--- title: "Easy Language" url: "https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/easy-language" language: "en" description: "What is Easy Language and how does it differ from Plain Language? Rules, an example and legal duties in Germany. Learn what makes these texts work." published: "2026-10-14T15:20:10+02:00" updated: "2026-10-14T15:20:10+02:00" --- # Easy Language Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) is a highly simplified form of German that follows fixed rules. It makes texts understandable, above all for people with learning disabilities. - **Buchstabe:** E - **Englischer Begriff:** Easy Language UX glossary · engl. Easy Language # Easy Language Easy Language (Leichte Sprache) is a highly simplified form of German that follows fixed rules. It makes texts understandable, above all for people with learning disabilities. Imagine a city administration explaining on its website how to apply for a housing entitlement certificate. The text is accurate, but it’s full of nested clauses, legal references and terms like “income limit under Section 9 WoFG.” A man with a learning disability reads the first paragraph three times and gives up. The information is there, but it doesn’t reach him. ## Explained simply Easy Language, in German *Leichte Sprache*, is a highly simplified form of German that follows fixed rules. It is aimed mainly at people with learning disabilities, meaning people who find complex texts very hard to follow. Others benefit too, for example people who are learning German or some older people. Many languages have similar concepts, but this entry is about the German one, which has its own rules and legal role. Think of it like a ramp next to a staircase. It isn’t meant for everyone, but for some people it’s the only way in. Typical rules include short sentences with one statement each, familiar words instead of jargon and foreign terms, and active voice. Long compound words are split with hyphens, such as “Bundes-Gleichstellungs-Gesetz.” Each sentence starts on a new line, and images support understanding. A key principle of the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache, the German Easy Language network: people from the target group check the texts. Anything they don’t understand gets revised. ## Easy Language or Plain Language? German distinguishes between Leichte Sprache (Easy Language) and Einfache Sprache (Plain Language), and the two are often confused. Easy Language follows strict rules, reduces the content to the essentials and counts as an [accessibility](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility) measure. Plain Language sits between Easy Language and everyday standard language. It avoids jargon and complicated sentences, but keeps all the information from the original and targets a broader audience, such as people with limited reading skills. Plain Language has its own standards: ISO 24495-1 internationally and DIN 8581-1 for German. Since March 2025, Easy Language has had DIN SPEC 33429, “Guidance for German Easy Language.” It brings together recommendations on words, sentences, design and the writing process. Before that, practice relied mainly on the rule set of the Netzwerk Leichte Sprache, which has existed since 2006. ## Where Easy Language is required Under Section 4 of the BITV 2.0, Germany’s federal ordinance on accessible information technology, federal public bodies must provide certain information on their home page in Easy Language and German Sign Language: on the main content, on navigation and on the accessibility statement. The German states have their own laws, which often follow the BITV. Private companies have no general obligation to offer Easy Language. ## An example Here’s an example of a sentence in standard German administrative style, translated: “The application is to be submitted together with all proof of income of the persons living in the household.” In Easy Language, it might become: “You want to get the certificate? Then you make an application. For this you need papers. The papers say: This is how much money the people in your home get.” For more on writing clearly, see [What Does a UX Writer Do?](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/blog/what-does-a-ux-writer-do). ## In practice - **Work with specialists.** Good Easy Language texts are written by trained translators and checked by people from the target group. - **Make the offer easy to find.** A clearly labeled “Leichte Sprache” link in the header helps far more than a page hidden in the footer. - **Use plain language for everyone.** Even without a legal duty, every text benefits from short sentences and clear [microcopy](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/microcopy). That doesn’t replace Easy Language, though. ## Related terms [Accessibility](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility), [WCAG](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/wcag), [Microcopy](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/microcopy), [Cognitive Load](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/cognitive-load) ## Sources - [DIN Media: DIN SPEC 33429:2025-03, Empfehlungen für Deutsche Leichte Sprache. DIN Media, 2025 (in German)](https://www.dinmedia.de/de/technische-regel/din-spec-33429/387728031) - [DIN Media: Leichte und Einfache Sprache. DIN Media (in German)](https://www.dinmedia.de/de/themenseiten/leichte-und-einfache-sprache) - [Netzwerk Leichte Sprache: Die Regeln für Leichte Sprache. Netzwerk Leichte Sprache e.V., 2022 (in German)](https://www.netzwerk-leichte-sprache.de/fileadmin/content/documents/regeln/Regelwerk_NLS_web.pdf) - [Federal Ministry of Justice: Section 4 BITV 2.0. Gesetze im Internet (in German)](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bitv_2_0/__4.html) ## More terms [ ### A/B Testing An A/B test is an experiment that shows two versions of a page or element at the same time to randomly split groups of visitors. It lets you decide with real data which version works better. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/a-b-testing) [ ### ARIA ARIA is a W3C standard that adds roles, states and properties to HTML. It tells screen readers what an element is and how it currently behaves. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/aria) [ ### Accessibility Accessibility means designing websites, apps and digital documents so that everyone can use them, including people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disabilities. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/accessibility) [ ### Affordance An affordance describes what action an object makes possible and whether people can recognize it: a button invites you to press it, a handle invites you to pull. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/affordance) [ ### Alt Text Alt text is a short text version of an image, stored in the HTML alt attribute. Screen readers read it aloud so people who can’t see the image get the same information. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/alt-text) [ ### Atomic Design Atomic Design is a method for building user interfaces from small, reusable building blocks, from single elements like buttons all the way up to complete pages. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/atomic-design) [ ### BFSG The BFSG, Germany’s Accessibility Strengthening Act, has required many companies since 28 June 2025 to make certain products and digital services, such as online shops, accessible. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/bfsg) [ ### Card Sorting Card sorting is a research method in which people sort terms written on cards into groups. It shows you how they mentally organize content, so you can plan navigation that makes sense to them. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/card-sorting) [ ### Cognitive Load Cognitive load is the mental effort it takes to understand and use an interface. The less unnecessary thinking a design demands, the easier the actual task becomes. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/cognitive-load) [ ### Color Vision Deficiency A color vision deficiency means someone has a harder time telling certain colors apart than most people. The most common type is red-green deficiency. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/color-vision-deficiency) [ ### Contextual Inquiry Contextual inquiry is a research method where you observe and interview people in their real work environment. It shows you how they actually get tasks done, not just how they describe it. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contextual-inquiry) [ ### Contrast Ratio The contrast ratio describes how much two colors differ in brightness, such as text and background. WCAG requires at least 4.5:1 for normal text. ](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/contrast-ratio)