Inclusive Language and Readability is the practice of writing product content that is both understandable and welcoming. It has two strands. Readability means writing plainly, common words, short sentences, active voice, and an accessible reading level, so people can actually understand what you wrote. Inclusive terminology means writing in a way that does not alienate or exclude, bias-free, person-first, gender-neutral language that respects the full range of readers. Words are an interface, and for many users they are the hardest part of the interface to get through.
The mistake is to treat copy as decoration finalized at the end, or to assume the reader shares your vocabulary, context, and identity. Dense jargon excludes non-native speakers, low-literacy readers, stressed users, and anyone outside the in-group that coined the terms. Non-inclusive language (generic he, ableist phrasing, loaded technical terms, stereotypes) quietly tells some readers the product was not built for them. Both failures shrink the audience, and both are avoidable with a content standard.
This is not vague advice anymore; it is standardized. ISO published the first international plain-language standard in 2023, the US Federal Plain Language Guidelines are law for public content, and WCAG has a reading-level success criterion. Inclusive-language references from Microsoft, Google, Apple, and others give concrete word-level guidance. Plain and inclusive writing is a discipline with rules, not a matter of taste.
The principle: write plainly at an accessible reading level, and use bias-free, person-first, inclusive terminology, so content is understandable for the widest audience and welcoming to all of it.
Inclusive Language and Readability rests on plain-language standards, an accessibility criterion, and established inclusive-language guidance.
Plain language is now standardized. ISO 24495-1:2023, the first international plain-language standard, defines plain language as communication whose wording, structure, and design let intended readers easily find what they need, understand it, and use it, organized around four principles: relevance, findability, comprehensibility, and applicability. Notably, it focuses on whether readers can actually use the document rather than on a mechanical reading-grade score. The US Federal Plain Language Guidelines, backed by the Plain Writing Act of 2010, make the same case in practice: write for your audience, use common words, short sentences, and active voice, because, as Digital.gov puts it, plain language is "critical to helping the public to make sense of their obligations and benefits."
Readability is also an accessibility requirement. WCAG Success Criterion 3.1.5 Reading Level (Level AAA) states that when text "requires reading ability more advanced than the lower secondary education level," a supplement or simpler version should be available. Lower secondary is roughly 7 to 9 years of schooling. The criterion explicitly benefits people with reading disabilities and cognitive challenges, and also non-native speakers and anyone with literacy challenges. The W3C is pragmatic about it: not all content can be simplified, so the rule is to provide an accessible alternative (a summary, visuals, or a plain version) when the core text must be complex.
Inclusive terminology has its own well-developed guidance. Microsoft's bias-free communication guidance is representative and concrete: use gender-neutral terms (chair, not chairman; workforce, not manpower), avoid generic he or she (rewrite to you or they), focus on people not disabilities ("readers who are blind," not "suffering from"), avoid stereotypes and generalizations, and replace loaded technical terms (primary/subordinate, not master/slave; perimeter network, not DMZ). Major tech style guides from Microsoft, Google, and Apple, alongside resources like the Conscious Style Guide, converge on the same goal: language that includes, respects, and does not alienate.
The unifying idea is the curb-cut effect in words. Writing plainly and inclusively for the readers who need it most, non-native speakers, low-literacy readers, cognitively diverse readers, produces clearer, more welcoming content for everyone.
For Users: When content is plain and inclusive, you can understand it on the first read, in your second language or on a hard day, and nothing in the wording signals that the product was not made for someone like you.
For Designers: Copy is part of the interface you design. Set a reading-level target, write in plain language, and use an inclusive-language reference, so the words include as many people as the layout does.
For Developers: Surface plain-language strings and error messages, not jargon or raw codes. Inclusive terms apply to code-adjacent UI too (primary/subordinate, allowlist), and to docs.
For Accessibility: Reading level is a WCAG criterion and a core need for cognitive and language access. Plain, inclusive content is one of the highest-leverage, lowest-cost accessibility improvements available.
Inclusive Language and Readability comes down to plain writing, an accessible reading level, inclusive terminology, and a content standard.
Write plainly. Common words, short sentences, active voice, one idea per paragraph, and meaningful headings. Prefer the everyday word over the specialist one, and explain jargon you cannot avoid.
Target an accessible reading level. Aim for a broad-audience level and, when the core content must be complex, provide a simpler alternative or summary (WCAG 3.1.5). Optimize for reader success, not just a grade-level number.
Use inclusive, bias-free terminology. Gender-neutral language, the singular they over he/she, person-first or the individual's preferred framing for disability, and no stereotypes, generalizations, or loaded technical terms.
Adopt a reference, not opinions. Follow a plain-language standard and a published inclusive-language style guide so decisions are consistent and not relitigated per writer.
Make it a default, with review. Bake the standard into templates and component copy, use a readability check as a signal (not the goal), and add a light inclusive-language review before publishing.