IFRC preferred spellings
This is an alphabetical list of some common problem words and expressions. If a word is not in this list, consult the New Oxford Dictionary of English. The most important point to bear in mind is that usage should be consistent throughout a manuscript.
A
ad hoc (not italic)
advertise/advertisement
advice (noun)
advise (verb)
ageing
analyse
anglocentric
antenatal
anti-personnel
anti-retroviral therapy (ART)
apprise
Aral Sea (but the Black and the Aral seas)
arise
Atlantic Ocean (but the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans)
audiovisual
authorise/authorisation
awareness-raising
B
back-up (noun)
back up (verb)
better- (adjective, as in better-coordinated disaster response)
bilingual
billion = thousand million
blood donor (but blood-donor centre)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
break-up (noun)
break up (verb)
by-law
C
capacity building
capitalize
cardiopulmonary resuscitation
caregiver/caregiving
case study
catalyze
categorize
ceasefire
central Africa
Central African Republic
central America
Central Asia
central Europe
centralize
centre
century: from first to tenth century, number spelled out; thereafter in figures: 21st century, etc.
changeover (noun)
change over (verb)
childbirth
childcare
coastguard
coexist
co-management
community-based first aid
community-based health worker
comprise
compromise
computerise
Congo, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, the Republic of the
cooperate/cooperation
coordinate/coordination
Côte d’Ivoire (not Ivory Coast)
criticize
D
Darién jungle; Darién National Park (not Darién Gap)
data (treat as singular, as in “the data reveals” and “the data was collected”, not “the data reveal” and “the data were collected”.)
data bank/database
dates: always day, month, year (for example, 20 March 2024)
death toll
debt relief (noun)
debt-relief process (adjective)
decision-maker/decision-making
demise
department(s) (in the IFRC): always lower case, so digital transformation department, communications department, etc. (see also: IFRC departments and job titles)
dependant (noun)
dependent (adjective)
despise
destabilize
devise
diarrhoea
digital transformation not digitalization
disenfranchise
disguise
E
East (but the earthquake struck the east of the province)
East Africa
eastern Africa
east Asia
Eastern (of or relating to the East)
eastern Europe
economize
e.g., (with full stops and followed by a comma)
El Salvador (capital: San Salvador)
emergency obstetric care
emphasise
en bloc (not italic)
enfranchise
enquiry (Note: use enquiry for the act of asking a question, especially of a person; use inquiry when referring to an investigation, especially an official one)
en route (not italic)
enterprize
equalise
etc. (with full stop and followed by a comma in the middle of a sentence)
euro (currency)
eurocentric
excise
exercise
ex officio (not italic)
extranet
F
far-reaching
feedback
female genital mutilation (FGM)
fertilise
finalise
first aid (but first-aid courses, and never First Aid)
first-class
first-hand
first-rate
flood waters
flood plain
floodgate(s)
...fold (as in twofold, tenfold)
focused, focusing (not focussed, focussing)
food security
follow-up (noun)
follow up (verb)
foothold
forego (to precede)
forever
forgo (to relinquish, give up)
formalize
formulas
formulae (scientific or mathematical)
forums (never fora)
front line (but front-line operations)
fulfil/fulfilment
full time (but full-time job)
Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (but the fundamental principles)
fundraise, fundraising, fundraiser
G
galvanize
generalize
General Assembly (of the IFRC, but the Malaysian Red Crescent's general assembly. Note: to avoid confusion, always specify United Nations General Assembly/UN General Assembly)
goodwill (of a firm, but good will)
grass roots (but at the grass-roots level)
guideline(s)
H
haemorrhage/haemorrhagic
half-hour (but half an hour)
handbook
hand-picked
hard-line
hardest-hit countries (but the hardest hit countries are....)
harmonize
health care (not healthcare)
high-income countries
high-quality products (but the product is of high quality)
high-risk areas (but the community is at high risk)
hi-tech material
HIV-positive
home-based care
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
human development index
Hurricane Franklin (but a hurricane hit the region)
I
i.e., (with full stops and followed by a comma)
ill-advised
ill health
immunize
improvise
incise
industrialize
infant mortality rate
information-sharing
inquiry (Note: use inquiry when referring to an investigation, especially an official one; use enquiry for the act of asking a question, especially of a person)
insecticide-treated net
institutionalize
interact/interaction
intergovernmental
internally displaced people
international non-governmental organization (INGO)
internet
interpersonal
interrelate
intertribal
intranet
Iran, the Islamic Republic of
J
jeopardize
K
Kazakhstan
Korea, Democratic People’s Republic of (North Korea)
Korea, Republic of (South Korea)
Kosovo (N.B. refer to Kosovo as a territory, not a country or State)
know-how
Kyrgyzstan
L
labour-intensive
laissez-faire (not italic)
laissez-passer (not italic)
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
landlocked
landmine
landslide
large-scale operation (but on a large scale)
Latin America
learned (not learnt)
least developed countries
leukaemia
licence (noun)
license (verb)
life- (as in life-threatening illness)
life-saving/life-saver
lifestyle
localization
localize
long-lasting insecticidal net
long term (but long-term trends)
loophole
low-income countries
low-tech
M
Macau Special Administrative Region, China (or Macau, China in non-official texts)
macroeconomics
Maghreb (as in the Maghreb region)
Marketplace
market research
materialize
maternal and child health
maximize
medium-sized organization (but a small organization, a large organization)
megacity
memorize
microaggression
micro-bank
microcredit
microeconomics
microfinance
micro-project
micro state (no hyphen)
Middle East North Africa (MENA)
middle-income countries
Millennium Development Goal(s)
minimise
Ministry of Health, Ministry of External Affairs (but the ministries of health and external affairs)
mobilize
Moldova, the Republic of
mother-and-child clinic
mother-to-child transmission
mudslide
multicultural
multidisciplinary
multilateral
multinational
multi-purpose
multiracial
N
National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
National Society/Societies (but the society/societies)
nationwide
needs-assessment survey (but a needs assessment was carried out…)
non-cooperation/non-cooperative
non-governmental organization (NGO)
no one (no hyphen)
North (but the people live in the north of the country)
North Macedonia (not Macedonia or Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
North Africa
North America
Northern (of or relating to the North)
northern Europe
O
official development assistance (ODA)
offshore
ongoing
online
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
organization
organize
orphans and vulnerable children
overrate
P
Pacific islands (but a Pacific Islander)
Pacific Ocean (but the Pacific and Atlantic oceans)
paralyze
patronize
peace talk(s)
peacekeeper/peacekeeping
peacetime
people living with HIV
people-smuggler
people-smuggling
per cent (use % in tables to save space)
policy-maker/policy-making
politicize
post-natal
post-traumatic stress disorder
post-war
power-sharing
practice (noun)
practise (verb)
premise
prenatal
primary health care
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (but the Australian prime minister agreed...)
prioritize
prise (to force open)
privatise
prize (to value highly)
problem-solving
programme (but a computer program)
profit-sharing
promise
-prone (as in a disaster-prone area)
pro rata (but on a pro-rata basis)
psychosocial
publicize
R
radioactive/radioactivity
raise
realize
real time (but real-time evaluation)
recognize
Red Cross and Red Crescent (never RCRC, RC/RC or Red Cross Red Crescent)
regionalize
-related (as in pregnancy-related diseases)
Represent but re-present (to present again)
-resistant (as in multi drug-resistant tuberculosis)
revise
revitalize
rise
River Thames (but the Indus and Amazon rivers)
round table (but round-table talks)
Russian Federation
S
Sahel (as in the Sahel region)
scale up (verb)
scaling-up (noun)
schoolchild/schoolchildren (but a pre-school child)
search and rescue (but a search-and-rescue team)
Second World War (not World War II)
secretariat (of IFRC)
Secretary General Jagan Chapagain (but the secretary general said…)
secretaries general (plural)
self-interest
Senator Jones (but the senator said…)
sensitize
sexually transmitted infection (STI)
short-term losses (but in the short term)
sister society/societies (see page 6)
small-scale project (but on a small scale)
South Africa (the country, but southern Africa the region)
South America
South Asia
South (the, but the south of the region was flooded)
South-East Asia
Southern (of or relating to the South)
specialize
stabilize
standardize
starting point
state(s)/states party (but New York State, the State of New South Wales)
stationary (not moving)
stationery (paper, envelopes, etc.)
Strategy 2030
subcommittee
subcontinent
subnetwork
subregion/subregional
sub-Saharan Africa
subsidize
sub-standard
subtotal
summarize
supervise
surmise
Sustainable Development Goal(s)
Syrian Arab Republic
T
Taiwan, China (refer to as ‘area’ not ‘country’)
Tanzania, United Republic of
task force
team player
team spirit
teamwork
televise
think tank
Timor-Leste (not East Timor)
toolkit
tsunami
Türkiye (not Turkey) but Turkish Red Crescent
U
ultra- (as in ultra-expensive airlifts)
uncooperative
underpay
underrate
under way (as in negotiations are under way...)
underuse
United Nations Secretary-General
up-to-date information (but the information is up to date)
urbanize
V
Viet Nam (not Vietnam, but Vietnamese)
visualize
vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA)
W
wartime
water and sanitation (always write out in full, not WatSan or watsan)
water, sanitation and hygiene promotion (WASH)
web
website
wellbeing
well-established programme (but the programme is well established)
well-functioning National Society/well-functioning National Societies
well-known organization (but the organization is well known)
well-established programme (but the programme is well established)
West (the, but the programme was carried out in the west of the country)
West Africa
western Africa
western Europe
Western (of or relating to the West)
worldwide
X
X-ray
Last updated