Lowercase, no space. Include a space between the number and p.m. See “Time.”
Word List
The Yahoo! Word List
The Yahoo! word list covers terms related to communications, technology, branding, and other topics that our U.S. editors have encountered frequently. Following is a healthy sampling of the full Yahoo! word list. (We update the online list quarterly—see what’s new.)
These are the decisions that Yahoo! has come to after years of writing and editing for the Web. You may naturally make different choices and have different entries, but our word list can be useful as a springboard or as an additional reference.
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p.m.
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Pacific Islander (n., adj.)
Two words, no hyphen. Refers to the native peoples of Polynesia (including Hawaii, Samoa, Tahiti, and Tonga), Micronesia (including Guam, the Northern Marianas, and Palau), and Melanesia (including Fiji and Papua New Guinea).
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page view
Two words. The viewing of a webpage by one visitor. (Advertisers consider how many page views a site receives when deciding where and how to advertise.)
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passcode
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passphrase
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password
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password-protect (v.)
Note hyphen. Example: Be sure to password-protect sensitive files on the intranet.
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PayPal
One word. Note capitalization of this eBay trademark.
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PC
Abbreviation for personal computer. Abbreviation is OK as long as context is clear (abbreviation can also mean politically correct). Plural: PCs.
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PC call
OK to use for a PC-to-PC phone call. Use as a noun only. For a verb form, use place a PC call, make a PC call, use your PC to call, make calls from your PC, or similar.
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PDA
Abbreviation for personal digital assistant. Abbreviation is OK as long as context is clear (abbreviation can also mean public display of affection). Plural: PDAs.
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PDF
Abbreviation for Portable Document Format. Generally used to refer to files created by using Adobe Acrobat. Abbreviation is always OK. Plural: PDFs.
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peer-to-peer (adj.)
Note hyphens.
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percent
See “Percentages.”
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pharming
Redirecting traffic from a legitimate website to a hacker’s spoof website that appears legitimate.
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PhD
Abbreviation for Doctor of Philosophy. No periods. [Updated to apply title case to the full name of the degree.]
Updated on January 21, 2011 -
phishing
Sending email that is supposedly from a legitimate business (such as a trusted financial institution) in an attempt to trick the recipient into responding and submitting sensitive information. Other forms: phish, phisher.
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Photoshop
Note capitalization of this Adobe trademark. Use the term as an adjective or a proper noun, and do not use it as a verb.
Added on May 12, 2011 -
PIN
Abbreviation for personal identification number. All capitals. Not PIN number.
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pint
An acceptable abbreviation for pint(s) is pt. (note period). Note: A pint is a different measurement in the U.S. and the U.K.
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pixel
Short for picture element, a unit of measurement.
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playlist
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PlayStation
One word. Note capitalization of this Sony trademark. Do not add an s to make the term plural.
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plug-in (n., adj.), plug in (v.)
Note hyphen when used as a noun or adjective. Not plugin. Two words when used as a verb.
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podcast
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police officer
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pop-up (n., adj.), pop up (v.)
Note hyphen when used as a noun or adjective. Not popup. Two words when used as a verb. Examples: Get rid of pop-ups before they pop up. Stop pop-up ads from ever annoying you again.
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pope
Lowercase unless used as a formal title before a name. Examples: The pope pushed for social and health care reforms. The president met with Pope Benedict XVI.
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post-
Generally, close up this prefix with root words unless the root word starts with a capital letter—if it does, insert a hyphen. Examples: postgame, posttrial, postproduction, post-Victorian.
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Post-it
Note hyphen and capitalization of this 3M trademark.
Do not use the term as a noun or add an s to make the term plural.
Added on October 22, 2010 -
postal worker
Use this term instead of postman. See “Write Gender-Neutral Copy.”
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pound
An acceptable abbreviation for the unit of English measure pound(s) is lb. (note period).
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pre-
Generally, close up this prefix with root words unless the root word starts with an e or a capital letter—if it does, insert a hyphen. Examples: pre-enrollment, preproduction, pre-MP3.
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premiere (n.)
In general, people have debuts, while movies and other events have premieres. A premier is a prime minister.
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Pres.
Acceptable abbreviation for President: Pres. Obama.
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president, President
Lowercase unless used as a formal title before a name: President Barack Obama. In this case, it may also be abbreviated as Pres. (note period): Pres. Obama. Do not use president or President to refer to former presidents.
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president-elect (n.)
Note hyphen. Refers to a candidate who has been elected but not yet inaugurated. Use President-elect before a name: President-elect Barack Obama. Otherwise use president-elect: He was the first African American president-elect.
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press
When referring to a key on a keyboard, use press. Use click (for a button, link, or other interface element) or click on (for a file, photograph, icon, etc.) for the mouse action. See “Mouse Actions.”
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primetime (n., adj.)
Added on October 22, 2010
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print (v.)
When instructing readers to create a hard copy of a document, use print. In the U.S., print out can also be used; in the U.K., print off.
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printout (n.), print out (v.)
One word when used as a noun. Two words when used as a verb. Example: I’ll print out a copy of the article and mark my edits on the printout.
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promo
Short form of promotional message, promotional announcement, or something similar. OK to use when space is tight as a heading for a promotion or promotional box.
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PS2, PS3
OK to use as abbreviations for Sony products PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3 as long as their meaning has been made clear. All capitals, no spaces.
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pt.
Acceptable abbreviation for pint(s). Note period. Include a space between the number and pt. For information about when it’s OK to use the abbreviation, see “Units of Measure.”
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pull-down menu
Note hyphen. Preferred to drop-down menu or drop-down box. Also OK: menu, list.
Updated on October 21, 2010 -
push-to-talk (n., adj.)
Lowercase, hyphenated. Example: They used push-to-talk to keep in touch during the night.
Build your own word list
A word list is an important part of a site’s style guide. It tracks your decisions, helps you enforce them to maintain your site’s voice and editorial standards, and keeps editors from having to make the same kinds of decisions over and over again—possibly coming to contradictory conclusions each time.
Build your own word list
