Bold text

Use bolded text to call attention to words or phrases that will help the Veteran understand the content on the page.

Note: Don’t use italics. It doesn’t show up well on a screen, and sometimes it can be harder to read than normal text.

Use bold text only in these cases

• The explicit set-up line that comes before bullet points that states something like this: “Both of these must be true.” See this page
• The “and” or “or” that comes at the end of each line in a bulleted list
• The first part of a sentence, for scanability, when there’s a need to clearly set apart, for instance Veterans who fall into different eligibility categories. See this page
• Numerals, for scanability, that we know the Veteran is on the page to look for—like a dollar figure. See this page
• The different types of accounts through which you can sign in to VA.gov: My HealtheVet, DS Logon, and ID.me. See this page
• When there’s a “Note:” or “Example:” See this page
• The design element or text link we want the user to click on when we’re walking them through online instructions. See this page
• If you are presenting a series of label and value pairs, such as the contact information (address, phone number, etc.) for a location. The label is always bold, not the value, and the label and value are separated by a line break as opposed to a colon. See this page (click on Caregiver support)

Don’t use bold in these cases

• In any part of a text link, since the blue and underlining sets apart that text enough.
• For words used to emphasize a point being made in the text, like “only if.”
• When the label is serving as a subhead. Use an H3 or an H4 instead. Screen readers navigate around the page by headings. If the subhead text is bold, the screen reader will skip that section of the page.