Editorial Style Guide

This guide ensures consistency across all cardano.org content. Use it when writing or editing pages, news articles, and documentation.

Writing Principles

• Use American English.
• Use date format: September 15, 2017 (MMMM DD, YYYY)
• Use gender-inclusive pronouns they/their/them rather than he/she.
• Use the Oxford comma.
• Spell out one to nine; use numerals for 10 and above.
• Avoid three-letter acronyms (TLAs). There are too many in blockchain—don't invent new ones.

Spelling & Capitalization

Cardano-Specific Terms

Term	Correct Form	Notes
ada	ada	Lowercase like dollars or euros. Capitalize only at the start of a sentence.
ADA	ADA	Ticker symbol only (like EUR or USD).
tAda	tAda	Test ada. Not tADA or TADA.
DApp	DApp	Capital D and A (Decentralized Application).
DRep	DRep	Capital D and R (Delegated Representative). Not dRep.
Mainnet	Capitalized as noun	"The Mainnet launched in 2017."
mainnet	Lowercase as adjective	"mainnet functionality" or "the Cardano mainnet"
testnet	Same pattern as Mainnet	"Preview testnet" but "testnet functionality"

General Terms

Term	Correct Form	Notes
hard fork	Two words
soft fork	Two words
stake pool	Two words
smart contracts	Two words
white paper	Two words
working group	Two words
use case	Two words	Not "use-case"
sidechains	One word
stablecoin	One word
proof of stake	Lowercase	Hyphenate before nouns: "proof-of-stake systems"
proof of work	Lowercase	Hyphenate before nouns: "proof-of-work systems"
third-generation	Hyphenate, spell out	"Cardano is a third-generation blockchain"
GitHub	Capital H

Usage Guidelines

Articles and Possessives

Term	Usage	Example
the Cardano Foundation	Always use "the"	"The Cardano Foundation announced..."
the Foundation	"the" lowercase, "Foundation" capitalized	Interchangeable with the Cardano Foundation
community	Always "the community"	Not "our community"

Terms to Avoid

Avoid	Use Instead	Reason
IOHK	Input Output	Outdated name
IOG	Input Output	Outdated name
SPO	stake pool / operator	Spell it out
settlement layer	layer 1	"Cardano SL" is outdated
staking (without context)	delegating / operating a stake pool	"Staking" is ambiguous—clarify if you mean delegating stake or running a pool
tps	transactions per second	Spell out; also note it's a flawed metric for blockchain performance

Entity Names

These organizations have specific branding requirements:

Entity	Style	Notes
the Cardano Foundation	Title case with article	Swiss-based not-for-profit
EMURGO	All caps
Input Output	Two words, title case	Not IOHK or IOG
Intersect	Title case	Member-based organization
PRAGMA	All caps	Open source association

See Also

• Glossary — Definitions of Cardano terminology
• Create a News Article — How to publish news