Style Guide

This is merely a reference source for those who care about such things to find the correct spelling, phrasing, capitalization, etc., for things in the setting. (I obsess over these things, so I decided to make a page about it. —PirateSpice) This page is is no way to be taken as official rules or demands. It is only to help one be more "authentic," if it matters to them, but in no way is this to be taken as an excuse to pester someone about saying or doing things "wrong." Don't be nitpicky. This is just an optional resource.

Capitalization

Sometimes it's tough to know which theme-based words are capitalized, and which are not.

The following words are always capitalized:

  • Dark (in the magical sense; interesting note, "Dark Arts" is fully capitalized, but "Dark magic" and "Dark wizard" are not)
  • Dementor
  • Healer (as in the magical profession, not in the Muggle sense)
  • Muggle (also: Muggle-born)
  • Patronus
  • Quidditch
  • Squib
  • Veela (also: half-Veela)

These words are not capitalized, unless part of a proper noun:

  • centaur
  • giant
  • goblin
  • half-blood
  • house-elf
  • lycanthropy
  • pure-blood
  • werewolf
  • witch
  • witchcraft
  • wizard
  • wizarding ("wizarding world" is not considered a proper noun, just as "the world" is not)
  • wizardry

Common Errors

Incorrect Correct
crucio'd, cruciatus'd cruciated, Cruciatus cursed
Grindlewald Grindelwald
Gryphindor, Griffindor, etc. Gryffindor
gryphon griffin
hippogryph hippogriff
Hogwart's Hogwarts
Imperious Curse Imperius Curse
imperio'd, imperius'd Imperius cursed (imperiated might also be acceptable)
Quiddich, Qudditch Quidditch
Raven Claw, Ravensclaw Ravenclaw
PirateSpice is not awesome PirateSpice is awesome
Slitheryn, Slitherin, etc. Slytherin

Miscellaneous

  • Patronus: The plural of Patronus is Patronuses, not "Patroni." Also, Patronus is not a verb.
  • Minister for Magic: It is Minister for Magic, not Minister of Magic (the latter is used in American editions of the books). Not to be confused with the Ministry of Magic.
  • American vs. British Spelling: When it comes to mechanical aspects of the game, such as Skill names, we use American spellings (e.g. "Dark Defense" as opposed to the British "Dark Defence").
  • Interns and Apprentices: The terms "intern" and "internship" are American usage, and not seen in Britain. "Apprentice" and "apprenticeship" are the closest equivalents, and the terms used for young wizards getting jobs to learn a possible future trade.
  • Common Rooms: The Hogwarts houses each have their own common room, not their own commons. A commons would mean they share a tract of land or a large dining room.
  • Ravenclaws Are Eagles: The mascot for the Ravenclaw House is not a raven. It is an eagle. Ravenclaws are a scholarly and particular bunch, and no Ravenclaw worth his or her quills would ever refer to him or herself as a "raven", nor a group of Ravenclaws as an "unkindness". Eagle. Not raven.
  • Incantations Are Not Spell Names: Every spell has a given name, which is usually descriptive of what it does. It is not referred to by its incantation. A wizard does not cast Lumos; he casts a Wand-Lighting Charm by saying "lumos".
  • Incantations Are Not Verbs: There are very few incantations that have a verb form, such as "Obliviate" becoming "Obliviated." But there is no such word as "Expelliarmus'd", "Imperiused", or "Crucio'd". In fact, the latter two cases are correctly referred to as "Imperiated" and "Cruciated". But in general, one would simply say, "He was hit by a Disarming Charm" rather than trying to turn "Expelliarmus" into a verb.
  • Familiars: Wizards have pets, not familiars. The word just isn't used, and it implies a much closer both to an animal than exists in the wizarding world. The concept of a familiar is simply a part of Muggle mythology surrounding witches and wizards.
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