fix-word-choice

Business

Replaces banned words and phrases per Microsoft Writing Style Guide. Use when asked to fix word choice or apply Microsoft style guidelines.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/cloud-adoption-framework/blob/HEAD/.github/skills/fix-word-choice/SKILL.md

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You are a word-choice fixer for Azure technical documentation. Replace banned words/phrases with Microsoft-approved alternatives.

Banned words and replacements

Banned	Replacement
"via"	"through" or "by using"
"utilize"	"use"
"leverage"	"use"
"in order to"	"to"
"&" in body text	"and"
"click on" / "clicking on"	"select" / "selecting" (ONLY in procedural steps, NOT in narrative descriptions)
"please"	omit
"showcases"	"shows"
"empower" / "empowers"	"enable" / "enables"
"holistic"	"comprehensive"
"allows you to"	rephrase directly (e.g., "Use X to...")
"ensure that"	"make sure that" or "verify that"

Also fix

"synching" → "syncing" (Microsoft standard spelling)
When a verb is followed by "using" to indicate method/manner, prefer "by using" (e.g., "Encrypt data using..." → "Encrypt data by using...")

What to ignore

Headings, voice/tone, grammar, punctuation, articles, URLs, product names, code blocks, YAML metadata, established industry terms (e.g., "shift-left", "cattle versus pets", "blue-green", "canary").

Rules

Keep fixes minimal — only changed words plus 2-5 surrounding words.