Lists (Ordered and Unordered)

Lists improve the readability and organization of information. Use them to break down complex instructions, features, or concepts into scannable pieces.

Basic guidelines

• Use parallel writing structures for similar things.
• Use lists to present complex text in a way that's easy to scan.
• A list should have at least two items but no more than seven items.

Unordered lists (bullets)

Use bulleted lists for items that share something in common but don't need to appear in a specific order.

Ordered lists (numbered)

Use numbered lists for steps or items that must appear in a specific order.

Introductory text

• Ensure the purpose of the list is clear. Introduce the list with a heading or a complete sentence.
• If you introduce a list with a heading, skip the explanatory text after the heading.
• Avoid using a colon or period in the heading.

Capitalization

• Begin each list item with a capital letter unless the item is a command, which is always lowercase.
• Rewrite items if needed so all items begin consistently — either all capitalized or all lowercase.

Punctuation

• Apply punctuation consistently across all items in the list and all lists in the same section.
• Avoid semicolons, commas, or conjunctions such as and or or at the end of list items.
• Use a period only when list items are complete sentences. If all items have three or fewer words, omit the period.
• If the list is introduced by a sentence ending with a colon, end each item with a period. Each item should complete the introductory sentence.