Writing or describing test cases in plain English rather than in code or formal syntax. The intent is to make testing accessible to anyone who understands the product, regardless of technical background. Some tools can take natural language descriptions and convert them directly into executable tests.
Example: Without natural language testing, a script looks like this:
With natural language testing, a script looks like this:
“Go to the login page. Enter ‘testuser@email.com‘ in the username field and ‘Password123’ in the password field. Click the login button. Check that the dashboard header is visible.”
The tool reads those instructions and executes the same actions the script would have run.
The outcome is identical. The difference is that the tester writing the second version doesn’t need to know Python, the DOM structure, or element selectors. They need to know what the application is supposed to do.