H
H-bomb
Use hydrogen bomb in text unless directly quoting someone. May be used in headlines.
habeas corpus
A writ to produce a prisoner before a court, usually used to establish whether the person's detention is legal. When used in stories, define its meaning.
hacker
Usually a person who circumvents security and breaks into a network, computer, file, etc., usually with malicious intent.
Haiti
Not an island. It shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic.
haj
The pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims are supposed to make at least once in their lifetimes.
Hamas
A Palestinian Islamic political party based in Gaza. The word is an acronym for the Arabic words for Islamic Resistance Movement. Hamas has a military wing called Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Canada, Israel, Egypt, Japan, and the United States.
Hamilton
Use the form HAMILTON, Bermuda as a dateline for the Bermudan capital.
handicapped
Avoid describing an individual as disabled or handicapped unless it is clearly pertinent to a story. If a description must be used, try to be specific mentioning the disability or disease concerned.
Some other problematic terms include:
blind - describes a person with complete loss of sight. For others, use terms such as visually impaired
crippled - considered offensive when used to describe a person who is disabled.
deaf - describes a person with total hearing loss. For others, use partial hearing loss or partially deaf. Avoid using deaf-mute. Do not use deaf and dumb.
disabled - a general term used for a physical, mental, developmental or intellectual disability. Do not use mentally retarded.
mute - describes a person who cannot speak. Others with speaking difficulties are speech impaired.
hang, hung
A person is hanged, a picture is hung.
hangar, hanger
A hangar is a building, often for storing aircraft. A hanger is used for clothes.
Hanukkah
The Jewish Festival of Lights, an eight-day commemoration of rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees after their victory over the Seleucid (Syrian) monarchy in about 165 BC. Usually occurs in late November and more often in December.
hashtag
The use of a number sign (#) in a social network post to package posts on a similar subject for easier access by other users. No space is used between the number sign and the accompanying search term. Hashtags were popularized on Twitter but are now also common on a variety of social networks, such as Instagram and Facebook.
hate crime
The FBI website defines a hate crime as a traditional offense like murder, arson, or vandalism with an added element of bias. Be sure to attribute any reference to an investigation of a hate crime or possible hate crime.
healthcare
Reuters uses one word but note Associated Press uses two words.
heart attack, heart failure
A heart attack (myocardial infarction) occurs when one or more arteries supplying blood to the heart become blocked.
Heart failure is a chronic condition that occurs when a weakened heart can no longer effectively pump blood.
Cardiac arrest, or sudden cardiac arrest, occurs when the heart suddenly stops beating. It can be due to a heart attack, a heart rhythm problem, or as a result of trauma.
heavenly bodies
Capitalise the names of planets, stars and constellations.
hectare
To convert hectare to acre, multiply by 2.471.
hedge fund
A private investment fund in which institutions and individuals may invest. Such funds are often structured as a limited partnership, limited liability company, or similar vehicle.
They often use leverage or borrowed money in addition to their capital and employ strategies such as short selling, swaps, derivatives, program trading and arbitrage. Hedge funds are generally distinct from mutual funds as their use of leverage is not capped by regulators, differ from private equity funds in that most hedge funds invest in relatively liquid assets.
hedging
A method of protecting an investor from price rises or falls by agreeing to buy or sell in the present for future delivery of the goods in question.
heights
Convert the heights of mountains, buildings, etc. from metres to feet, not yards.
here
Avoid using here as a device to locate a story. It can lead to confusion, ambiguity and sometimes error. It is often not necessary to give a locator in a lead paragraph. For instance, in a Budapest-datelined story on a meeting between the Hungarian and French presidents one would assume that they met in the capital unless the story explicitly said otherwise. In that case the reference to the talks being in Budapest could come in the second or third paragraph.
heroin
See drugs (narcotics) [1]
hertz
A unit of frequency of one cycle per second. It usually requires explanation. e.g., 16,000 hertz (cycles per second).
Hezbollah
Hezbollah (the Party of God) is a Shi’ite Islamist political and military group with a formidable guerilla army. It is backed by Syria and Iran and wields considerable power in Lebanon.
HICP
A harmonised index of consumer prices, a measure of inflation calculated under common rules by all EU member states. No need to spell it out, but at some point in the story it should be explained. In Britain, the HICP is known as the CPI, but the two are the same index.
hike
In British English, hike (noun and verb) usually refers to a walk or march in the woods or wilderness. In American English it is often used to mean a raise or increase. Try to use raise or increase which is more common internationally.
hint
Do not use this inadequate word because it risks making a value judgement. Who said what and where and when?
hippie
Not hippy. A rebel against middle class values.
Hispanic
As a noun or adjective refers to those whose ethnic origin is in a Spanish-speaking country. Be more specific where possible, such as Colombian or Mexican. Note that people from Portuguese-speaking countries are not Hispanic. See race.
Hispanic names
People in Spanish-speaking countries usually include in their full names the family name of their father followed by that of their mother, sometimes linked by y (and), e.g., Ferdinand Maradona Lopez, Pedro Ardiles y Portillo.
Give the full name at first reference, but only the father’s family name (Maradona, Ardiles) at second reference, unless the person is normally known by the combination of two names. Portuguese, Spanish and Brazilian soccer players may be known by several names, one name, or a nickname. Follow commonly accepted usage, e.g., Pele, Joao Pinto, Edu.
historic, historical
A historic event is a major and dramatic one, a historical event is one which, even if in itself quite minor, is part of history. Historic is nearly always the word needed in Reuters copy but use it with care to avoid writing a cliché.
HIV
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The term AIDS applies to the most advanced stages of HIV infection. The initials AIDS and HIV may be used on first reference with the full name given lower in the story. Do not write HIV virus.
Hizbollah
Do not use. See Hezbollah.
Hodgkin lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma named after Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, the English physician who first described the disease of the lymph nodes. Formerly called Hodgkin's disease. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, spelled without a possessive, is the more common type and spreads rapidly, especially among older people and those with HIV infections.
hoi polloi
Not the hoi polloi. Prefer the masses, or the common people.
Holland
Use the Netherlands except in datelines, where it is just Netherlands, e.g. ARNHEM, Netherlands, May 16 …
holocaust
Generically a wholesale destruction by fire. Capitalize when referring to the Nazi massacre of European Jewry in 1939-45.
holy places (Islamic)
The holy places of Islam are Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem, in that order. In Mecca the great mosque containing the Kaaba is venerated especially in the annual haj, or pilgrimage. In Medina it is the Prophet Mohammad’s mosque where the founder of the Islamic religion is buried. Nonbelievers are not allowed to enter Mecca or Medina. In Jerusalem it is al-Haram al-Sharif, which Jews call the Temple Mount.
homicide
Generally the death of a human being at the hands of another, but legal definitions vary. Homicides can be murder, or the unlawful deliberate killing of a person by another, or manslaughter or death caused by negligence.
homosexual
Applies to men and women but see gay and lesbian.
horde, hoard
A horde is a multitude, a hoard is a hidden stock or treasure.
hospitalize, hospitalization
Avoid outside the U.S. Prefer “taken to hospital.”
House of Commons, the Commons
House of Representatives
Capitalise when referring to a specific body, e.g., the U.S. House of Representatives.
housing unit
Jargon. Use home or household.
HTML
HyperText Markup Language. The standard protocol for formatting and displaying documents on the World Wide Web.
HTTP
Hypertext Transfer Protocol or the standard protocol for transferring hypertext documents on the Web.
human being
“Human” will do.
hundredweight
UK/U.S. long = 112 pounds/50.8 kg. U.S. short = 100 pounds/45.4 kg.
hung
A person is hanged if he dies in the process, but he may simply be hung upside down; a picture is hung.
hurricanes
The most severe of all storms is a cyclone, in which winds blow spirally inward toward a centre of low barometric pressure. In the Caribbean and on the east coast of the United States such a storm is called a hurricane. In many countries, meteorological offices give tropical storms the names of men and women in alphabetical sequence. Capitalise names once a hurricane has been so designated: Hurricane Katrina. Use “it,” not “he” or “she,” as the pronoun.
hyphenation
Usage varies widely and many words once hyphenated are now generally written un-hyphenated, e.g. ceasefire, cooperation, gunrunner, machinegun.
Here are some guidelines.
Use a hyphen if its omission might lead to ambiguity, e.g., three year-old horses is different from three-year-old horses. Extra-judicial duties are other than judicial ones; extra judicial duties are additional duties. So not hyphenate an adjective and a noun when they stand alone, e.g. the left wing of the party. If the adjective and the noun are paired to form a new adjective, they are hyphenated, e.g. the left-wing party, a first-class result. Hyphenate compound words when not to do so would result in confusion of meaning, e.g. cross-section, sea-eagle.
Use a hyphen to show that two or more words are to be read together as a single compound word with its own meaning.
When using an adjective and a noun together as an adjective, hyphenate them, e.g. blue-chip shares, high-caste Hindus.
Hyphenate two adjectives or an adjective and a present or past participle when they are paired to form a new adjective, e.g. a dark-blue dress, a good-looking man, a well-tailored suit.
When using an adjective and a past participle of a verb together adjectivally, hyphenate them, e.g. old-fashioned morality, non-tinted spectacles.
When two nouns are paired to form another noun, hyphenate if their original meanings are clearly retained e.g. actor-manager; otherwise do not hyphenate e.g. housekeeper.
When a verb and an adverb are paired to form a noun, hyphenate if the verb ends and the adverb begins with a vowel, e.g. flare-up, cave-in.
Hyphenate numbers and nouns or numbers and adjectives when they are paired to form a new adjective, e.g. a one-armed man, a six-cylinder car. Hyphenate fractions e.g. two-thirds, three-quarters.
Do not hyphenate an adverb and an adjective when they stand alone, e.g. the artist was well known. If the adverb and adjective are paired to form a new adjective, they are hyphenated, e.g. a well-known artist. Do not do so however if the adverb ends in "-ly" e.g. a poorly planned operation.
If the second element in a word is capitalized, hyphenate, e.g. anti-Semitism (although transatlantic is widely accepted).
If "pre-" or "re-" is followed by an element beginning with "e", hyphenate e.g. pre-pay, re-employ, but there are exceptions e.g. preempt.
If the first element of a word is "non", hyphenate e.g. a non-aggression pact, but there are exceptions, e.g. nonconformist.
Hyphenate titles when the first word is a preposition. e.g. under-secretary, vice-admiral, or when a noun is followed by an adjective. e.g. attorney-general. (But U.S. titles are not hyphenated: the U.S. Attorney General.) But do not hyphenate when the noun follows the adjective, e.g. second lieutenant.
Hyphenate secondary compass points, e.g. south-southwest, but not the main ones, e.g. southwest.
Do not hyphenate adjectives used to form comparatives or superlatives, e.g. the most desirable outcome, the least likely result, the more obvious solution.
Hyphenate both terms in phrases such as short- and medium-range missiles.
Category: The Reuters General Style Guide