How to use this glossary
Every creative field has its own shorthand. Writers, designers, editors, photographers and audio producers often use words that seem obvious to them and puzzling to everyone else. This page is a short alphabetical entry point to the vocabulary that appears across this site. Each definition is deliberately brief. Where a whole group of terms deserves more room, the section at the end points to a specialized glossary.
The definitions describe common usage. Some terms are used a little differently from one workplace to the next, so when you work with a team, it helps to confirm what everyone means.
A to C
Alt text. A short written description of an image, read aloud by screen readers and shown when an image fails to load. Good alternative text describes what matters about the image in context, not every detail.
Aspect ratio. The proportion of an image or video’s width to its height, such as 16:9 or 1:1. It decides how content fits on different screens.
Asset. Any file used in a project: an image, a clip, a font, a sound, a document.
Attribution. Credit given to the creator of a work you use, often required by an open license.
Audience. The specific group of people a piece of content is meant for. A clear audience makes nearly every other decision easier, which is why audience research is a common first step.
Bitrate. The amount of data used per second of audio or video. Higher bitrates usually mean better quality and larger files.
Brief. A short document that sets out the purpose, audience, format and limits of a project before work begins.
Call to action. A line that invites the reader to do one specific thing, such as subscribe, read on or share.
Caption. Text that appears with a photo, or text that displays spoken words and key sounds on a video.
Content calendar. A schedule showing what will be published, where and when.
Copy. The written text in a piece of content, especially in marketing or on a page.
D to H
Derivative work. A new work based on an existing one, such as a translation or an adaptation. Whether you may make one usually depends on the license or permission.
Draft. An early version of a piece that is expected to change.
Evergreen content. Material that stays useful for a long time because it is not tied to a date or news event.
Exposure. How much light reaches a camera sensor or film, which sets how bright or dark an image looks.
Frame rate. How many still images a video shows per second, usually written as fps.
Hierarchy. The order in which a viewer notices things on a page, shaped by size, weight, color and position.
Headline. The title of a piece, written to tell the reader plainly what to expect.
K to N
Kerning. Adjusting the space between two specific letters so a line of type looks even.
Lede. The opening sentence or paragraph of a story, meant to give the most important information first. It is often spelled “lead” outside journalism.
License. Written permission from a rights holder that sets out what others may do with a work.
Metadata. Information about a file or page, such as its title, author, date and description, that is not part of the visible content.
Meta description. A short summary of a page that search engines may show in results.
Noise floor. The level of constant background sound in a recording, such as hiss or room tone.
P to S
Pillar page. A broad, central article on a topic that connects to narrower related pieces.
Plain language. Writing organized and worded so readers can understand it the first time they read it.
Proofreading. The final check for typos, spelling and punctuation errors before publishing.
Public domain. The state of a work that no longer has copyright protection, or never had it, so anyone may use it. The rules vary by country and by type of work.
Repurposing. Turning one piece of content into other formats, such as a long article into a short video script.
Resolution. The number of pixels in an image or video, often written as width by height.
Storyboard. A series of rough sketches or frames that plan the sequence of a video or animation.
Style guide. A set of written rules for spelling, tone, formatting and naming so that content stays consistent.
T to Z
Template. A reusable structure you fill in with new material, saving time and keeping a consistent look.
Thumbnail. A small preview image that represents a video or page.
Tone. The attitude a piece of writing conveys, such as friendly, formal or neutral.
Transcript. A text version of spoken audio or video.
Typeface. A design of lettering, such as a serif or a sans serif. A font is a specific size and style of a typeface, although people often use the words interchangeably.
Version control. Tracking changes to a file over time so you can compare or restore earlier versions.
White space. Empty areas around text and images. It is not wasted room; it gives the eye places to rest and helps separate ideas.
Where to go for more detail
Some terms come in families that are easier to learn together. The specialized glossaries each cover a related group in more depth.
- Sound and recording. Words such as levels, clipping and room tone are defined with plain examples in the glossary of audio terms.
- Layout and type. Leading, bleed, margin and similar words are explained in the glossary of design terms.
- Cameras and footage. Shutter speed, resolution and similar words appear in the glossary of video terms.
- Permissions and credit. Words that often cause confusion, such as license, attribution and derivative work, are covered in the glossary of licensing terms.
- Copy and revision. Terms from newsrooms and publishing houses, such as copy edit and style sheet, are collected in the glossary of editing terms.
A note on jargon
Specialized words are useful among people who share them, but they can shut out everyone else. When you write for a general audience, it is usually kinder to use the plain word, or to explain the term the first time it appears. That habit connects to plain language, which aims to make writing understandable on a first read.
Glossaries also have limits. Terms change, and the technical details of formats, tools and rules change faster than most definitions. For anything involving rights, contracts or legal permissions, treat the definitions here as a starting vocabulary and check official guidance or qualified advice for your situation.
If you are new to a field, you do not need to memorize any of this. Read a few guides, return to the glossary when a word trips you up, and the vocabulary tends to become familiar through use.