to make your point clear.\n\nContractions to avoid\n---------------------\n\nDon't make up nonstandard contractions such as *guides're* or *browser's* (where\n*'s* means *is*).\n\nDon't use three-word contractions such as *mightn't've*."]]
