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words

Disallow vague or weak wording in comments.

Targeted pattern scope​

This rule targets source-code comments.

What this rule reports​

This rule reports weak, vague, or overly wordy phrasing in comments.

Why this rule exists​

Ambiguous comment language reduces maintainability and leaves intent unclear.

❌ Incorrect​

// this probably works
const value = 1;

✅ Correct​

// this works for positive integers
const value = 1;

Behavior and migration notes​

This rule forwards options and behavior to write-good-comments/write-good-comments.

Additional examples​

// It should probably maybe work for most inputs.
// ❌ likely reported by write-good-comments checks

// Handles positive integers and returns false for negative values.
// ✅ clearer and more precise

ESLint flat config example​

import etcMisc from "eslint-plugin-etc-misc";

export default [
 {
  plugins: { "etc-misc": etcMisc },
  rules: {
   "etc-misc/words": "error",
  },
 },
];

When not to use it​

Disable this rule if your team does not want prose-quality checks for comments.

Package documentation​

Rule catalog ID: R079

Further reading​

Adoption resources​

  • Start at warning level in CI, then move to error after cleanup.
  • Use focused codemods/autofix batches per package or directory.