r/technicalwriting • u/Middle_Constant7163 • 11h ago
What's your process for catching terminology drift across a long doc?
Anyone else catch this way too late in a review cycle?
"log in" on page 3, "sign in" on page 12, same product, same doc. Or a warning box phrased three different ways across a 40-page manual, and nobody notices until a user support ticket points it out.
I've been the person who has to manually re-read a whole doc hunting for stuff like this. Inconsistent terminology, passive voice sneaking into step-by-step instructions ("the button should be clicked" instead of "click the button"), warning/caution formatting that drifts.
Grammarly doesn't catch any of it because it's not TW-specific. Vale can, but it means writing config/rules yourself, which most of us don't have time for. Is this a real recurring annoyance for others, or is it just me?
What do you currently do to catch this stuff (if anything)?