Guide 202 / 366 6 swaps Formal register
Professional words for “summary”
Five register-specific words for "summary."
i · When it mattersTwo lines, no filler
"Summary" is fine as a section heading. In running prose, more specific words read crisper — abstract for academic papers, recap for spoken meetings, gist for casual.
ii · The swaps6 ways
- 01Abstract formal
academic / paper top
See the abstract for the headline finding.
- 02Recap neutral
meetings, episodes
Quick recap: we shipped, traffic spiked, costs held.
- 03Synopsis neutral
narrative or film
A two-line synopsis fits in the deck.
- 04Gist informal
casual takeaway
The gist is: it works, but slowly.
- 05Précis formal
literary / written
A précis of the chapter sat on the editor's desk.
- 06TL;DR informal
internet / docs lead
TL;DR: the migration is safe.