Glossary Builder: find the terms in an article and define them
Find the terms and short forms in an article, define them, and get a glossary with jump links.
- Free to use
- Runs in your browser
- No sign-up
Paste an article to find its terms
You get the terms a reader may not know, the sentence where each first appears, a box to write each definition, checks on short forms, and a glossary in HTML and Markdown with jump links. Or press Try an example.
Embed this tool on your websiteFree. Paste one code; it runs in your visitors' browsers.
Copy this code into a page of your site. The tool sets no cookies and sends nothing your visitors type to us. Change height="760" if it needs more room.
About the Glossary Builder
Paste an article as plain text, Markdown or HTML. The tool finds terms a reader may not know: short forms such as GST, with their full form when your text gives it ("Goods and Services Tax (GST)", also in Hindi), words in quotes, capitalised terms and any terms you add. Tick the ones to keep and write each definition in your own words; the tool shows the sentence where each term first appears, but it never writes a definition. You get a glossary as an HTML definition list with an id on each term, the same in Markdown, and your article with the first use of each term linked to its entry. Checks show short forms used before they are spelled out, spelled out twice or never. It runs in your browser and your article is not uploaded.
How it works
-
01
Paste the article. HTML from your editor's code view, Markdown and plain text all work. Add any terms the tool should include.
-
02
Tick the terms your readers may not know and write a short definition for each. Short forms that your text spells out are ready already.
-
03
Fix the checks, then copy the glossary as HTML or Markdown, or copy the whole article with the first uses linked and the glossary at the end.
How the terms are found
Short forms are words of two or more capital letters, such as GST or CTR. When the full form sits next to one in brackets, as in "click-through rate (CTR)", the tool matches the first letters of the words to the letters of the short form (our method). Words in quotes are picked up when they are four words or fewer, and ticked when the text introduces them with words such as "called" or "means". Capitalised phrases of two to four words are listed but not ticked, because many are names. Headings, links and code are left out.
Why spell out short forms and add a glossary
GOV.UK's style guide says to explain an abbreviation in full the first time you use it on a page, unless it is well known. A glossary helps readers who skip to the middle of a long guide. W3C lists "Providing a glossary" as one technique for two WCAG success criteria, 3.1.3 Unusual Words and 3.1.4 Abbreviations (both Level AAA); the techniques are examples, not requirements.
What this tool cannot do
It does not know what a term means and never writes definitions, so every entry needs your words. It finds terms by patterns, so it can miss a technical word written in lower case, and it lists names that are capitalised; add or untick terms as needed. Its list of widely known short forms, such as UK and PDF, is our own choice.
Frequently asked questions
What should a good glossary entry say?
What the term means, in one or two short sentences a newcomer can follow, without using the term itself or other jargon to explain it. If the term has a full form, give that too, for example "CTR (click-through rate): clicks divided by impressions, shown as a percentage."
Do I still need to spell out short forms if I have a glossary?
Yes, our suggestion is to do both. GOV.UK's style guide says to explain an abbreviation in full the first time you use it on a page. The glossary helps readers who jump straight to a later section.
Will the jump links work on my site?
In HTML, yes: each term gets an id and the first use links to it with #id. In Markdown, each term starts with a small <a id> tag; it works on sites that allow HTML in Markdown. Check one link after you publish.
Does it work with Hindi?
Yes. It finds a Hindi full form written in brackets next to a short form, such as "UPI (यूनिफ़ाइड पेमेंट्स इंटरफ़ेस)", picks up Hindi words in quotes, and makes ids that keep the Devanagari letters.
Does it use AI to write the definitions?
No. The tool finds the terms with simple rules in your browser and you write the definitions. It shows the sentence where each term first appears so you can check how you used it.
Related reading
Want help with your content?
Tell us about your site and what your articles and pages should bring in. We reply within one business day.
Talk to us Our service: Content and blog SEOMore content writing tools
All content writing tools- Content Draft Optimizer Check a draft's title, headings, keyword use, links, images and sentences before you publish.
- Title, Meta Description and URL Slug Writer Titles, meta descriptions and URL slugs from your own words, with pixel widths and a Google preview.
- Internal Link Suggester Find where a new article should link to your other pages, and which older pages should link to it.
- Table of Contents Generator Build a table of contents with jump links, add heading ids and check your heading outline.
Want us to fix what the tool found?
Tell us about your business and what you want to grow. We reply within one business day with next steps, not a sales script.
- A reply within one business day
- A quick look at your site and search visibility before we talk
- Your details are only used to answer your enquiry