Inclusive language

Witty Goes Open Source

We built Witty to help people write more inclusively. Now we are open-sourcing everything — so the community can build on top of what we made.

Not an ending — an invitation

We built Witty Works to help people write more inclusively. Over the years, we built a suite of tools that actually worked: a browser extension that gives real-time suggestions wherever you type, a Microsoft Word add-in for document workflows, an NLP API that understands bias and stereotyped language, a rule editor for custom language guidelines, and a dashboard to turn individual writing data into organizational insights.

Some time ago, Witty Works had to close its commercial activities. But these tools are too good to simply disappear. So we did what felt right: we open-sourced everything.

This is not an ending. It's an invitation.

What we've open-sourced

Over the past few weeks, we walked through each component of the Witty platform. Here is the full picture.

The NLP API — the engine behind everything

The core that powers Witty's language intelligence. It understands language, detects bias and stereotyped wording, and proposes inclusive alternatives. Fast, flexible, and built to integrate into pretty much anything.

If you're a developer working on inclusive language tooling, HR tech, writing assistants, or anything in the communication space, this API is a serious head start. Dig in, spin it up, and let us know what you build with it.

github.com/witty-works/nlp_api

The Browser Extension — what our users loved most

A lightweight extension that sits in your browser and gives you real-time suggestions to make your writing more inclusive. No switching tools, no copy-pasting — just write inclusively wherever you type.

It works across web-based email programs, forms, and web-apps like CRMs, ATSs, or marketing tools. Basically anywhere you put words into a web application. Star it if you like it. Fork it if you want to take it somewhere new.

github.com/witty-works/browser-extension

The Rule Editor — make it yours

Inclusive language isn't one-size-fits-all. Different organizations have different guidelines, different terminology, different needs. The Rule Editor is where you shape those.

It's the tool we used to define and manage the language rules that power Witty's suggestions: which terms to flag, what to suggest instead, and why. You can adapt existing rules or create your own. If you're building inclusive language tooling for a specific domain, industry, or language community, this is the piece that makes it yours.

github.com/witty-works/rule-editor

The Microsoft Word Add-in — Witty is where you write

Not everyone writes in a browser. A lot of the most important writing happens in Microsoft Word: reports, job descriptions, policies, contracts, and much more.

This add-in brings inclusive language suggestions right into Word, without disrupting your workflow. No copy-pasting. No switching tabs. Just write in Word, inclusively. If you're working on enterprise writing tools, HR software, or anything that touches Word, this could save you a lot of time.

github.com/witty-works/word-plugin

The Dashboard — turning writing into organizational insights

Data matters — especially when you're trying to build a more inclusive culture. The Witty Dashboard shows you where biased or non-inclusive language shows up most in your organization: in which teams, across which diversity dimensions, and even which specific words. Patterns you can act on.

It turns individual writing improvements into organizational insights. Build on it, customize it, or use it as inspiration for your own analytics layer.

github.com/witty-works/dashboard

What's next

All five components are now on GitHub. All free. All for the community to build upon.

If you care about inclusive language, bias-free communication, non-stereotyped messaging, or just want to build something meaningful — we'd love for you to explore, fork, and build on top of what we've made. If you have questions, please open a ticket or send us an email.

Lukas Kahwe Smith

Lukas Smith (he/him) is Co-Founder and CTO at Witty Works. Previously he was a partner at the digital agency Liip, where he was supporting customers as a system architect while leading various internal initiatives like the ISO 27001 certification. As a well known open source contributor, he was release manager for PHP 5.3 and helped shaped the current release process. He was also a key contributor to many PHP based projects like Symfony and the Doctrine project. He also acted as the Symfony Diversity lead.

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