Official letters · Plain-English guide
What does “For the avoidance of doubt” mean?
To make something clear and remove possible confusion.
“A noble ambition. Let us inspect the doubt.” — Arthur
What it means in practice
This introduces a clarification. It often signals that the writer wants to prevent a particular misunderstanding. The words that follow carry the actual information; the opening phrase does not create detail on its own.
An example and a clearer version
The original wording
For the avoidance of doubt, the fee is monthly.
In plain English
To be clear, the fee is monthly.
What to say instead
to be clear.
How to make the next step clear
Read the clarification alongside the rest of the letter. If it still leaves two possible interpretations, describe them in a short question rather than pretending the formal introduction has settled everything.
Wording you can adapt
To check I understand: does the monthly fee include support, or is support charged separately?
The wording around a phrase matters. Keep the names, dates, amounts and conditions from the original when you rewrite it.
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