Is ClearSpec an ASD-STE100 checker?

No. ClearSpec is an independent clarity checker with its own rule set. It is not affiliated with ASD or STEMG and does not implement, reproduce or certify the ASD-STE100 specification or its dictionary.

Can software establish ASD-STE100 conformance on its own?

Automated tools can support writers and reviewers, but an automated indicator on its own is not evidence that a document conforms to ASD-STE100. Use the current official specification, the organisation's controlled-language process and competent review as the basis for a conformance decision.

What does ClearSpec check instead?

22 named rules for action clarity, sentence structure, terminology consistency, safety-language structure and formatting consistency, each with the exact span, a reason and one editing action.

Reviewed 31 August 2026 · next review 28 February 2027

Simplified Technical English: what an independent checker can and cannot tell you

Read this before you buy any tool that promises Simplified Technical English compliance.

Last updated 18 August 2026 · Written and reviewed by Jonatan Tensetti · Tensetti Tools

ClearSpec uses an independent proprietary clarity method. It is not affiliated with ASD/STEMG, is not an ASD-STE100 checker or certification service, and does not certify ISO 24495-1 conformance.

What Simplified Technical English is

ASD-STE100, usually called Simplified Technical English, is a controlled-language specification developed and maintained by the ASD Simplified Technical English Maintenance Group. It combines writing rules with a controlled dictionary of approved words and approved meanings, and it originated in aerospace maintenance documentation. Obtain the current specification and dictionary from the official ASD STEMG source rather than relying on a third-party summary.

What an independent checker can genuinely do

A deterministic tool can flag structural patterns that often make technical instructions harder to follow: long sentences, several actions inside one step, passive constructions that obscure an actor, vague quantities, stacked nouns, nested conditions, inconsistent terms, inconsistent units and incomplete warning structures. Those are examples of the 22 checks in ClearSpec. They are ClearSpec rules, not a reproduction of the ASD-STE100 rule set or dictionary.

A structural check any tool can make — edit it and watch the findings change

If the pressure is high and if the alarm is active, the valve is closed and the pump is stopped.

CS_NESTED_CONDITION — The sentence contains 2 conditional markers. Split the branches into separate sentences or a decision list.
CS_PASSIVE_ACTION — The action is written in the passive voice and no actor is named. Name the actor and use an active instruction, for example 'The technician closes the valve.'

Possible false positive: A short two-branch condition can be clear enough in a specification.

What ClearSpec cannot establish

It cannot determine whether a word is approved for a particular meaning in the ASD-STE100 dictionary.
It cannot establish ASD-STE100 or ISO 24495-1 conformance.
It cannot determine technical accuracy, legal sufficiency, usability or safety.
It cannot replace the organisation's controlled-language governance or competent human review.

How to use tools without confusing support with conformance

If a contract or programme requires ASD-STE100, start with the current official specification and define how writers, reviewers, terminology and exceptions are governed. Automated tools can then support that process, but their output should be checked against the specification. If your actual goal is broader technical clarity rather than formal STE conformance, an independent transparent checker can still help find specific passages for human review without making a standards claim.

Run the independent clarity checks

22 checks, no account, and the text is analysed in your browser.

Questions

Is ClearSpec an ASD-STE100 checker?: No. ClearSpec is an independent clarity checker with its own rule set. It is not affiliated with ASD or STEMG and does not implement, reproduce or certify the ASD-STE100 specification or its dictionary.
Can software establish ASD-STE100 conformance on its own?: Automated tools can support writers and reviewers, but an automated indicator on its own is not evidence that a document conforms to ASD-STE100. Use the current official specification, the organisation's controlled-language process and competent review as the basis for a conformance decision.
What does ClearSpec check instead?: 22 named rules for action clarity, sentence structure, terminology consistency, safety-language structure and formatting consistency, each with the exact span, a reason and one editing action.

References

Checked 31 August 2026. Referenced for context only; no standard text or dictionary content is reproduced.

ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language — Part 1 — ISO. Official standard information page. Context only; the standard is not reproduced or certified.
ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English — official STEMG site — ASD Simplified Technical English Maintenance Group. Official source for ASD-STE100, currently Issue 9 dated 15 January 2025. ClearSpec is independent and does not claim to implement or certify the standard.
ASD-STE100 official downloads and guidance — ASD STEMG. Official copies and STEMG guidance, including the explicit warning that automated tools do not replace correct application of ASD-STE100.

ClearSpec reports automated heuristics from method version 1.0.0. The clarity indicator is not a measure of technical accuracy, usability, legal sufficiency, safety or standards conformance. A competent person must decide the final wording, especially for safety content.