The Jargon Buster scans your writing against a built-in glossary of 200+ common jargon words and acronyms, then suggests a shorter, plain-English replacement for each. Plain-language standards — GOV.UK style, the US Plain Writing Act, and most accessibility guidance — recommend everyday words over inflated business and government vocabulary so the widest possible audience can understand a notice. This tool finds those words and lets you swap them in one click.
How it works
The tool ships with a dictionary that maps each jargon term to its plain-English equivalent (for example utilise → use, commence → start, ascertain → find out, facilitate → help, going forward → from now on).
- Your text is matched against every glossary entry using whole-word, case-insensitive matching, so partial matches inside longer words are never touched.
- Each match is highlighted inline and listed with its suggested replacement.
- The replace all action substitutes every match for its plain-English form, preserving the original sentence-leading capitalisation, and the result can be copied to your clipboard.
Common substitutions from the glossary
Here are some of the most frequently flagged terms and their plain replacements:
| Jargon | Plain English |
|---|---|
| utilise | use |
| commence | start |
| ascertain | find out |
| facilitate | help |
| leverage (verb) | use |
| going forward | from now on |
| in order to | to |
| with regard to | about |
| at this point in time | now |
| endeavour | try |
| implement | carry out |
| prior to | before |
| subsequent to | after |
| in the event that | if |
| it is important to note that | note that |
| due to the fact that | because |
| in close proximity | near |
| notwithstanding | despite |
When to keep jargon
Plain English does not mean removing every specialist term. Keep technical vocabulary when your specific audience needs it and a plain alternative would be less accurate — a medical notice for clinicians should keep contraindicated, and a legal document may need indemnify. The goal is to replace words that add length without adding precision: terms like utilise instead of use or commence instead of start exist only to sound formal, not to carry extra meaning.
Tips and notes
- Plain English is about clarity, not dumbing down. Only swap words that add length without adding meaning.
- Some swaps depend on context: leverage the noun (a lever’s mechanical advantage) is correct, but leverage as a verb usually just means use. Re-read each highlight before accepting it.
- After replacing, run the text through a sentence-length or passive-voice check too — short words plus short, active sentences together give the best readability scores.
- Government bodies in the UK and US are now required by policy (GOV.UK Design System, US Plain Writing Act 2010) to write in plain English; this tool helps meet those obligations quickly.