Many people who work in tech need to create secure systems without being security experts. I tried rewriting the Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) Top 10 list in a simplified style using only the 1,000 most commonly used English words, inspired by Randall Munroe's xkcd comic and book. The results are mixed, with some ideas translating well but others becoming distorted or incomprehensible. I'm not advocating for everyone to write technical communications in this style, but rather exploring what can be learned from the attempt, where it works and where it doesn't. Specialized terms can allow us to communicate quickly about foundational concepts, but they can also intimidate people who aren't versed in security jargon. To make technical communication more accessible, we should choose simpler language, pick examples or metaphors our audience is familiar with, and provide definitions for key terms. However, oversimplifying complex concepts can lead to misunderstandings, and creating a sentence from "simple" words doesn't always make it easier to understand. Ultimately, choosing the right words to convey an idea is hard, but using only the top ten hundred words in English can help us look at it in a different way.