Inclusive Language Guidelines

Updated Mar 14, 2024 • 23 min read

Inclusive language is language free from words, phrases, or tones that reflect prejudiced, stereotyped, or discriminatory views of particular people or groups.

It is also a language that doesn’t deliberately or inadvertently exclude people from being seen as part of a group.

The language we speak is a powerful and quickly evolving tool that can either draw us closer together or drive us apart. Especially nowadays, as the population becomes more diverse and intersectional, we should reexamine our word choices so that we show respect for individual differences, cultures, and experiences.

Not only should we speak with bias-free language, but also put emphasis on a “people-first” language approach in our organization that makes everyone feel welcome and safe.

In this article, you’ll learn why using inclusive language is so crucial and how to introduce inclusive practices into your daily life and work.

Why does inclusive language matter?

You are doing the right thing

Primarily, because it’s the right thing to do. Promoting diversity, pursuing equality, and helping people to feel fully respected and accepted should be rooted into your organizational culture. It not only gives you the feeling of doing something good but also results in people’s increased engagement, unleashing their potential and loyalty in return.

“Inclusivity means not ‘just we’re allowed to be there,’ but we are valued. I’ve always said: smart teams will do amazing things, but truly diverse teams will do impossible things.” Claudia Brind-Woody

You can attract talented people

The demand for diverse and inclusive workplaces increases every year. If the company promotes diversity and treats it as its core value, the chances of being considered as a future employer are really high. According to a Glassdoor's Diversity and Inclusion Workplace Survey, being an inclusive company is an important factor that employees search for:

“More than three out of four job seekers and employees (76%) report that a diverse workforce is an important factor when evaluating companies and job offers. This means that, whether or not your company is interested in increasing its diversity, most candidates are nevertheless evaluating diversity when they research your company and during the interview process.”

Your customers expect diversity

Companies that actively demonstrate diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) might observe increased interest in their products and services, and deeper customer relationships that subsequently affects their sales and profitability.

It goes without saying that as the population becomes more diverse and intersectional, they are more likely to buy brands that share their inclusive values, and foster diversity, equality, and equity.

“Inclusivity is increasingly expected, especially by Gen Z and millennial audiences.” Jill Estorino, President for Disney Parks International at The Walt Disney Co.

How can we speak to/about diverse audiences?

Using inclusive language is highly important when referring to individuals or groups of people based on shared characteristics such as gender, religion, sexual orientation, race and ethnicity, disabilities, and physical characteristics. Referring to these characteristics should only happen when it’s relevant to a discussion and should be used with care and consideration.

Ask yourself first:

Is there a need to refer to personal characteristics such as sex, religion, racial group, disability, or age at all?
Are the references to group characteristics included in inclusive terms?
Do the references to people reflect the diversity of the intended audience?
Is the use of jargon and acronyms excluding people who may not have specialized knowledge of a particular subject?

It is also worth mentioning that inclusive language does not mean using some mundane, vague, and complicated words, but it means the language has been well-thought-out with the intention of showing respect and neutrality.

In the section below, you’ll find best practices for talking/writing about intersectionality with inclusivity and respect, as well as good and bad examples and the reasoning behind them.

The best practices refer to certain characteristics of a group of people, such as:

People with disabilities
People of different culture, race, ethnicity, and nationality
People of different gender and sexual orientation
People of different age
People of different socioeconomic status

Let’s dive into it!

People with disabilities

Best practices:

Focus on the person, not the disability.
Refer to people with disabilities only when necessary.
Ask people you refer to how they would like to be described.
Get familiar with Disability Language Styleguide.
Follow The Diversity Styleguide that combines definition and information on diversity from variety of resources.

Examples of bias-free language:

DON'T	DO	REASONING
Disabled Handicapped	A person with a disability A person living with a disability Disabled person	First and foremost, ask people how they would like to be described. While most of the guidelines say “people with disabilities,” “Many disabled people, however, say the disability is not inside of them: *they are not a ‘person with a disability.’* Rather they are a ‘disabled person’ — someone who is disabled by a world that is not equipped to allow them to participate and flourish.” In person-first language, the person is emphasized, not the individual’s disabling or chronic condition.
Wheelchair-bound person	Person who uses a wheelchair	Avoid “confined to a wheelchair” or “wheelchair-bound” as these terms describe a person only in relation to a piece of equipment, whereas wheelchairs allow people to move, liberate them.
Disorder Impairment Abnormality Special	Condition	Be careful when describing the nature of a disability to avoid judgment.
Special needs Physically challenged Mentally challenged Mentally retarded Handi-capable	Person with a disability Person who has a disability/is disabled Person people with intellectual disabilities Child with a congenital disability Child with a birth impairment Physically disabled person Person with a physical disability	Use person-first or identity-first language as is appropriate for the community or person being discussed. The language used should be selected with the understanding that disabled people’s expressed preferences regarding identification supersede matters of style. Avoid terms that are condescending or patronizing.
Person with deafness Person who is deaf	Deaf person	Most Deaf or DeafBlind individuals culturally prefer to be called Deaf or DeafBlind (capitalized) rather than “hearing-impaired,” “people with hearing loss,” and so forth.

People of different culture, race, ethnicity, and nationality

Best practices:

Avoid emphasis on racial and ethnic “differences.”
Don’t rely on stereotypes – avoid making positive/negative generalizations about a particular group.
Only identify a person’s race, ethnicity, or national origin if it is relevant to your work.
Ask the person how they prefer to be identified.

Examples of bias-free language:

DON'T	DO	REASONING
Asians, Americans, Latinos, etc.	People from Indonesia, Thailand, etc.	Don’t use umbrella terms that might ignore multiple ethnicities.
Afro-American Negro	African American Black	Using the terms “Afro American” or “Negro” is inappropriate. Be specific regarding nation or region of origin to avoid insinuating that all people of African descent have the same background, history, etc. Capitalize “Black” term when referring to ethic, race, cultural context e.g. Black people.
Minority/minorities	Historically underrepresented groups People of color Underrepresented people Underrepresented groups	It might imply that one is better than the other.
Orientals (about Asians or Asian Americans)	Asian (give specific region here)	Orientals is an offensive term, use instead “Asian” for people from Asia, or Asian American for people of Asian descent in North America. If possible, provide a specific region of origin.
Caucasian	European American White	“Caucasian” is a pejorative term, instead write “white” or “European American” for people of European descent in North America. If possible, provide a specific region of origin. Avoid capitalizing “white” term
Indians	Native Americans Indigenous people	If possible, identify the specific indigenous group or nation.
Hispanics/Latinos	People from Central or Latin America (provide specific region)	Ask people to self-identify and provide a term that is specific to their nationality.

People of different gender and sexual orientation

Gender is the socially constructed ideas about behavior, actions, and roles of a particular sex (APA, 2021b). Sexual orientation is a part of individual identity that includes “a person’s sexual and emotional attraction to another person and the behavior and/or social affiliation that may result from this attraction” (APA, 2015a, p. 862).

Best practices:

Always ask a person their preferred name and pronouns. It can be done during an introduction, “Hi, I’m Magda, and I use she/her pronouns. What do you prefer?”
Don’t assume that readers are female or male, heterosexual, cisgender, and so on (e.g., use the term partner instead of girlfriend or boyfriend).
Use gender-neutral job titles (e.g., firefighter instead of fireman).
Avoid using gender as a substitute for a trait (e.g., manly for strength).
Avoid language that assumes all personal relationships are heterosexual and denies the existence of same-sex relationships.
When writing about a known individual, use that person’s identified pronouns.
Avoid making assumptions about an individual’s gender. If the individuals whose pronouns are not known or whether the gender of a person is irrelevant to the context use the following forms: “they”,“their,” “them,” “theirs,” and so forth.

Examples of bias-free language:

DON'T	DO	REASONING
Sexual preferences	Sexual orientation	Sexual orientation is not a choice or preference.
Fag Dyke Queer Tranny	Gay Lesbian Bisexual Trans	It can be seen as derogatory when some terms are used by people outside of the group.
Girlfriend/boyfriend	Partner	Don’t assume gender only through your lenses.
Fireman Policeman	Firefighter Police officer	Use gender-neutral job titles and gender-inclusive nouns to describe people who may be of any gender.
Hermaphrodite Tranny Transvestite Transsexual (unless being used medically)	LGBTQ+, LBGTQIA+, etc. Transgender people Trans and gender nonbinary folks or folx Genderqueer, queer*	The term “tranny” is considered a slur. Have in mind your audience when using the term “queer”; not everyone perceives this word positively.
Born a girl, born female Born a boy, born male	Assigned female at birth (AFAB) Assigned male at birth (AMAB)	The term “born a girl/boy” can be offensive and inaccurate to cis and trans people since we do not choose what sex we’re assigned at birth.

People of different age

Best practices:

Be specific about the age groups when possible.
When contrasting older adults with adults of other ages, describe that other age group specifically (e.g., young adults vs older adults, middle-aged adults vs older adults).

Examples of bias-free language:

DON'T	DO	REASONING
Elderly people The aged Aging dependents Seniors Senior citizens	Older adults Older people Persons 65 years or older The older population	Words such as “the aged,” “elderly,” etc., connote a stereotype and suggest that members of the group are not part of society but rather a group apart.
Old men	Older men Men between the ages of 65 and 75 Octogenarians	Use precise language, provide information about age range, mean, and median. This recognizes that older adults are diverse and not a monolithic group.
Senility Senile	Dementia Person with dementia Person with dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease	Avoid using language that might suggest that all older adults have some cognitive issues or health problems.

People of different socioeconomic status

Socioeconomic status (SES) encompasses not only income but also educational attainment, occupational prestige, and subjective perceptions of social status and social class.

SES encompasses quality of life attributes and opportunities afforded to people within society and is a consistent predictor of a vast array of psychological outcomes (APA, Section 5.9)

Best practices:

Treat all people equal-with respect and dignity, regardless of their economic and social status or geolocation.
Avoid using negative terms that might refer to economic/social status and geolocation.
Make references to location and economic status where this is relevant to the discussion.
Avoid deficit-based language that emphasizes what people lack rather than what they possess.

Examples of bias-free language:

DON'T	DO	REASONING
The poor Low-class people Poor people	People whose incomes are below the federal poverty threshold People whose self-reported incomes were in the lowest income bracket	Many people find the terms “low class” and “poor” pejorative. Use person-first language instead. Define income brackets and levels if possible.
The homeless	People experiencing homelessness People who are homeless People in emergency shelter People in transitional housing	Address the quality or lack of housing or length of time without housing, not whether the people consider their residence a home (APA).
High school dropouts Poorly educated or having little education Achievement gap	People who do not have a high school diploma or equivalent Opportunity gap	Do not label people based on their outcomes or opportunities – provide more sensitive and specific descriptors.

Key takeaways

Always refer to people first. When referring to, e.g., those with disabilities, please state the person first and then the type of disability (“child with autism” or “child who has autism.”)
Ask people how they prefer to be described and once you know it, stick to it.
Educate yourself about inclusive language. It might happen that we say words that can hurt people without the intent to do so. Explain what you mean and mean what you say.
Avoid using euphemisms (e.g., victim or afflicted) and don’t rely on stereotypes.
When writing inclusively, try to implement images as well as testimonials from diverse audiences.
Provide readers with a content subject that is inclusive and does not exclude some groups of people.

Helpful tools and articles for inclusive language

Bias-free language

Diversity Style Guide

Disability Language Style Guide

Inclusive Language Guidelines - American Psychological Association

Inclusive language - Content - Atlassian Design System

Test yourself for hidden bias

So, now that you’ve grasped some knowledge on inclusive language, I encourage you to spend a few more minutes to test yourself for hidden bias at Project Implicit, created by psychologists at Harvard, the University of Virginia, and the University of Washington.