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Using bulleted lists

Using bullet points makes it easier to scan and read big bits of information that don't follow a certain order but are related to each other.

How to use bullet points

You should make sure:

  • you always use a lead-in line - for example, don’t use bullets directly under a heading without a lead-in line
  • you use more than one bullet
  • the bullets make sense running on from the lead-in line
  • you use lower case at the start of the bullet
  • you do not use more than one sentence per bullet - use commas or dashes to expand on an item
  • you do not put ‘or’ or ‘and’ after the bullets
  • you do not make the whole bullet a link if it’s a long phrase
  • you do not put a semicolon at the end of a bullet
  • there is no full stop after the last bullet

Example

You’ll need to provide your:

  • passport
  • proof of address
  • National Insurance number

It is sometimes necessary to add a short phrase to clarify whether all or some of the points apply. For example, ‘You can only register a pension scheme that is (one of the following):'

Number of items in a list

The number and type of examples in a list may lead the user to believe the list is exhaustive. This can be dealt with by:

  • checking if there are other conditions (or if the list is actually complete)
  • listing the conditions which apply to the most users and removing the rest
  • consider broader terms in the list which capture more scenarios (and could make the list exhaustive)
  • creating a journey to specialist content to cover the remaining conditions

When you shouldn’t use bulleted lists

Avoid making information that isn’t related to each other a bulleted list. This can cause confusion for users, especially those who are using screen readers or people with dyslexia who would read it as a list of related items.

Example

Cemetery access

  • All Cemetery grounds are open every day between the hours of 8am and 8.30pm from 1 April to 31 October and between 8am and 6.30pm from 1 November to 31 March.
  • Children under the age of 12 are not permitted within the Cemetery grounds unless accompanied by an adult.
  • Cycling within any cemetery is prohibited.
  • Public Vehicle Access to Barrow, Dalton, Penrith, Appleby, Alston, Kendal and Ulverston cemeteries is permitted subject to the below conditions

In this example, you don’t need to use bullets as it's not a list of related items. Instead, have them as stand-alone sentences. The last bullet could be made into a list.

Subject to conditions, public vehicle access is allowed in the following cemeteries:

  • Barrow
  • Dalton
  • Penrith
  • Appleby
  • Alston
  • Ulverston


You should also avoid using a bulleted list directly under a heading.

Nesting lists within a bulleted list

When you nest a list within a list, it can be hard to follow and makes the list very long.

Example

Care workers are disregarded when counting the number of adult residents if they are:

  • working for low pay (not more than £44 per week), usually for charities and providing care for at least 24 hours a week
  • caring for someone in their home with a disability who is not their spouse, partner or child under 18. They must provide care for at least 35 hours a week and the person they are caring for must be in receipt of one of the following benefits:

           - Attendance Allowance
           - highest or middle rate care component of Disability Living Allowance
           - an increase in constant attendance allowance under the industrial injuries or war pension
           - highest rate of constant attendance allowance payable on top of full rate disablement benefit
           - the standard and enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

If you need to expand on an item in your list, it is best to separate the list out into its own bulleted list.

Example

Care workers are disregarded when counting the number of adult residents if they are working for low pay (not more than £44 per week), usually for charities and providing care for at least 24 hours a week.


If you’re caring for someone in their home who has a disability and they’re not your spouse, partner or child who is under 18, you must provide care for at least 35 hours a week. The person you are caring for must also receive of one of the following benefits:

  • Attendance Allowance
  • highest or middle rate care component of Disability Living Allowance
  • an increase in constant attendance allowance under the industrial injuries or war pension scheme
  • highest rate of constant attendance allowance payable on top of full rate disablement benefit paid for an industrial injury
  • the standard and enhanced rate of the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) 

Avoid using asterisks

If you have to expand on an item in a list, don’t use an asterisk and another under the list with the information related to the item in the list above it. This is hard to read, as users will have to find the other asterisk then go back to the list where they were to find the information it is related to.

If you need to expand on a list item, it is best to pull it out of the list into its own list or a sentence.