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race references to race should be used onlywhen relevant to the sense of the story. The word is often betterreplaced by people, nation, group etc

racecourse, racehorse, racetrack. See horse race and Sports special section

Rachmaninov, Sergei (not Rachmaninoff)

racked by doubts, pain etc; not wracked

racket for tennis, not racquet. The game is also rackets

RADA (all caps), the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art

radio compounds are hyphenated in the wirelesscontext (eg, radio-telephone); but one word when they concern rays (eg, radioactive, radioisotope, radiotherapy). Broadcasting frequencies are measured in megahertz (MHz) and kilohertz (kHz)

radio ham this term should strictly be appliedonly to licensed amateur radio operators, who are offended when it is used to apply to unlicensed “eavesdroppers” spying on private phone calls etc. Take care

Radio 1, 2, 3, 4, Radio 5 Live; Classic FM, BBC Radio, talk SPORT, Jazz FM etc. But with foreign stations, usually l/c, eg, Israel radio, Haiti radio, Moscow radio, Singapore radio etc; cap only if we know it is the specific name of the station or organisation

RAF crews went on operations (or ops) in the Second World War; American (USAF) crews went on missions. Do not confuse

RAF Regiment is a Corps within the Royal Air Force

railways write East Coast Main Line, West Coast Main Line, Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now all initial caps). See train companies

rainforest (one word)

raison d'être (use italics)

rajah/maharajah take the final -h

Raleigh, Sir Walter (not Ralegh)

Ramsay, Gordon, the chef; Ramsay Street (Neighbours), and Ramsay MacDonald, early twentieth-century Labour Prime Minister; but Alf Ramsey, late football manager, and Ramsey, Isle of Man

R&B abbreviation for rhythm and blues

rand the South African unit of currency. Plural rands. Write, eg, 12.1 billion rands at first mention; subsequently, R2.3 billion etc. See currencies

ranging from overworked and often unnecessary phrase. There must be a scale in which the elements might be ranged: “ranging from 15 to 25 years” is correct, “a crowd ranging from priests to golfers” is not

ranks. See Armed Forces special section, policeranks

Ranks Hovis McDougall, but (The) Rank Organisation

Rann of Kutch (prefer to Kachchh), area on India-Pakistan border

Rapid Reaction Force cap in Nato context as the force already exists, but l/c in European army context until it is made official — or not

rarefied, rarefy (not rarified)

rateable

rave acceptable in context as a musical event. See gig

razzmatazz

re- whenever possible, run the prefix on to the word it qualifies, eg, readmission, remake, rework, etc; but there are two main classes of exceptions:

a. where the word after re- begins with an "e", eg, re-election, re-emerge, re-examine, re-enter etc;

b. where there could be serious ambiguity in compounds such as re-creation (recreation), re-cover (recover), re-dress (redress), re-form (pop groups) v reform (delinquent). See hyphens

realpolitik (not italic)

rebut means to argue to the contrary, producing evidence; to refute is to win such an argument. Neither should be used as a synonym of reject or deny, both of which are good, straightforward words. Nor should they be used for dispute or respond to

receive “receiving an injury” is to be discouraged, though not banned. Prefer to say sustained or suffered; and never say someone received a broken leg etc — prefer suffered a broken leg or, better still, broke a leg. See injure

reckless (as synonym for rash or foolhardy); NOTwreckless

record never say “set a new record”, “was an all-time record” etc, where both the qualifiers are tautologous

recorders for when to cap, see Courts specialsection

recrudescence do not confuse with resurgence or revival. It means worsening, in the sense of reopening wounds or recurring diseases

redbrick (university), but a red-brick building

Red Cross full name International Committee of the Red Cross (not for). Equivalent in Muslim lands is the Red Crescent. See ICRC

Red Planet (caps), informal name for Mars

referendum, plural referendums, as with conundrums, stadiums, forums and most words ending in -um. But note millennia, strata

refute take care with this word. See rebut

Regent's Park

regimen should be restricted to medical contexts — a prescribed course of exercise, way of life, diet etc. Do not use as a synonym of regime (government or administrative contexts)

register office, not registry office

Register of Members' Interests (caps). See Politics special section

Registrar (Oxford), but Registrary (Cambridge)

Registrar-General

regulators of the privatised utilities and other watchdogs should be styled as follows:

a. DWI — the Drinking Water Inspectorate regulates public water supplies in England and Wales. It has a chief inspector;

b. Ofcom — the Office of Communications, the super-regulator incorporating, and replacing, the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel), the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Independent Television Commission, the Radio Authority and the Radiocommunications Agency, started operation on December 29, 2003, under Lord Currie of Marylebone as chairman

c. Offa — the Office for Fair Access, concerned with university entrance places;

d. Ofgem — the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets, replacing the former Offer and Ofgas. The energy regulator is replaced by a regulatory authority, the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, which has a chairman (no longer a director-general) who is also chief executive of Ofgem;

e. Ofsted — the Office for Standards in Education, officially the Office of Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools in England;

f. Ofwat — the Office of Water Services has a director-general and regulates water and sewerage companies in England and Wales;

g. Office of Fair Trading — the OFT. The phrase consumer watchdog can be used as an alternative; it has a director-general;

h. Postcomm — the Postal Services Commission has a chief executive. It regulates the postal service and Consignia/Royal Mail/Post Office;

i. Rail Regulator — the Office of the Rail Regulator - this one capped as it is the official title. Changes in the Transport Act 2000 confirm the Rail Regulator as an economic regulator;

j. SRA — the Strategic Rail Authority since February 2001 has responsibility for developing the rail network and encouraging integration. Subsuming the powers of the Office of Passenger Rail Franchising (Opraf) and the British Railways Board (BRB), it is a strategic investor, awarder of passenger rail franchises and enforcer of consumer protection.

Reid, John the Health Secretary. At his request, to be known as Mr Reid at second mention, although he has a PhD

Reith Lecture(s)

reject. See rebut

relatively. See comparatively

Religious Right (caps) in American politics. SeeRight

remainder avoid as a synonym of the rest

REME, the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (never Reme). See Armed Forces special section

Remembrance Sunday (preferred to Day)

Renaissance, the; but l/c renaissance as synonym of revival or rebirth

reorganise

repellent (noun or adjective, not repellant)

replacements in rugby union, not substitutes. See Sports special section

report l/c in titles of official documents such as Taylor report

reportedly avoid this slack word, which suggests that the writer is unsure of the source of the material

Republic of Ireland, or Irish Republic. See Ireland

republican l/c except when in an official name, such as the Republican Party or Republicans in the US. See Ireland

rerun

research shows... in many cases it does not. Like most polls, it merely indicates, suggests, hints at, implies... so beware

Resolution cap in context of UN, eg, Resolution 688

respect of avoid “in respect of” whenever possible; never say “in respect to”

responsible people bear responsibility, things do not. Storms are not responsible for damage; they cause it. Avoid the phrase “the IRA claimed responsibility for the bombing”; say instead “the IRA admitted causing the bombing”

restaurateur (never restauranteur)

result in avoid this lazy phrase and always find an alternative, such as cause, bring, create, evoke, lead to etc

re-use one of the re- words where the hyphen is essential as reuse is hideous

Reuters use this form now in every context (no longer Reuter)

Reveille, like Last Post, is sounded, not played

Revelation, Book of (not Revelations)

Revenue & Customs is the new name (Apr 2005) for the combined Inland Revenue and Customs and Excise bodies. At first mention, refer to Revenue & Customs (abbreviated HMRC, if need be). In an article primarily about taxation, use Revenue at second mention; Customs in a piece about smuggling or duty etc. See Customs and Excise

reverend at first mention, the style is “the Rev Tom Jones”, then Mr Jones. NEVER say “the Rev Jones” or (even worse) “Rev Jones” (which is as great a solecism as calling Sir Bobby Charlton “Sir Charlton”). A parson and his wife are referred to as “the Rev Tom and Mrs Jones”. See archbishops, Churches special section

Review takes the cap in names of government programmes, such as Strategic Defence Review, Comprehensive Spending Review etc

Reykjavik, Iceland

rhinoceroses (plural)

Rhodes scholar / scholarship (l/c s)

Rhys-Jones, Sophie now the Countess of Wessex (subsequent mentions the Countess). See Titles special section

RIBA (all caps), abbreviation of the Royal Institute of British Architects

Richter scale measures the energy released by an earthquake. It runs from 0 to 8; say “the earthquake measured 6 on the Richter scale”. Since the Richter scale and magnitude measurements are not completely interchangeable, use the scale that is filed in an individual story.

RICS, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (note all caps, and Institution)

riffle, riffling, as in flicking through papers or clothes on a rail; rifling only in the sense of ransacking

Right, the cap in the political context when referring to a group of like-minded individuals, eg, “The Right added to John Major's dilemma on the EU”; but l/c in “the party swung to the right”. When the Right is qualified, generally keep the adjective l/c, eg, the far Right (but note the Religious Right in the US). Also, the right wing, right-wing contenders, rightwingers. See Left, Politics special section

rigmarole (not rigamarole)

ring-fence (hyphen)

ringtone one word

Rio Tinto no longer Rio Tinto-Zinc or RTZ

Riot Act (initial caps), as in "read the Riot Act"

rip off (verb), rip-off (noun or adj) avoid this cliché except in quotes such as "rip-off Britain"

Rise, the Channel 4 breakfast TV programme; do not use RI:SE

riverbank (one word)

rivers cap in context of River Thames, the Mississippi River (or simply the Thames, the Mississippi etc). Similarly, cap estuary when part of the name. See Thames

riveting try to avoid its clichéd use as a metaphor

RNIB — Royal National Institute of the Blind (not for)

roadblock, roadbuilding, roadbuilder etc

"road map" quoted at first mention and in headlines for the two-state Middle East peace formula

road rage no longer any need to quote, even at firstmention

roads as tautologous to write “the M5 motorway” as “the A435 road”, but correct to say “the M40 London to Birmingham motorway”. Unnecessary to define the M25 as London's orbital motorway, but generally, define a road geographically unless context is clear

Robert the Bruce (prefer to Robert Bruce); subsequent mentions, the Bruce

rock'n'roll

Rogge, Jacques president of the International Olympic Committee. He is Belgian, so is Mr Rogge at second mention

Rohypnol must not be referred to as the "date rape drug"

roll call two words

Rollerblade is proprietary, so must be capped. The American company's lawyers insist that even Rollerblading takes the cap; use in-line skates/skating instead

rollerskate, rollercoaster

roll-on, roll-off (as in ferries), abbreviated to ro-ro

rollover (as in Lotto, the renamed national lottery), no hyphen

Rolls-Royce note hyphen; Rolls-Royce objects to use of its exclusive marque in a descriptive sense, eg, online advertising service spoken of as "The Rolls-Royce of Car Locators"

Roman Catholic. See Catholic

Romania, not Rumania. See Ceausescu

Roman numerals usually no full points; thus Edward VIII, Article XVI, Part II, Psalm xxiii. But in official documents, to designate sub-sections, use the points, eg, i., ii., iv., etc

roofs (not rooves)

rooms say living room, drawing room, laundryroom (no hyphens except when adjectival, eg, living-room carpet),but bathroom, bedroom, tearoom

rottweiler (l/c). See dogs

round-up (hyphenate as noun)

row be sparing in the use of this word, especially in headlines. Alternatives are rift, split, clash etc, and dispute in text. However, row is not banned

Rowntree be sure to distinguish between the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a charity and independent funder of social policy research and development; and the Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust, not a charity and an entirely separate company that funds projects often with a political dimension

royal, royalty l/c for royalty but cap the Royal Family; royal is usually l/c when used adjectivally, as in royal couple, royal baby, royal approval, royal visit, the royal wave, but takes the cap in titles such as Royal Assent, Royal Collection, Royal Household, Royal Yacht etc

Royal & SunAlliance (note ampersand and SunAlliance)

Royal College of Nursing (not Nurses)

royal commissions should be capped when the full title is given, eg, the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, but otherwise l/c, the royal commission. NB, Royal Commission on Reform of the House of Lords. See committee

Royal Corps of Signals, or Royal Signals (not Royal Corps of Signallers). See Armed Forces special section

Royal Family takes caps, British and overseas; with names of the British Royal Family, give fully at first mention, eg, the Duke of Edinburgh, thereafter the Duke (cap) or occasionally Prince Philip; Prince William and Prince Harry, thereafter the Prince or simply William, Harry. In England and Wales, refer to the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (the Prince and the Duchess at subsequent mention). In Scotland, the usage the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay is permissible. The Duchess is technically the Princess of Wales, but does not use the title; nor do we. In royalty context, the cap after first mention should be confined to the British Royal Family and overseas heads of state. See Queen, Duke, Prince, Diana, heads of state, Titles special section

Royal Fine Art Commission

Royal Fleet Auxiliary ships are entitled RFA, not HMS; eg, RFA Fort George. See Armed Forces special section

Royal Institute of International Affairs (often known as Chatham House); NOT Institution

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst; similarly, RoyalAir Force College Cranwell and Royal NavalCollege Dartmouth (no commas)

Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI); not Life-Boat

Royal Over-Seas League. See London clubs

Royal Shakespeare Company (thereafter the RSC), and Royal Opera House (ROH); but generally no need for the Royal with Albert Hall, Festival Hall, National Theatre

Royal Standard is only for the Sovereign. Other members of the Royal Family have a personal standard. See ensign

Royal Train caps, as with the Royal Yacht

Royal Welch Fusiliers, The; but Welsh Guards. See Armed Forces special section

Royal Yacht. See Britannia

RPI, the retail prices index (note plural and l/c)

RPM (caps), resale price maintenance (not retail); and rpm (l/c), revolutions per minute

RSPCA does not exist in Scotland, which has the Scottish SPCA

rubbish do not use as a verb

Rubens, not Reubens (the Flemish painter)

Rubinstein, Arthur the late pianist preferred to be called Arthur rather than the oft-written Artur

Rue Royale. See French names

run-down (adjective), as in decaying or exhausted; rundown (noun) as in briefing; to run down (verb)

run up as a verb; but run-up for the noun

running-mate (hyphen)

Rural England Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE), NOT Preservation

rush hour (noun), but rush-hour (adjective, hyphen, as in rush-hour traffic)

rushed to hospital avoid this cliché. Say simply taken to or driven to; similarly, say a victim was flown to hospital rather than airlifted to... Always avoid the American hospitalise

Russell Group of Britain's so-called 19 elite universities are: Oxford; Cambridge; Imperial College, London; King's College London; London School of Economics; University College London; Birmingham; Bristol; Cardiff; Edinburgh; Glasgow; Leeds; Liverpool; Manchester; Newcastle; Nottingham; Sheffield; Southampton; and Warwick

Russia take care not to designate parts of the former Soviet Union as Russia when they no longer are, eg, Ukraine, Georgia. The same applies to the people (though there are millions of ethnic Russians throughout the former Soviet Union). So always specify the republic concerned and do not use Russian in the inclusive sense except in the phrase Russian vodka. Use Soviet and the Soviet Union only in their historical contexts — and avoid USSR wherever possible. See Soviet

Russian names use “i” as first name ending, but “y” for surnames, eg, Arkadi Volsky, Gennadi Yavlinsky (but note the exception Rutskoi); and use “k” rather than “x” in the middle, eg, Aleksei, Aleksandr; also note Viktor. We should use the -ya rather than -ia in Natalya and Tatyana (not Natalia, Tatiana). But note that the styles of Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov are sufficiently Westernised to be spelt thus. See chess names