Mechanics & formatting

When writing copy for ALEX products, use the Chicago Manual of Style and Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

If you’re writing for marketing materials, use the AP Style Guide.

A few general notes

In keeping with the “Talking in lowercase” spirit of our voice, contractions like “don’t” or “isn’t” are fine. If you need to write out both words for clarity, that’s okay too.

Be thoughtful about pronouns. We try to keep our language as inclusive as possible. When a third-person pronoun is required to ask a question or provide an example, rewrite the sentence/question to remove the need for a pronoun entirely. For example:

Original question: “Now, since you have a kid, do you want to cover him?”
Rewritten for inclusivity: “Now, do you want to cover your kid?”

ALEX products use the Oxford comma. Ex. “You have access to medical, dental, and vision insurance.” NOT “You have access to medical, dental and vision insurance.”

When dealing with trademarked brands (™ or ®), the trademark symbols must appear the first time the name appears in text, but it doesn’t need to be used in subsequent mentions.

When writing state names, use two-letter postal code abbreviations when the state name is listed alongside a city, but spell it out when it’s on its own. Ex. “If you live in llinois” or “For residents of Chicago, IL”

On capitalization

ALEX is always styled in all caps, except when it appears in a logo.

Benefit names should be capitalized when used in a title or as a proper noun, but lowercase when used in a sentence. Some examples:

“Let’s move on to the next module, Hospital Indemnity Insurance.” Because this is the title of a module, each word should be capitalized.
“Let’s talk about hospital indemnity insurance.” Because we’re speaking about a benefit generally, do not capitalize.
“One of your plans is the Placeholder High Deductible Health Plan.” Because we’re referring to a specific plan, the name is a proper noun and should be capitalized.
“One of your plans is a high deductible health plan.” Because we’re referring to the plan type generally and not a specific plan, the words should be lowercase.

Disease names

Unless named for a person or region (aka a proper noun), disease names should not be capitalized. Only the proper noun should be capitalized.

Ex: Hodgkin lymphoma, Ebola virus vs. diabetes, influenza, multiple sclerosis

Non-possessive disease names are preferred. When a disease is named after a person, the possessive apostrophe (’s) is not required. The possessive may be used for consistency or by request, but this style guide prefers the non-possessive in accordance with the World Health Organization and American Medical Association Manual of Style.

Ex. Alzheimer disease, Down syndrome, Crohn disease

Capitalization of hyphenated words

When used as a title or proper noun, every part of the hyphenated word should be capitalized (ex. The “Short-Term Disability” module).
If the hyphenated word is the first word of a sentence, only the first part should be capitalized (ex. “Short-term disability provides 60% of your pay…”).
When used anywhere else in a sentence, everything should be lowercase (ex. “Your short-term disability pays 60% for 10 weeks.”).

Hyphens and dashes

For anyone reading this in 2026, please don’t write around this type of punctuation because you’re afraid it will look AI-generated. The human quality of your work will come through.

Hyphen (-): used in compound words (ex. short-term disability) and as number separators in phone numbers (ex. 312-123-4567)
En dash (–): mainly signifies “to” in number ranges (see “Number ranges” below)
Em dash (—): used to set off an amplifying or explanatory element (ex. “A health savings account—or HSA—can also be used to save for retirement.”). Not to be used in place of bullet points in a list.

Bulleted lists

Always capitalize the first letter of each bullet item. If the bullet item is two words, capitalize only the first word.
Put a colon at the end of the stem (the part above the bullets).
Don’t use periods at the end of each bullet point unless the bullets are full sentences on their own.
Don’t use two levels of bullets. If you’re tempted to, you’re probably trying to do too much in one list.
Always use a hanging indent for each bullet point—the second line of a bullet should line up with the first letter of the first line, not the bullet.

Numbers

Spell out whole numbers from zero through one hundred and round multiples of those numbers (ex. Three thousand, fourteen million, ten billion).

However, in contexts where character count should be minimized (ex. buttons, webforms, interactive conversations), use the CMOS alternative rule: spell out numbers zero through nine and use numerals for 10 and up. Here are some specific cases and exceptions:

Ordinals: follow the same rule (ex. first or 1st, 122nd). The letters in ordinal numbers should not appear as superscripts.
When a number begins a sentence, it is always spelled out. If the number would not usually be spelled out, it is best practice to reword the sentence so that it does not begin with a number. (Ex. “One hundred ten candidates were accepted.” —> “In all, 110 candidates were accepted.”)
When there are multiple numbers in the same sentence, maintain consistency. If you would use numerals for one of the numbers, use them for all. If there are many numbers in the same sentence, use your best judgment in order to maintain clarity. (Ex. “Though most of the test subjects were between 13 and 18, two were 11 and one was 9.”)
Percentages: Usually expressed in numerals. The symbol % is more common, but the word “percent” may also be used. (Ex. 20%, two percent)
Fractions: Simple fractions are typically spelled out and hyphenated (Ex. two-thirds, three-fourths, etc.), but may use numerals if necessary to save screen space. Whole numbers plus fractions are generally expressed in numerals, but may be spelled out if short (ex. 6 7/8, three and a quarter).
Commas for large numbers: For numerals of one thousand or more, commas are used between groups of three digits, counting from the right. Commas are not used for figures to the right of the decimal marker. Commas are not used for addresses or years. (Ex. 1,848; 525,600; 3.14159)
Number ranges: An en dash used between two numbers implies up to and including, or through. The en dash should not be used if from or between is used before the first of a pair of numbers; instead, from should be followed by to or through (or until), and between should be followed by and. (Ex. 75–100, from 75 to 100, between 75 and 100)
Salary increments. Salary increments should be styled with numerals sans space: 1x, 2x, 3x, etc. If there is a range, use an en dash: 1–5x.
24/7 or 24/7/365. Numerals with slashes, not hyphens or en dashes as in 24-7.

When writing phone numbers: style them with all dashes, no parentheses, and no country code before the area code. (i.e. 312-123-4567)

When writing dates and times: use numerals, not ordinals for dates (i.e. “March 6,” not “March 6th”). Spell out the month, followed by the day and year in numerals (March 6, 2023) if there’s room. For times of day, use a numeral with “a.m.” or “p.m.” (lowercase, with periods and no spaces).