--- title: "Microcopy" url: "https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/microcopy" language: "en" description: "What is microcopy? A plain-language explanation with an example and practical tips. Learn how short button labels and error messages prevent drop-offs." published: "2026-10-14T09:50:32+02:00" updated: "2026-10-14T13:01:59+02:00" --- # Microcopy Microcopy is the short text in an interface, such as button labels, hints and error messages. It answers people’s questions at the exact moment they come up. - **Buchstabe:** M UX glossary # Microcopy Microcopy is the short text in an interface, such as button labels, hints and error messages. It answers people’s questions at the exact moment they come up. Imagine you’re signing up for an online store. You type in a password and get the message “Invalid input.” What’s wrong? Too short? One special character too many? After the third attempt, you close the tab. If a short line under the field had said “At least 8 characters, including one number,” you’d have been done in ten seconds. Small bits of text like that are called microcopy. ## Explained simply Microcopy is the short text in an interface: button labels, hints below form fields, placeholders, error messages, confirmations, or the line of text on an empty screen. Often it’s just a few words. Even so, it has a real say in whether people reach their goal. You know this from signage in everyday life: an “Exit” sign with an arrow helps you more than a nicely painted wall. Microcopy is the signage of an app or website. It sits exactly where a question comes up, and it answers that question. The term is often traced back to a 2009 blog post by designer Joshua Porter. In essence, Porter argues that microcopy is small but powerful because it’s contextual: it answers a specific question at the moment someone has it. His example: on a checkout form, many payments failed because people entered an address that didn’t match the one on file for their credit card. According to Porter, a single reminder above the form made those errors go away. ## Where microcopy makes a difference **Buttons** should say what happens next: “Create account” instead of “Next,” “Place order” instead of “OK.” **Error messages**, according to the Nielsen Norman Group, work best when they use plain language to explain exactly what went wrong and how to fix it, without blaming the person. Words like “invalid” or “incorrect” can easily sound like an accusation. **Hints** remove doubt before it arises, such as “We’ll never share your number” next to a phone field. Good microcopy reduces [cognitive load](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/cognitive-load): if people don’t have to guess, they don’t have to think as hard. For a closer look at how this plays out in forms, read [Forms Nobody Abandons: 12 Rules for Better Form UX](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/blog/forms-nobody-abandons-12-rules-for-better-form-ux). ## An example Before: a newsletter form has nothing but a “Send” button. After clicking, the page says “Success.” Many people wonder whether they’re now subscribed or still need to do something. After: the button reads “Subscribe to newsletter.” Below it: “Once a month, unsubscribe anytime.” After clicking: “Almost done. Please confirm the link we sent to your inbox.” Three short sentences, and every open question has an answer. ## In practice - **Name the action.** Label buttons with what happens after the click. A verb plus an object works almost every time. - **Help fix errors, don’t just report them.** Say what’s missing and how to move on. Keep what people already entered so nobody has to start over. - **Stay honest.** Microcopy can be friendly, but it shouldn’t manipulate. Wording designed to make people feel guilty counts as one of the [dark patterns](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/dark-patterns). ## Related terms [Cognitive Load](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/cognitive-load), [Dark Patterns](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/dark-patterns), [Onboarding](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/onboarding), [Design System](https://www.insideuxdesign.com/en/glossar/design-system) ## Sources - [Joshua Porter: Writing Microcopy. Bokardo, 2009](https://bokardo.com/archives/writing-microcopy/) - [Tim Neusesser, Evan Sunwall: Error-Message Guidelines. Nielsen Norman Group, 2023](https://www.nngroup.com/articles/error-message-guidelines/) ## 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)