plain English
No jargon here
Plain English is language that's clear, direct, and easy to understand—free of jargon, legalese, or unnecessary complexity.
The phrase often appears in requests for clarity: Can you explain that in plain English?
Government and legal movements advocate for plain English in official documents to make them accessible to ordinary readers.
Without obstruction or fog
- lucidMentally sharp and comprehensible
- straightforwardClear and uncomplicated
- comprehensibleAble to be understood
- intelligibleCapable of being understood
unambiguous · explicit · coherent · transparent · precise · articulate · crystal-clear · direct
Non-specialist phrasing
- accessibleAble to be reached
- user-friendlyEasy to operate
- non-technicalNot requiring expertise
- demystifiedMade comprehensible
simplified · readable · practical · functional · everyday language · beginner-friendly · general audience · non-specialist
Free of complexity
- basicFundamental in nature
- uncomplicatedEasy to understand
- elementaryOf first principles
- easyRequiring minimal effort
unsophisticated · unembellished · conversational · informal · everyday · common · ordinary · familiar
clear
Without obstruction or fog
- lucidMentally sharp and comprehensible
- straightforwardClear and uncomplicated
- comprehensibleAble to be understood
intelligible · unambiguous · explicit · coherent · transparent · precise · articulate · crystal-clear · direct · accessible
layman's terms
Non-specialist phrasing
- accessibleAble to be reached
- user-friendlyEasy to operate
- non-technicalNot requiring expertise
demystified · simplified · readable · practical · functional · everyday language · beginner-friendly · general audience · non-specialist · untechnical
simple
Free of complexity
- basicFundamental in nature
- uncomplicatedEasy to understand
- elementaryOf first principles
easy · unsophisticated · unembellished · conversational · informal · everyday · common · ordinary · familiar · down-to-earth
- Informal Languageslang, idioms, colloquialisms, contractions, expressions
- speech stylesinformal speech, formal speech, colloquial, vernacular, high style
- accessibilitywheelchair access, wheelchair sports, wheelchair ramp, adaptive skiing, accessibility features
- clarityclearness, clear, obvious, simplification, concise
- plain languagesimple language, simple words, simple grammar, simple sentences, layman's terms
- simplificationsimplification, simplifying, simplify, condensing, simplified
plain Englishjargon
Specialized professional vocabulary
gobbledygook · legalese · bureaucratese · technical language · doublespeak
plain Englishlegalese
Attorneys' technical jargon
bureaucratese · medicalese · academese · technobabble · officialese
plain Englishpurple prose
Overly elaborate, emotional writing
ornate prose · grandiloquence · bombast · circumlocution · verbosity
plain, plainly, plainness, plains, plainer, plainest, English, England, Englishman