# Tone of voice rules

**What is a "rule"?**

[Style and tone guides](https://www.textok.com/resources/guides/an-explicit-step-by-step-tone-of-voice-guide-for-corporate-communication) are made of [rules](/tone-of-voice-rules.md#categories-of-rules). The number of rules is constantly growing, and if you have one in mind, don't hesitate to drop us a line at [support@writitude.com](mailto:support@textok.com)!

 

**How are the rules grouped?**

Each of the many Writitude tone and style rules falls under one of these categories and subcategories:

 

Choice of words

1\)    Discriminatory language

2\)    Formality

3\)    Politeness and assertiveness

4\)    Rare, complex and abstract terms

5\)    Nativeness and regional differences

6\)    Other words and phrases

7\)    Custom glossaries

 

Readability & flow

1\)    Improve overall flow

 

Emotionality

1\)    Overall emotionality

2\)    Negative emotions

3\)    Special characters

 

Sentence structure

1\)    Complexity

2\)    Relationship building

 

Document structure

1\)    Length

2\)    Greetings & farewells

**Do I have to use all the rules to automate my tone and style guide?**

No, you don't. Moreover, many rules are mutually exclusive — for example, "Require writing about the company or brand in first person" and "Forbid writing about the company or brand in first person."

Start with the rules you understand and that you know are needed in your communications. Then keep adding new ones when you encounter communication patterns that you would like to automate. 

The easiest way to start thinking about the particular rules you need is to use our tone of voice wizard or [tone of voice matcher](/tone-of-voice-matcher.md). Read more about creating your first custom tone of voice [here](/the-tone-of-voice-guides.md).


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