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UX/UI Design vocabulary · UI Elements and Patterns

Error message

Meaning in UX/UI design, with examples

nounCore term

In UX/UI design, error message means: Text that tells users something has gone wrong, ideally explaining what happened and how to fix it, for example next to a form field.

In Turkish: hata mesajı, hata uyarısı

How it is used

Good error messages are specific, polite and helpful ('Enter a date in the future'), not technical ('Error 422'). Designers and UX writers agree where they appear, inline or as a banner, and never rely on red colour alone.

Example sentences

  1. The error message just says 'Invalid input', so users don't know what to change.

  2. Show the error message under the field, not at the top of the page.

Common collocations

  • show an error message
  • inline error message
  • clear error message
  • error state
  • input fieldA box in a form or interface where users type information, such as a name, an email address or a search term.
  • microcopyThe short pieces of text in an interface, such as button labels, hints, error messages and confirmations, that guide users through a task.
  • feedbackThe signal a system gives in response to a user's action, such as a button changing colour, a loading spinner or a success message, so people know what happened.
  • empty stateWhat a screen shows when there is no content yet, such as an empty inbox, a search with no results or a new account with no projects.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: UI Elements and Patterns

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