diff --git a/content/github/authenticating-to-github/adding-a-new-ssh-key-to-your-github-account.md b/content/github/authenticating-to-github/adding-a-new-ssh-key-to-your-github-account.md
index 4e7c469113dc..668b00c955f6 100644
--- a/content/github/authenticating-to-github/adding-a-new-ssh-key-to-your-github-account.md
+++ b/content/github/authenticating-to-github/adding-a-new-ssh-key-to-your-github-account.md
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ After adding a new SSH key to your {% data variables.product.product_name %} acc
 
 {% mac %}
 
-1. Copy the SSH key to your clipboard.
+1. Copy the SSH public key to your clipboard.
 
-  If your SSH key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.
+  If your SSH public key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.
 
   ```shell
   $ pbcopy < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
@@ -49,9 +49,9 @@ After adding a new SSH key to your {% data variables.product.product_name %} acc
 
 {% windows %}
 
-1. Copy the SSH key to your clipboard.
+1. Copy the SSH public key to your clipboard.
 
-  If your SSH key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.
+  If your SSH public key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.
 
   ```shell
   $ clip < ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub
@@ -80,9 +80,9 @@ After adding a new SSH key to your {% data variables.product.product_name %} acc
 
 {% linux %}
 
-1. Copy the SSH key to your clipboard.
+1. Copy the SSH public key to your clipboard.
 
-  If your SSH key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.
+  If your SSH public key file has a different name than the example code, modify the filename to match your current setup. When copying your key, don't add any newlines or whitespace.
 
   ```shell
   $ sudo apt-get install xclip