diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 18e8afea55..f808f08d3e 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -139,8 +139,8 @@ Releases will be numbered with the following format:
 
 And constructed with the following guidelines:
 
-- Breaking backwards compatibility **bumps the major** while resetting minor and patch
-- New additions without breaking backwards compatibility **bumps the minor** while resetting the patch
+- Breaking backward compatibility **bumps the major** while resetting minor and patch
+- New additions without breaking backward compatibility **bumps the minor** while resetting the patch
 - Bug fixes and misc changes **bumps only the patch**
 
 For more information on SemVer, please visit <http://semver.org/>.