A document specifying writing and formatting conventions — grammar, punctuation, terminology, capitalization rules, preferred and avoided words — used to keep written content consistent across multiple writers.
Why it matters
A style guide resolves small, recurring debates (Oxford comma or not? "Email" or "e-mail"? Which words are capitalized as product names?) once, in writing, so they don't get re-litigated in every piece of content.
In a sentence
"The style guide settled it: we always write 'sign up' as two words when it's a verb, and 'signup' as one word when it's a noun."
Related terms
- Often confused with: Brand guidelines (a style guide typically covers writing conventions specifically; brand guidelines is the broader term covering visual identity as well).
- Synonyms: Editorial guidelines, writing guidelines.