diff --git a/doc/CODING-GUIDELINES b/doc/CODING-GUIDELINES
index 1a7f28c792..44063bd1fe 100644
--- a/doc/CODING-GUIDELINES
+++ b/doc/CODING-GUIDELINES
@@ -377,9 +377,10 @@ When converting from strings to integers or floats, use the sscanf function
 in preference to the atoi and atof family of functions, as sscanf detects
 errors.  Always check the return value of sscanf to verify that your numeric
 variables successfully scanned before using them.  Also, to avoid a potential
-libc bug, always specify a maximum width for each format specifier, including
-integers and floats.  A good length for both integers and floats is 30, as
-this is more than generous, even if you're using doubles or long integers.
+libc bug, always specify a maximum width for each conversion specifier,
+including integers and floats.  A good length for both integers and floats is
+30, as this is more than generous, even if you're using doubles or long
+integers.
 
 * Use of functions
 ------------------