We've closed a $14.6M Series A to rebuild how product copy gets written. Read the note

Error message style guide

Rules for writing clear, specific error messages in the core product.

Enabled by default Used in 7 projects
Rules 24+ Add rule
Use decimals instead of fractionsIn all UI content and technical documentation, write decimals rather than fractions.
1 example
Avoid permissive languageGive people confidence about what happens next instead of hedging with "can" or "may".
2 examples
Write full month names where possibleUse the month's full name. Where space is tight, use the 3-letter abbreviation with a period.
ctas
1 suggested edit
Saved cChanges were saved
Use active voice
V For content designers

Own your NARRATIVE.

Put every string your product ships behind one source of truth — draft it, review it, ship it.

Run the product copy process end to end, in one place.

Take a strategic approach to content design. When you aren't racing to keep up, you can start moving the business with the words you write.

  • Build a single source of truth
  • Get the right stakeholder input
  • Iterate alongside design
  • Ship changes without an engineer

Build (and manage) one source of truth

No more stale copy docs, and no more design files quietly drifting out of date. Sync every string into Verba once, then manage a single source that updates everywhere it appears.

Set up your
information
Marlowe  / Onboarding flow
Hide fieldsVariantFilterGroup
Let's get started section
Set up your informationheading
What's your full name?
What's your email?
We'll send a confirmation before you continuehelper text
Continuebutton

Run better team reviews

Bring teammates into the copy process, then let the assistant hold the line on your rules. Leave comments, suggest edits, track status and tag reviewers — all while your style guide is enforced alongside you.

1 suggested edit
Let's get started
in your workflow
Why? View rule
Headers should use active voice

Iterate alongside design, and stay in sync

Work in tandem without stepping on toes. Designers keep moving in the canvas while you iterate on the copy, then push every update back with a single click.

Personal and
account info
Verba — canvas plugin
Selected 1ProjectAssets
Text
Personal and account information
+ Insert variablePlurals# Character limit
Status No status
Assign Assign to…

Ship updates without a developer

Own product text all the way from draft to deploy. Use the developer API, CLI and SDKs to pull current copy straight into the build — no begging for a slot in next sprint's ticket queue.

Welcome back
What is your role?
$ verba pull
Fetching latest text from Verba…
 
Saved to userDashboard.json.
Saved to sharedText.json.
 
String files updated.

How to start tightening your workflow this week

Build a reusable content library to document standards, hold consistency, and scale the team.

Publish to library
Fee disclaimer8
Fees may apply.
CancelPublish
← Selected 42ProjectAssets
All components Filter
CTAs
Error messages
Fee disclaimerFees may apply.
Commit
Changed 3 minutes agoSave Commit
Status Final ⌄
TagsOnboardingCTA

Run efficient review workflows, and track every edit in a detailed timeline.

Build a rule-enforced style guide, and drive consistency across every string your team produces.

Style guideError messages 32 rules
1 suggested edit
Saved cChanges were saved
Use active voice
Small words, outsized impact

See how Kestrel writes, reviews, proofs and localizes 43% faster with Verba

Read the story
Our product designers and writers both bought into Verba because they could see the process was faster the moment it sat inside their workflow. From design through to release notes, it became the shared history of everything we've said.
Content design team at Kestrel

Start shipping more consistent copy, faster.

Get a demo