Write Brief with AI
AI writing coach shipped to every WordPress.com editor
At Automattic, we follow writing principles inspired by “Write Like an Amazonian”: clear, specific, concise. Sentences under 20 words. Grade level between 8 and 12. Tools like Grammarly exist, but they don’t enforce our voice. And they live outside the editor.
I started Write Brief as a side project called Breve (Latin for “brief”). I designed the interface, coded the first prototype, and guided its evolution into a full release. It now runs in every WordPress.com editor.
Good typography requires careful attention to line height, letter spacing, and font weight across every breakpoint, ensuring the reading experience feels natural on any screen.
Good typography means tuning line height, spacing, and weight at every breakpoint. Reading should feel natural on any device.
Writing grounded in principles
Each highlight category maps to a specific “Write Like an Amazonian” principle. The feedback is immediate, inline, and opinionated. Not grammar checking. Voice enforcement.
| Highlight | Principle | What it catches |
|---|---|---|
| Complex words | Use simple, familiar words. Avoid jargon. | Words with simpler alternatives: “utilize” instead of “use,” “commence” instead of “start” |
| Long sentences | Keep sentences under 25 words. | Sentences that exceed the word threshold, flagged for splitting or tightening |
| Adverbs | Replace qualifiers with data. | ”Significantly improved” instead of “improved by 40%.” Adverbs weaken claims that numbers make concrete |
| Weasel words | Be direct. Eliminate hedge language. | ”Nearly all,” “might,” “could,” “arguably.” Words that let the writer avoid committing to a specific claim |
Prototype to production
I prototyped Write Brief as a real WordPress plugin and demoed it to the company and CEO via our internal design blog. Once we secured buy-in, I led a team of four engineers from prototype to production in three months. We refined every visual element to match the WordPress Design System, installed the plugin on over 200 internal blogs to eat our own dog food, and iterated until it felt natural in the editor.
This word has a simpler alternative.
We need to use this tool.
Sentences with more than 20 words are hard to read.
Settings and editing features improve the user experience.
Replace qualifiers with specific data.
Performance improved after the update.
Hedge words avoid committing to a claim.
Users preferred the new design.
80% suggestion acceptance rate
The release appeared in TechCrunch and 31 other publications. It ships to every WordPress.com user and maintains an 80 percent suggestion acceptance rate.
"This is such a great application of LLMs, and I'm glad to see it. Augmenting the creative writing process, this seems to have the right set of features."
"While ChatGPT has emerged as the poster child for the generative AI movement, Automattic sits in a somewhat privileged position as the driving force behind much of the web as we know it."
Internally, it sparked new AI initiatives across the company and inspired reuse of Write Brief’s interaction patterns in other products. The side project became a reference point for how to introduce AI into an existing editing experience: small, opinionated, useful from day one.