Table of contents

  1. Abbreviations
  2. Addresses and telephone numbers
  3. Citations, references and sources
  4. Classifications
  5. Climate change
  6. Collective nouns
  7. Data
  8. Groups
  9. National Statistics
  10. Disability
  11. Ethnicity and race
  12. Sex, gender and gender identity
  13. Statistical language
  14. UK, Great Britain and Ireland
  15. Using capital letters
  16. Using spellcheckers
  17. Words not to use
  18. Words to watch

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Statistical language

Contributor or respondent

For ONS surveys, use “respondent”.

Enquiry or inquiry

An enquiry is a question. An inquiry is an investigation.

press enquiries
Annual Business Inquiry

For surveys, use “survey”, even when referring to, for example, the Annual Business Inquiry.

Significant

This term has a specific meaning in statistics. Do not use it in a statistical context unless you have a particular point to make about the statistical significance of an estimate. If you do have a point to be made, always write as “statistically significant”.