Professional Dutch Writing Guidelines
37 Practical Rules for Clear, Effective Dutch
For anyone writing professional Dutch—with examples from software development, business communication, and customer service. Condensed from official sources into 37 actionable rules.
William Strunk Jr.’s Elements of Style (1918) distilled English writing to 43 pages of essential rules. Dutch lacks such a guide.
Dutch references exist—the Groene Boekje for spelling, Rijksoverheid for government communications, EC guidelines for European institutions—but span hundreds of pages. Developers need quick reference. Technical writers need immediate answers. Teams reviewing AI-generated content need clear standards.
This guide condenses official Dutch writing standards into 37 practical rules, focusing on violations rather than linguistic theory.
Key Features
| 37 Rules | 3 Official Sources | Open Source |
|---|---|---|
| Practical and concise | Taalunie, Rijksoverheid, EC | CC BY 4.0 License |
Overview
This guide condenses official Dutch writing standards into 37 practical rules. It focuses on common violations rather than linguistic theory, providing clear before-and-after examples for immediate application.
Built from authoritative sources:
- Taaladvies.net — Nederlandse Taalunie
- Rijksoverheid Schrijfwijzer — Dutch government style guide
- EC Stijlgids Nederlands — European Commission
Target Audience
This guide serves professionals who write in Dutch:
- Software developers writing documentation, commit messages, and release notes
- Technical writers creating user guides and API documentation
- Content teams reviewing AI-generated Dutch text
- Non-native speakers seeking clear, authoritative guidelines
Implementation Tools
Claude Code Integration
Automated checking for Dutch text in Claude Code:
claude plugin install https://github.com/lboshuizen/dutch-style-guide
The skill applies all 37 rules automatically when you write Dutch text.
Fabric Pattern
Command-line analysis for existing documents:
# Copy to Fabric patterns directory
cp -r fabric-pattern ~/.config/fabric/patterns/improve_dutch_writing
# Analyze Dutch text
echo "Your text here" | fabric --pattern improve_dutch_writing
View full installation instructions →
Example Transformations
Rule 4: Use Active Voice
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| De applicatie wordt geupdate door het systeem. | Het systeem werkt de applicatie bij. |
Impact: Clearer subject-action relationship, more direct communication.
Rule 1: Omit Needless Words
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Het is belangrijk om te vermelden dat deze functie beschikbaar is. | Deze functie is beschikbaar. |
Impact: 12 words reduced to 4 words—75% more concise.
Rule 12: Use Concrete Language
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| De performance is aanzienlijk verbeterd. | De laadtijd daalde van 2s naar 0.5s. |
Impact: Vague claim replaced with measurable data.
Complete Documentation
The complete guide includes all 37 rules with detailed examples, explanations, and application guidelines for technical writing, documentation, and business communication.
Contributing
We welcome contributions to improve the guide:
- Report errors: Open an issue
- Suggest rules: Submit a suggestion
- Improve examples: Create a pull request
View our contribution guidelines for details.
License
This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
You are free to use, share, and adapt this guide with proper attribution.