Voice and tone

How the product speaks: the words in every component.

The five answers

Question	Answer	Why
Which kinds of copy does it need?	Labels, messages and articles	Articles are the product; the UI copy must match them.
How many tones does it use?	One per moment	Warm by default, calmer for errors.
How is the voice defined?	Principles and examples	Editors work from principles and examples, not word lists.
How does it sound?	Conversational	Talk to one reader, like a good editor.
Where do the words matter most?	Articles and guides	Most words are in articles and guides.

Tokens

Each token points to another token. Values live only on primitives, below.

Token	Points to
content.action.commit
content.action.cancel
content.action.destroy
content.action.retry
content.action.empty-action

When to use what

Situation	Use	Not	Why
A button label	A warm verb a reader would say	"Submit" or "Click here"	Buttons are part of the reading voice. Example: “Subscribe”
The words of an error	Calm and helpful. Take the blame, offer the way forward.	Blaming the reader	A calm error keeps the reader's trust. Example: “We could not save your email. Check it and try again.”
A success message	Warm and brief, with what happens next	A bare "Done"	A warm close invites the reader back. Example: “You're in. The next issue arrives on Friday.”
An empty state	An invitation, not a dead end	"No items"	An empty list is a chance to show what the product offers. Example: “Nothing saved yet. Tap Save on any article to read it later.”
A confirmation question	Gentle and clear about what changes	Guilt or pressure	Readers come back when leaving felt respectful. Example: “Unsubscribe from the weekly letter? You can come back any time.”
A first visit	One sentence on what is here and why it is worth reading	A sign-up wall	Occasional readers decide in seconds whether to stay. Example: “Practical guides, one a week. Start with the most read.”