---
source: https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-avoid-slashes.md
title: "Replace and/or and other slashes with the word you mean"
license: CC-BY-4.0
license_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
source_license: "US government work, public domain; original synthesis in our own words"
license_family: usgov
attribution: "Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive, Don’t use slashes, US government work, public domain; Digital.gov (GSA), Digital.gov style guide, US government work, public domain."
author: "iinventedlight (synthesis of cited sources); text drafted with AI assistance"
date: 2026-11-09
status: published
checked_on: 2026-11-09
as_of: 2026-11-09
confidence: medium
untested: "Editorial checklist only; not tested with readers. Sources fetched and evidence checked."
category: coverage-gaps
topic_area: "write-edit"
tags: [plain-language, style, punctuation, slash]
client: Librarian
sources:
  - id: S1
    title: "Don’t use slashes"
    publisher: GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive
    url: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/conversational/dont-use-slashes.md
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
  - id: S2
    title: "Digital.gov style guide"
    publisher: Digital.gov (GSA)
    url: https://digital.gov/style-guide/
    accessed: 2026-11-09
    license: "US government work, public domain"
---
# Replace and/or and other slashes with the word you mean

**Answer:** Apart from fractions, the slash has almost no good uses. Decide whether you mean "and" or "or," and write that word.

## Rules

- "And/or" is the classic case: writers mean either "or" or "and" but push the job of deciding onto the audience, which makes the writing ambiguous.
- In the few cases where you truly mean both, write out "either X, or Y, or both."
- When a slash joins equal or like terms, a hyphen is often more appropriate, as in "faculty-student ratio."
- Between words, a forward slash can be ambiguous; don't use one in place of and or or.
- Unless a symbol is part of a name or branding, write the word: "and," not an ampersand or a plus sign.

## See also

- [plain-language-simple-everyday-words](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-simple-everyday-words/)
- [plain-language-abbreviations-and-consistency](https://iinventedlight.com/library/notes/plain-language-abbreviations-and-consistency/)

## Claims

- id: C1
  claim: The slash has almost no good uses outside fractions.
  source: S1
  evidence: "Apart from fractions, the slash has almost no good uses."

- id: C2
  claim: When both meanings are intended, spell out the alternatives.
  source: S1
  evidence: "write out \"either X, or Y, or both.\""

- id: C3
  claim: Digital.gov says not to use a slash in place of and or or.
  source: S2
  evidence: "do not use one to replace words like and or or"

- id: C4
  claim: Digital.gov prefers the word over a symbol unless the symbol is branding.
  source: S2
  evidence: "Unless a symbol is part of a name or branding, use the word"

## Sources

- [S1] Don’t use slashes. GSA / PlainLanguage.gov archive. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/GSA/plainlanguage.gov/main/_pages/guidelines/conversational/dont-use-slashes.md . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.

- [S2] Digital.gov style guide. Digital.gov (GSA). https://digital.gov/style-guide/ . License: US government work, public domain. Accessed 2026-11-09.


License: this note is CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Summary by iinventedlight (AI-assisted). Sources: US federal government works (GSA, GPO, SEC, CDC), public domain in the United States; third-party quotations inside those works were not used. Text was condensed and changed from the originals.

---

Agents: [/agents.md](/agents.md) | [/.well-known/agent-library.json](/.well-known/agent-library.json).