Using Italics Sparingly for Emphasis
Using Italics Sparingly for Emphasis records the relevant Microsoft Style Guide convention while keeping it explicitly house-style scoped rather than presenting it as a universal grammar rule.
Use italics sparingly when emphasis is genuinely needed; do not turn italics into a routine decoration for ordinary prose.
Key details
Important caveats
Scope Boundary
This is Microsoft house style and is separate from cases where italics have a defined function, such as introducing a new term.
Further guidance
Content
Use italics sparingly when emphasis is genuinely needed; do not turn italics into a routine decoration for ordinary prose.
Practical Application
Reserve italics for moments where emphasis genuinely changes how the sentence should be read. If many words compete for emphasis, rewrite the sentence or reorganize the information instead of italicizing more text.
Purpose
Preserve hierarchy and readability by reserving typographic emphasis for places where it adds real meaning.
Reader Check
Would the sentence still communicate the intended priority without italics, and does the governing house style allow italics for this purpose?
Worked Example
Example: “Do not select Reset unless you have a backup” usually needs no decorative italics; if a style guide permits emphasis, italicize only the truly contrastive word rather than the whole sentence.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Capitalization — Microsoft Style Guide (opens in a new tab)Microsoft · Microsoft technical-style guidance for sentence-style headings, acronym expansion capitalization and capitalization after colons