Bullet Points – How to Use Them Correctly
Using lists makes text easier to absorb and helps organize content clearly. However, poorly formatted bullet points can have the opposite effect and reduce readability. Before you start using them, learn how to do it correctly!
What is a bullet point?
In typography, a bullet point is used to highlight items in an unordered list. A bullet usually takes the form of a solid black dot and appears before the highlighted content, also known as list items.
To make a bulleted list easy to see, it should be set slightly away from the left margin. This indentation creates more white space in the text and draws attention to the selected items.
The main purpose of bulleted lists is to emphasize specific sentences or phrases using special symbols. This separates selected information from the main text and makes the message easier for the reader to understand. Bulleted lists are therefore useful whenever several pieces of information need to be grouped under one heading without creating, for example, a table.
Bulleted lists and punctuation
In most cases, an unordered list should be introduced by an opening sentence ending with a colon.
Individual bullet points usually begin with a lowercase letter and do not end with punctuation when they are fragments. If the items are complete sentences, they should begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop. Consistency throughout the list is essential.
Bulleted lists containing individual words or short phrases
When a list consists of individual words or short phrases, end punctuation can usually be omitted.
The following marks can be used to separate the items in a statement:
- full stop
- semicolon
- comma
For longer phrases, a comma may be used at the end of the line.
Bulleted lists containing complex phrases
When list items have a complex structure and already contain punctuation marks, a semicolon can be used at the end of each item instead of a comma.
An unordered list consisting of longer phrases:
- the first item, which has a complex structure and requires a semicolon;
- the second item, which also requires a semicolon;
- the third item, which closes the list and should be followed by a full stop.
Bulleted lists consisting of complete sentences
If the bullet points are complete, independent sentences, they must begin with a capital letter and end with a full stop.
Complete sentences in an unordered list:
- The first complete sentence is preceded by a bullet point and ends with a full stop.
- The second complete sentence is preceded by a bullet point and ends with a full stop.
- The third complete sentence begins with a bullet point.
To keep unordered lists readable, avoid mixing different types of bullet points, such as individual words and complete sentences. Differences in the length and form of the items could make the list harder to read correctly.
Bulleted and numbered lists – what is the difference?
Items in an unordered list are marked with special graphic symbols called bullet points, while a numbered list consists of numbers that indicate the order of each item, for example:
- First list item.
- Second list item.
- Third list item.
In this case, each line should begin with a capital letter and use appropriate punctuation. At the end of list items in both numbered and unordered lists, punctuation can sometimes be omitted, especially when the items form a table of contents.
Numbered lists should be used whenever it is important to present items in a specific order. You can also create an additional bulleted list within a numbered list to expand on one of the main items.
The most commonly used bullet symbols
Bullet points usually take the form of a solid black dot placed before each item in a list.
Other symbols can also be used as bullet points, for example:
- an asterisk (*)
- an en dash (–)
- a lowercase letter O (o)
- a check mark (✔)
- an arrow (▶)
Depending on the needs of a particular document, different bullet styles can be used to identify different types of content. For example, an en dash can indicate the key features of an object, an asterisk can mark the steps in a set of instructions, and solid black dots can separate complete sentences from a block of text.
Examples of how to use bullet points
Bulleted lists can be found in encyclopedias, technical texts, and summaries, where information with varying degrees of connection needs to be presented concisely. In such cases, it is enough to create a separate category and assign the selected phrases or words to it, introducing them with an appropriate typographic symbol.
Bullet points in different styles are also common on websites and online stores, where they are used to identify a product’s features or benefits. Writers also use bullet points in blog articles to vary the text and emphasize the most important information.
Summary
- Bullet points are used to highlight items in an unordered list.
- A bullet point most often takes the form of a solid black dot, but it can also be an asterisk, check mark, or lowercase letter o.
- A bulleted list must be formatted correctly, with appropriate punctuation used consistently where needed.
- Bullet points are used in encyclopedias, summaries, websites, product descriptions, and blog articles.
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