HowStuffWorks abides by the AP Stylebook and the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. We favor the active voice over passive voice whenever possible; make rare use of exclamation points, ellipses and italics; and minimize repetition.
The following are HSW exceptions to AP Style and M-W:
- and more: Do not use “and more” at the ends of lists
- and/or: Do not use and/or unless you are quoting legal materials that use this construction.
- e-mail: Due to the technical nature of our site and the length of time we have been presenting the word as “e-mail,” we will continue to use “e-mail” rather than the AP standard of “email.”
- frequent flyer: Exception to M-W
- individual/person: Do not use “individual” to mean “person”
- light bulb: HowStuffWorks.com uses this as two words (an exception to M-W)
- often times: Do not use “often times” in place of “often”
- percent: HowStuffWorks continues to spell out “percent” rather than use the percentage sign, despite the 2019 AP Style change.
- podcasts: Both podcast titles and podcast episode titles should be treated as composition titles and enclosed in quotation marks.
- shower head: Exception to M-W; “showerhead” is “shower head” for SEO reasons.
- single quotes: HowStuffWorks only uses them in headlines. Double quotes are OK everywhere else: meta/description, subheads, photo captions, body text, etc.
- terracotta: Exception to M-W; HowStuffWorks uses this as one word
- try: Always use “try to” rather than “try and.”
- US vs. U.S.: HSW style is U.S. despite AP preferring US.
- utilize/use: Do not use the word “utilize” to mean “use.”