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Our new digital system and ways of volunteering are live

Our new digital system and ways of volunteering are live

Our new digital system is now live. Read more

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Scouts’ style guide

If you’re writing about or for Scouts, this is the place for you.

Welcome to the Scouts style guide, the answer to all of your (grammar and spelling related) problems. 

This style guide gives you the ins and outs of spelling, grammar, and capitalisation. It also tells you how to use those puzzling Scout words (and exactly what they mean), and is full of guidance about how to talk about trickier topics.

Some of the words and phrases in the guide may seem a little random – they’re included because we’ve made a decision about how we use, spell, or capitalise them and we want to be consistent. 

The guide’s alphabetical: search for the word or punctuation mark you want to use and you should find the answers.

If what you’re looking for isn’t listed, head to the Guardian style guide and see if they’ve got the answer (though remember: if our style guide doesn’t agree with theirs, always follow ours. You’re writing for or about Scouts, after all).

If the Guardian style guide leaves you hanging, you think you’ve spotted a mistake, or you’re just feeling a bit overwhelmed by all things grammar, give us a shout at communications@scouts.org.uk.