02 · Rules
The ten rules.
What gets into the WNBS Word Bank, and what doesn't. Set in 2005. Unchanged.
Suggest a word01
Only single words are accepted.
02
The word must offer the opportunity to become what it says. In reality or just metaphorically.
03
Positive, optimistic words are wished for. But the meaning can also be negative. The final message always depends on the individual.
04
Words that mark racial, national or any religious communities will not be accepted.
05
Only those numbers that can be written in one word will be accepted.
06
Words that might insult any group of people will not be accepted.
07
Compound words will only be accepted as an exception. We rather avoid them as they narrow the associative field.
08
Only English words will be accepted for the time being.
09
Local slang words can be accepted if they are popular enough and the submitting member provides an adequate explanation of the word.
10
Personal names will only be accepted as an exception if they represent a well-known historical or contemporary icon in culture, sports or science and the submitter writes the description of the suggested word. Names of politicians will not be accepted.
A note on the rules
These rules have been the same since 2005. We have rejected words we personally liked and approved words we personally didn't. The rules are the rules.
Rule 3 is the one that takes new readers a moment. We want positive words, but the meaning can be negative. SINNER is in the bank. So is REBEL. So is OUTLAW. The brand's job is not to protect you from your own word choice — it's to give you the choice.
Rule 8 is the one we get the most pushback on. “Why only English?” We've thought about it for years. The answer is that adding a second language doubles the moderation load and halves the consistency of the typography. For now: English. We are not closed to changing this.