Grammar and mechanics · hard · v4.6.1

GRM-03

Use exclamation points sparingly. Never use more than one at a time, and never in error messages or alerts.

Pass example

Welcome to your new dashboard.

Fail example

Welcome to your new dashboard!!!

Relevant content types

Weighted in these moments

This standard behaves differently depending on the reader's moment. Moment-aware evaluation picks one of these adjustments when the moment matches.

  • first_encounter — relax
    An exclamation in a welcome message is warmer, not louder.
  • celebration — relax
    Exclamation marks are earned in achievement moments.
  • error_recovery — suppress
    Exclamation marks in errors feel like shouting at a struggling user.
  • empty_state — relax
    A friendly exclamation in an empty state is encouraging, not excessive.

Example pairs

Concrete before/after pairs observed in public style guides, each with inline attribution. See /sources for the full source list and licensing.

  • error_recovery · error_messageCC-BY-NC-ND-4.0

    Not this. Oops! Something went wrong! Please try again!

    But this. Something went wrong. Try again.

    Mailchimp: exclamation points are earned in celebration, not piled in errors. Excessive punctuation undermines calm. — Mailchimp · Grammar and mechanics — Exclamation points

Sources

Style guides that shaped this standard. Each is listed on /sources with its license and opt-out path.

  • Mailchimp
  • Shopify Polaris
  • Microsoft Writing Style Guide
  • Apple HIG

Version history

  1. v4.6.1 · 2026-04-23

    Per-standard version tracking introduced. Every standard starts at the library version current at introduction; bump per-standard when the rule text, examples, or content_type_notes change.

Related standards

Other standards in the Grammar and mechanics category.

  • GRM-01 — Use the serial comma (Oxford comma) in lists of three or more items.
  • GRM-02 — Spell out abbreviations and acronyms on first use in body copy and help content. Use the short form for subsequent mentions. Universally understood abbreviations (FAQ, URL, ZIP, LLC, IRS) and regulated accessibility terms (TTY) do not require expansion in any context. Internal or organization-specific abbreviations should always be expanded on a public-facing page. If the surrounding copy acknowledges the reader may not know a term, expand it.
  • GRM-04 — Don't use ampersands in body copy unless they are part of a brand name. Ampersands are acceptable in headings, navigation labels, footer links, and other space-constrained UI elements where '&' is a conventional shorthand.
  • GRM-05 — Use numerals for numbers in body copy. Spell out a number only when it begins a sentence.
  • GRM-06 — Hyphenate number-unit compound modifiers before nouns. The unit takes singular form when hyphenated.

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