Word List

Standardized spellings

These words can be slippery. Here’s how we write them. (If it’s not on this list, defer to the AP Style Guide.)

  • add-on (noun, adjective), add on (verb)
  • back end (noun), back-end (adjective)
  • best seller (noun), best-selling (adjective)
  • beta
  • brick-and-mortar
  • checkbox
  • coworker
  • click-through rate (CTR)
  • cost per click
  • double-click
  • drop-down (noun, adjective), drop down (verb)
  • e-commerce (the industry)
  • ePub
  • email (never hyphenate, never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
    • To name
    • From name
    • Reply-to name
    • Subject line
    • Cc, Bcc
  • emoji (singular and plural)
  • front end (noun), front-end (adjective)
  • geolocation
  • hashtag
  • homepage
  • integrate
  • internet (never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
  • login (noun, adjective), log in (verb)
  • Like (the social media activity)
  • multichannel
  • nonprofit
  • OK
  • omnichannel (use sparingly)
  • online (never capitalize unless it begins a sentence)
  • opt-in (noun, adjective)
, opt in (verb)
  • pay-per-click (PPC)
  • pop-up (noun, adjective), pop up (verb)
  • pre-sale
  • product-market fit
  • signup (noun, adjective), sign up (verb)
  • sync
  • third party (noun), third-party (adjective)
  • tweet, retweet
  • username
  • URL
  • website
  • WiFi

Words to use carefully

We use plain language, which means avoiding industry jargon. But some jargon-adjacent words can be appropriate in educational contexts. Only use these if you’re writing about marketing education and have room to briefly define them.

  • buyer journey
  • conversion
  • customer lifecycle
  • integrated marketing
  • lead generation
  • marketing funnel
  • multichannel marketing
  • omnichannel marketing
  • product-market fit
  • value proposition

Words to avoid

  • automagical (we used to say this a lot, and we’re embarrassed about it)
  • funnel, incentivize, leverage, disruption, thought leader, learnings, or other fluffy corporate terms
  • internets, interwebs, or any other variation of the word “internet”
  • ninja, rockstar, wizard, unicorn (unless referring to a literal ninja, rockstar, wizard, or unicorn)
  • young, old, elderly, or any other word describing a person's age
  • crushing it, killing it
  • crazy, insane, or similar words to describe people
  • best-in-breed
  • Silicon Valley cliches like rise and grind, or disruptor/disruption.
  • activation (when referring to our presence at an event)
  • blacklist, whitelist, grandfathered, slave, master, deaf, blind and any other racist or abelist terms