Read Me First!: A Style Guide for the Computer Industry, Second Edition

Appendix C. Correct Usage of Terms

The following table provides alternatives for terms that you should not use in technical documentation, and terms that you should avoid. The table also provides some guidance related to commonly confused words and terms. See also these sections in this book for related guidelines and examples:

• “Capitalization”on page 2

• “Hyphen”on page 23

• “Redundancies”on page 78

• “Abbreviations and Acronyms”on page 11

• “Units of Measurement”on page 13

Table C-1. Questionable Terms and Their Alternatives

Term	Usage
#	Do not use as an abbreviation for number. Use “no.” instead.
above	Do not use to refer to the location of another piece of information. Instead, use “previous” or “preceding,” or refer to the specific section title or figure number, ...