Editing and proofreading tools help you to enhance the quality of your work. Editing your work isn’t always straightforward. Even if you perform a final proofread before submission, mistakes can still slip through. That’s where editing and proofreading tools can work as a second pair of eyes.
These days, the internet is awash with these tools. They can do everything from spot typos to check your work for clarity and readability and even suggest words based on acronyms.
Using Word as an editing and proofreading tool
Microsoft Word is useful as it highlights sentences that don’t flow and spelling errors. Plus, there are macros you can use to help you check your grammar. Yet many online editing and proofreading tools go beyond these simple tasks. They can do things like:
- Make synonym suggestions
- Match words within your text for spelling consistency
- Identify complex sentences
- Suggest simpler words
- Pinpoint repetitive words.
If you really want to enhance your skills, you might want to take an editing course. But if you’re happy to go it alone, here are five of the most useful online editing and proofreading tools you can use to check your work.
1. Grammarly editing and proofreading
Grammarly is a simple and commonly-used app for proofreading. As well as checking your grammar, it proofreads your writing for spelling errors or poor use of vocabulary. If you buy the software, you can sync it with all your web applications including email.
Grammarly works differently to a word processor as it can identify correctly spelled words that are used in the wrong context. It also checks your grammar within the context of your sentences and even suggests words to improve the readability of your writing.
Although it may appear basic, Grammarly is a great tool for a final proofread.
2. PerfectIt
PerfectIt is one of the best-known software tools used by health editors. The application is downloaded to use with Microsoft Word and also has free apps available to check abbreviations or spelling consistency in your writing.
If you have been given a style guide, you can customise PerfectIt so that your writing meets brand requirements. The software can also accept track changes, remove double spaces and update cross-references, among many other features.
Tip: Make sure you have a compatible version of Microsoft Word, as there have been some problems for users.
3. Ginger Grammar and Spell Checker
Ginger is like Grammarly and is another basic editing and proofreading tool available for iOS and Android. It can perform a final check of spelling mistakes in your writing as you type. Unlike Grammarly, though, Ginger cannot detect plagiarism or errors in your punctuation.
Ginger may not suit your needs for editing. Yet it could be useful if you’re just looking for a fresh set of ‘eyes’ to proofread your writing for typos.
4. Hemingway Editor
The Hemingway Editor app is a great editing and proofreading tool (we used it to write this blog post!). Its core focus is to highlight content that makes your writing hard to read. The app identifies complex words and extra long sentences. It also points out when you have written in the passive voice, and it shows you what grade (reading level) your content appeals to.
Hemingway is helpful for checking readability and flow. As it aims to simplify your content, it may not be the best option when you’re writing more scientific or academic content.
5. Phrase Express
Phrase Express is another great online tool for editing. The tool can complete or correct phrases in your writing. It’s also user-friendly with a variety of functions beyond correcting spelling mistakes.
For example, it can expand abbreviations as you type – saving you valuable time. It can also recognise repetitive sentences in your text – which can be useful for blog posts in particular. There are dozens of other useful features, depending on how you customise the app. Plus, it’s available for iOS and Android.
Which editing and proofreading tools do you rely on? Feel free to share your best tools in the comments.
Why utilize Hemingway if you can utilize INK? It’s also free and doesn’t use simple recommendations. Every search is exceptional. You can get it at https://inkforall.com
I have been using Grammarly and Hemingway Editor and I can attest to their efficiency in eliminating grammar mistakes, vocabulary, and spelling errors. I like the paid version of grammarly although its plagiarism checker is someone inaccurate sometimes. Did you experience the same problem?
Oh, Dinethra the topic of your article reminds me the famous Oscar Wilde’s quote:“I was working on the proof of one of my poems all the morning, and took out a comma. In the afternoon I put it back again.” The proofreading process is inseparable part of any kind of writing. And the hardest thing is evaluation of own work that has been being written for long time. After all, our brain becomes exhausted and that hinders the sense of our perception. Therefore, human or digital help is what we need to enjoy the process of correcting. Along with proofreading tools you’ve mentioned, it would be good to use a plagiarism checker like Unplag that helps to avoid plagiarism issues with formatting citation and references. But, frankly speaking, the best proofreader to me is my friend. 🙂
Hi Tia, what a great quote from Oscar Wilde and it’s so true for writers. I find when I write, I try to have a final draft ready a day before proofreading, as you say give my brain a break. Thanks for the link to Unplag – it also looks like a great tool. Cheers, Dinethra
Hello Dinethra, thanks for mentioning all those useful tools. I saw you mentioned a text expansion app and I wanted to point your attention to our PhraseExpander which is similar to PhraseExpress but it more targeted to Medical Doctors.
Thanks Andrea! It looks like a great tool and worth using for health writers too, thanks for the link.
Cheers,
Dinethra
Glad to hear it was useful.