---
title: "3.5 Vocabulary & Language"
subtitle: "The words we use, and the ones we don't"
description: "The By Default vocabulary: the jargon we avoid and the language we reach for instead."
author: "Studio"
section: "Brand Book"
layer: "core"
subsection: "03 Verbal Identity"
order: 5
status: "published"
access: "team"
brand: "internal"
---

## Words we don't say

We don't jargon. We don't buzzword. We don't oversell.

| Word / phrase | Why, and what to do instead |
| --- | --- |
| "Disruptive" | Overused and vague. Say what actually changed. |
| "Empower" | Show the empowerment instead of claiming it. |
| "Game-changing" | Describe the actual change. |
| "Authentic" | If you have to say it, you're not being it. |
| "Innovative" | Unless you can prove it with a specific example. |
| "Synergy" | Just say what works together and why. |
| "Leverage" | Say "use". |
| "Scalable" | Say what scales and how. |
| "Best-in-class" | Says nothing. Show the evidence. |
| "Human-centred" | What else would it be? Be more specific. |
| "Thought leadership" | Just write the thought. |
| "Holistic" | Too vague. Name the specific components. |

## Words and phrases we use

| Term | Usage |
| --- | --- |
| Designed participation | Our framework. The anchor of everything we build. |
| Audience transformation | Sales and pitch context for what designed participation achieves. |
| Interactive | Our category. |
| Earn attention | Not "capture" or "grab". |
| Hold it | The second part of the promise. |
| A different standard | Our tagline. |
| By default | Used sparingly to reinforce our philosophy. |
| Build / built | We build things. We don't "craft", "curate", or "elevate". |