Words to Watch

This is a 'living document' that can be updated as needed over time.

Words to Watch (W2W) are words commonly misspelled or which may have variations that depend on the Joomla! style guide choices.

Accepted Word	Unacceptable Word	Detail
Administrator	administrator	Always capitalise when referring to the Joomla! User level or the Backend Administrator. When referring to the site administrator then it is lowercase
address		Spell with a double d.
adapter	adaptor	someone who adapts; adaptor plug
a lot	alot	Use as two words, not one.
amend and amendment		Spell with a single m at the beginning.
Article		Capitalise the word Article when referring to the element of Joomla! content.
AutoCorrect		One word with capitalisation as shown
Backend	back end back-end	One word not hyphenated or two words.
backup and back up		Use backup when used as an adjective, as in "he had a backup disk in his bag" and use back up when using it as a verb, as in "don’t forget to back up your hard drive".
Banner		Always capitalise when referring to the Component element or Manager function.
bitmap	bit map or bit-map	One word not hyphenated or two words.
blacklist	black list	one word not two
cacheable	cachable	The 'e' should not be dropped.
CAPTCHA	captcha Captcha	Captcha is an acronym that stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. It is pronounced as a real word and not spelled out then it should be written as captcha according to our style guide (see acronyms).
Category (Manager)		Always capitalise when referring to the Component element or Manager function.
collapsible	collapsable	The correct spelling is -ible
command	comand
Contact (Manager)		Always capitalise when referring to the Component element or Manager function.
checkbox	check box
check-in (noun/adjective) (Global) Check-in	checkin (noun/adjective)	We will be using check-in, which must be capitalised when referring to a specific function, Menu Item, or button such as Global Check-in. It is correct to use check in (verb) as in 'check in your materials'.
Component (Manager)		Capitalise the word Component when referring to an Extension in Joomla!.
Contact		Capitalise the word Contact when referring to the element of the Joomla! Contact Component.
Control Panel	control panel	Capitalise when referring to the Joomla! Backend functional area.
CSS	css	Always capitalise except in code or when a file extension.
database	data base	One word not two
directory		Do not use. Use folder instead
dropdown	drop-down drop down	One word not hyphenated
email	E-mail e-mail	No hyphen and lower case. Except Email is obviously correct at the start of a sentence! We will be going with email (lower-case and non hyphenated) for consistency.
Extension(s)	extension(s)	Refer to Components, Modules, and Plugins collectively as Extensions. Always capitalise when referring to CMPT’s.
file name	filename	Two words rather than one.
fine-tune	fine tune finetune	One hyphenated word.
folder		Do not use directory always use folder
Frontend	front-end	One word not hyphenated or two words.
Front Page front page	Frontpage frontpage	Always two words. Capitalise the words Front Page when referring to the Menu Item element of Joomla! content.
Gmail	GMail	Always capitalise the first letter only
Gzip	GZip	Only capitalise the first letter when referring to the name of the program
hard disk	hard-disk	Two words. No hyphenation
hardware	hard-ware	One word. No hyphenation
home page	homepage	Always two words.
HTML	HTM html	Always capitalise, except in code or when a file extension.
ID	Id id	Always capitalise when referring to a database ID. Lowercase when referring to a CSS id.
iframe	Iframe iFrame	Lower case unless at the start of a sentence.
information	infos	Always use information. Infos is not a real word
internet	Internet	Lower case unless at the start of a sentence or referring to Internet Explorer
IP	Ip ip	IP is an acronym that stands for internet protocol. As it is pronounced by spelling out the letters and not as a real word then it should be written as IP, all capitals with no periods, according to our style guide (see acronyms).
JavaScript	javascript Java Script	One word but with the J and S capitalised.
Joomla! joomla Joomla		See separate tradmark document
joomla_root/		Use as the starting point to all references to directories within the core installation to avoid confusion with the web server or database root.
keyboard	key board	One word not two
licence and license		Use licence as a noun for the permit you obtain to do something like hunt or drive, but use license when you mean it as a verb, to give permission to or allow someone to do something or for something to occur.
login, logon, logoff, and logout		Noun always one word one “g” the act of logging into or out of a computer or website. NOT the name of the field - that is Username
log in, log on, and log off log out		Verb to go through the procedure of logging in to or out of a website for example.
maintenance	maintainence	Spell with -ten- in the middle and end with -ance.
Manager	manager	When referring to either the User level or a Manager screen (Poll Manager) it is capitalised.
Media Manager	media manager	Capitalise when referring to the Joomla! function.
Menu	menu	When referring to a specific menu in Joomla! always capitalise.
Menu Item	menu item	Two words and capitalise both when referring to the specific element within Joomla! but not when generally discussing any old menu items
metadata	meta data	One word lower case
meta [attribute]	meta-description	Always two words and [attribute] is always lowercase
misspell	mispell	Spell with a double s.
Module	module	Always capitalise when used for a Joomla! Extension.
Multi-factor Authentication	multifactor authentication multi factor authentication	Multi-factor must always be a single hyphenated word and only the complete word should be capitalised.
multilingual	multi-lingual multi lingual	one word
multitasking	multi-tasking multi tasking	one word
MySQL	mysql MYSQL
News Feed	newsfeed Newsfeed	Always capitalise when referring to the Component within Joomla!, and always two words. If referring to a news feed and not the component then still two words but not capitalised
necessary and necessity	neccessary	Spelled with one c and a double s.
OK	Ok, ok	Capitalise both letters
online	on-line on line	One word lower case
Open Source (OS)	Open source	Capitalise the O and S.
overwrite	over write over-write	One word
page break	pagebreak	two words not one
password	pass word	One word
passkey	Passkey, PassKey	Passkey is a common noun (capitalise as you would do for password)
pdf	PDF	lower case
PHP	php	Always capitalise except when used as a file extension or in code
phpass	PHPass	Always lowercase even when at the start of the sentence or in a title
Plugin(s)	plug-in	One word
PostScript	Post Script post-script	One word. Capitalise P and S.
practice and practise		Use practice as a noun when describing actually doing something rather than just discussing it or theories about it.
program and programme		program when referring to code; otherwise programme
proofread	proof-read	proofed
reCAPTCHA	recaptcha Recaptcha ReCaptcha ReCAPTCHA	This is the name of a specific product/service from google so should be spelt exactly this way. It is never capitalised even at the beginning of a sentence.
receive	recieve	Use i before e except after c.
RSS	rss	Always capitalise except when used as a file extension or in code
SEF	Sef sef	Always capitalise
semicolon	semi colon semi-colon	One Word
separate	seperate	Spell with -par- in the middle.
shall		Do not use. A better word is will. This will be displayed not this shall be displayed
software	soft ware soft-ware	One word
source code	sourcecode	Two words
style sheet	stylesheet style-sheet	Two words no hyphen
subdirectory	sub-directory sub directory	One word
success and successful	sucess	Spell with a double c and a double s.
Super User	Super Administrator super administrator	Always capitalise when referring to the Joomla! User. There is no such thing as a Super Administrator
surprise		Spell with an r before and after the p.
text area	text-area textarea	When referring to the area that you enter content then it is two words. When referring to the HTML tag then it is one word
toolbar	tool bar tool-bar	One word
twelfth	twelth	Spell with an f in the middle.
Twitter	twitter	Twitter is a trademark so should always be with a capital
unfortunately		Spell with -ately at the end.
URL	Url url	Capitalise except when used in code.
User	user	When referring to a specific Joomla! User always capitalise first letter
user group	usergroup User Group	Two words lower case
Username	user name	One word. You login with the Username NOT the login name
UTF-8	utf-8 utf8	Always uppercase and hyphenated
vCard	VCard vcard Vcard	Always spelt vCard even at the beginning of a sentence or in a label.
web	Web	Lower case
Web link Web Link	weblink web-link	Two words unhyphenated. Capitalise the words when discussing the Component variant - Web Link Manager.
Web services	webservices	Two words with the first word capitalised. When used in a title, label or button then the normal rules apply and both are capitalised.
website	web site Web Site Web site	One word not capitalised
whitelist	white list	one word not two
wi-fi	WIFI wifi WI-FI	Lower case and hyphenated.
Word	word	When referring to a Word document this should always be capitalised as it is a trademark
World Wide Web (WWW)	Worldwide Web	Capitalise, as it is a proper noun. Three separate words. Capitalise the abbreviation (except in URL’s)