Microcopy and UI Writing
Parent: Writing and Documentation · researched 2026-05-29T18:36:19.633Z· 8 sources · 9 concepts · skill microcopy-and-ui-writing
Microcopy is every word in a product that is not body content: the buttons, the field labels, the placeholder hints, the validation messages, the empty states, the toasts, the modal titles, the 404 pa
Microcopy and UI Writing
- Microcopy is every word in a product that is not body content: the buttons, the field labels, the placeholder hints, the validation messages, the empty states, the toasts, the modal titles, the 404 pages. Collectively, microcopy is the voice of the product. [source]
1. The "verb the noun" rule for buttons
2. The "what you can do here" rule for empty states
- Name the absence (one short line). [source]
- Tell the user what this surface is for. [source]
- Give them the next action (with a button when possible). [source]
- Weak: "No items." [source]
- Stronger: "No saved designs yet / This is where your saved email designs will live. / [Create your first design]" [source]
3. The "be specific" rule for error and validation messages
4. The match-the-verb rule for destructive confirmations
- Avoid: "Are you sure?" as a title. "OK" / "Cancel" as button pair. "Yes" / "No" as button pair. [source]
5. Tooltips, helper text, placeholders — distinct uses
- Anti-pattern: Placeholder as label. When the user starts typing, the label vanishes. [source]
6. Toasts, banners, modals — match severity to surface
- Toast copy is the shortest writing in the product. Single word or short verb-noun phrase. Past-tense for completed actions: "Saved" not "Your changes were saved successfully." [source]
7. Consent, opt-in, opt-out — symmetry of choice
- The path to the more privacy-protective choice must not be harder than the path to the less privacy-protective choice. [source]
8. Voice and tone
- NN/g's four dimensions to calibrate tone: [source]
- Funny vs Serious - billing errors are serious; an empty state for a hobby app can be playful. [source]
- Formal vs Casual - enterprise tools lean formal, consumer apps lean casual. [source]
- When to drop humor entirely: anything involving money, security, or privacy; anything destructive or irreversible; anything during an outage or sign-in failure. [source]
Anti-Patterns
- "Submit" - almost never the right word. [source]
- Placeholder-as-label - field with no visible, persistent label. [source]
- Apologetic empty states - "Oh no, you have no projects yet!" [source]
- "Are you sure?" as the only confirmation question - vague. [source]
- Yes/No buttons on confirmation dialogs - forces the user to re-read the title. [source]
- Exclamation points in error messages. [source]
- Pre-checked marketing opt-ins. [source]
References
Children
- Verb-the-Noun Button Rule (frontier)
- Empty State Copy (frontier)
- Error and Validation Messages (frontier)
- Confirmation Dialogs (frontier)
- Toast and Modal Patterns (frontier)
- Sentence vs Title Case (frontier)
- Onboarding and Password-Reset Flows (frontier)
- Dark Pattern Avoidance (frontier)
- Mailchimp/Polaris/HIG/Material/GOV.UK Conventions (frontier)
Frontier under this node: Confirmation Dialogs, Dark Pattern Avoidance, Empty State Copy, Error and Validation Messages, Mailchimp/Polaris/HIG/Material/GOV.UK Conventions, Onboarding and Password-Reset Flows, Sentence vs Title Case, Toast and Modal Patterns, Verb-the-Noun Button Rule