diff --git a/docs/source/devguide/styleguide.rst b/docs/source/devguide/styleguide.rst
index a07db1ab1d..3b4325a2d6 100644
--- a/docs/source/devguide/styleguide.rst
+++ b/docs/source/devguide/styleguide.rst
@@ -67,6 +67,8 @@ in the constants.F90 module.
 For arbitrary length character variables, use the pre-defined lengths
 MAX_LINE_LEN, MAX_WORD_LEN, and MAX_FILE_LEN if possible.
 
+Do not use old-style character/array length (e.g. character*80, real*8).
+
 Integer values being used to indicate a certain state should be defined as named
 constants (see the constants.F90 module for many examples).
 
@@ -82,8 +84,8 @@ No:
 
     if (boundary_condition == -10) then
 
-Never create arrays with a pre-defined maximum length. Always use dynamic memory
-allocation. Use allocatable variables instead of pointer variables when
+Avoid creating arrays with a pre-defined maximum length. Use dynamic memory
+allocation instead. Use allocatable variables instead of pointer variables when
 possible.
 
 Shared/Module Variables