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Slick Write

Check your grammar in seconds.

Slick Write is a powerful, free application that makes it easy to check your writing for grammar errors, potential stylistic mistakes, and other features of interest. Whether you're a blogger, novelist, SEO professional, or student writing an essay for school, Slick Write can help take your writing to the next level. Curious? See why Slick Write is the best. Try the interactive demo , or check your own document . No software download or installation is required.

Why Slick Write?

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English is a difficult language, so using correct grammar and diverse vocabulary will set you apart from the crowd. Using good sentence structure and wording improves your content's impact and readability while building your readers' trust. Slick Write goes beyond spell checking to teach you the habits of effective writers. How does your writing rate?

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Using an extension is the easiest way to submit your work to Slick Write. They are available for Chrome and Firefox .

Bust your writer's block, and create new metaphors by playing the word association game . To begin, type a word or phrase in the box below, and hit enter. To quickly find associations for your own text, highlight a word or phrase in it, and use the toolbox popup.

The associator learns contextual word associations from real literature, so it may return offensive results.

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• Submission Limit There is a limit of 200,000 characters, which is approximately 30,000 words. Anything longer should be submitted in smaller chunks, or it will be automatically trimmed.
• No document It looks like you forgot to enter your document. Paste it in and try again.
• Structure This tab shows sentence structure within the context of the document. Hover over a sentence to see its word count. Select a word or phrase, or click a sentence to get more information.
• Quotes This tab shows your quotations highlighted as Slick Write sees them.

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• Sentence type flow Pieces with good flow will make use of all four sentence types, varying them to keep the reader interested.
• Sentence length flow Sentence length is indirectly related to sentence type, and is a good indicator of flow. Flow can be altered by adding, removing, lengthening, shortening, combining, or splitting sentences. Long sentences will be indicated by a red line on the graph. Sentences that flow poorly with their surroundings will be orange, and the source of the problem can often be found in a nearby sentence.
• Word length flow Word length is a minor contributor to overall flow, but even minor variations are signs of good rhythm.
• Passive Voice Index This is a measure of how frequently the passive voice is used. Consider revising your document if it scores over 100.
• Prepositional Phrase Index This is a measure of how frequently prepositional phrases are used. Consider revising your document if it scores over 100.
• Average sentence length Sentence length is a major contributor to the level of education required to read a body of text.
• Sentence length standard deviation This is a measure of the amount of variation in the length of a text's sentences. In texts that have broad appeal, this tends to fall between 50 and 90% of the average sentence length. You can increase this number by making long sentences longer, and short ones shorter.
• Sentence deviation to length ratio This is a measure of the sentence variety, and a major contributor to flow. Most novels score between 0.5 and 0.9, and popular ones often score near the high end of the range. You can increase this number by making long sentences longer, and short ones shorter.
• Just the stats preset Use this preset when you're only interested in the stats tab. Critique and Flow will be hidden.
• Honesty preset This preset checks for common indicators of deception, either by lying or omission, and is based on the findings of this study . Areas with high concentrations of these indicators should be viewed with skepticism. Note that the presence or absence of these indicators does not guarantee that a statement is true or false, and that the study was done on spoken communications, so it might be more applicable to interviews and speeches. As always, use your brain.
• Doubled words A word used twice in a row may be a typo.
• Commonly confused words This will check for the internet's most frequently confused words and notify you if it looks like you misused one. It is experimental and probably the least reliable feature. Consult a dictionary when necessary.
• Sentences starting with the same word A word should not be used to start more than one sentence in a single paragraph.
• Misplaced conjunctions It is considered poor style to place coordinating conjunctions at either end of a sentence. Placing a subordinating conjunction at the end of a sentence is against the rules.

It is said that one day, passive voice will bring weakness to your prose.

More information » Even more information »

• Overwriting Words like "very" and "really" make sentences wordier and weaken your message. These can be deleted in almost all cases without affecting the meaning of the sentence.
• Abstract words Abstract words lack specificity and overusing them can make even simple concepts difficult to understand. There are times when abstract words are desirable or even necessary; it would be difficult to write about math or programming without mentioning variables or functions, but you should use more specific terms whenever possible.
• Wordy and redundant phrases These phrases make your writing more difficult to understand. In most cases, they can be replaced with one or two words, or even deleted.
• Legalese These antiquated, arcane words and phrases will make your writing look like a contract.
• Double negatives Double negatives are almost always poor style.
• Adverbs They aren't bad in small quantities, but consider revising your document if more than 5.5% of its words are adverbs. Adverbs ending in "-ly" are considered the worst offenders.
• Adjectives They aren't bad in small quantities. A few of the words on this list can also function as other parts of speech. You have been warned.
• Contractions In formal writing, the use of contractions is considered a fault.

The boxer decked his opponent.

• Profanity Profanity should not be used in formal writing outside of direct quotations.

The critic's scathing review hit the nail on the head .

• Similes Similes and metaphors should be used sparingly. This option will detect most common types of similes.
• "Said" replacements Some people think that these substitutes for "said" are weak or obnoxious, especially if overused.

Her dress was long , and it touched the floor.

Her long dress touched the floor.

• Gender-specific pronouns Avoid using gender-specific pronouns in formal writing when the subject's gender is unknown.
• Weasel words Like abstract words, weasel words and phrases lack specificity. At best, they convey uncertainty. At worst, they can be used to "weasel out" of telling the truth in a straightforward manner. When checking a document that is speculative by nature, you might want to disable this detector.
• Third person pronouns According to this study , high concentrations of third person pronouns may indicate deception.
• Bias language These words and phrases often show the author's bias.
• Uncommon words Uncommon words will increase the document's reading difficulty.

Hot peppers burn my mouth, but I eat them anyway .

Since burritos taste good , I like to eat them.

• Sentence fragments A sentence must have at least one noun and one verb. Anything that does not is a fragment, and if it occurs outside of dialog, it should probably be rewritten.
• Long sentences Long sentences tend to be more difficult to read, making them good candidates for trimming or splitting. Alternatively, parallelism may be used to improve their readability, though this will not decrease the ARI score.
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• Online Etymology Dictionary Learn the history of English words
• Scribophile Discuss the finer points of writing with other novelists
• Suggestions from the official See Sharp Press blog Learn about the mistakes that will keep your novel from being published.
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• RhymeZone A popular rhyming dictionary
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This tool is for anyone who writes in English, from students and learners to professionals, teachers, and even proofreaders. After all, even native speakers of English aren't immune to mistakes.

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Free Grammar Checker Online

Nothing makes you lose credibility faster than a grammar mistake. Feel confident in everything you write with ProWritingAid’s best grammar checker.

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I am continually impressed with the positive input this program offers me every time I sit down to write. My skills have improved immensely since I bought it and heartily recommend it to anyone who wants to have more confidence in their own writing.

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I’ve tried every free and paid writing/editing/grammar extension out there and this by far is the best one my team and I have found. It’s fast, accurate and really helps improve your writing beyond simple grammar suggestions.

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20 In-Depth Writing Reports Go Beyond Grammar

Improve style, inconsistencies, awkward sentences, repetitiveness, and much more.

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Customize ProWritingAid to your needs by creating your own rules and reminders.

Works wherever you do

Get grammar suggestions across all the apps you use, whether they’re on desktop or online.

What Makes ProWritingAid the Best Grammar Checker Online?

Editing software is like your regular spell check, but with superpowers.

Comparison to Published Writing

Using artificial intelligence, the software has analyzed millions of published books and articles and discovered a wealth of information. Those professional writers know what they are doing and it’s a great way to learn.

Grammar Structures

The software is able to break down most sentences into their various parts and recognize if you are using a problematic grammatical structure or word choice. For example, if you use a plural noun followed by the singular form of a verb, a prompt will pop up suggesting a change.

Document Analysis

These suggestions are based around your text on its own. Have you consistently used US English, or have you jumped between US and UK English? Have you used the same word multiple times within the same paragraph so that it sounds repetitive and strange?

Like Microsoft Word’s spell checker, the online grammar checker shows suggestions to help you make your writing more accurate, correcting your spelling mistakes and punctuation errors as you write.

What kinds of mistakes can our grammar checker highlight?

English grammar isn’t easy, but the grammar check report will help you zero in on key embarrassing mistakes.

Spelling Errors

Spelling mistakes are highlighted red in your text when using our grammar checker. If you click the word, you’ll be shown a list of suggested corrections.

Commonly Confused and Misspelled Words

Our best grammar checker has also been programmed with a list of the most commonly confused words in the English language and will use the structure of the sentence to help you figure out when you have the wrong usage.

Grammar Errors

Grammar can be a bit of a minefield, so we highlight all potential issues in blue. Perfect grammar is hard and there are so many ways to slip up.

Do you have subject—verb agreement? Did you write "it’s" when you really meant "its"? Have you accidentally written a sentence fragment?

ProWritingAid’s grammar corrector will catch errors as you write so you can make sure no grammatical mistakes slip through.

Punctuation Mistakes

How many times have you been tripped up by comma splices? Or semi-colons? Or apostrophes? A good punctuation corrector will help you learn the ins and outs of punctuation rules.

ProWritingAid’s suggested changes will always be accompanied by an explanation to help you understand the rules so that you don’t make the same mistake next time.

What type of content should I grammar check?

You should check any text that will be read by someone else.

• cover letters
• marketing copy
• social posts
• lab reports
• assignments
• applications

ProWritingAid's Grammar Check FAQs

1. should i use a punctuation checker too.

Yes! Punctuation acts like signposts in your writing. It helps your reader follow your ideas and understand your sentences. Punctuation checking is essential if you want your writing to be clean and clear.

ProWritingAid has punctuation checking built in so you can do everything in one place. The grammar report will highlight any pesky misused commas, missing apostrophes, and more.

2. Does editing software work as an essay checker for students?

Yes! Better writing means better grades.

Schools and universities around the world use editing software to help their students write better essays. Sloppy spelling and silly grammar mistakes lead to poor grades. A good spelling and grammar check means you will find errors before you hand your assignments in. Teachers love essays that are clean, clear, and polished.

3. How does ProWritingAid's grammar checker beat Grammarly's?

With 20 different writing reports, ProWritingAid offers a more detailed analysis of your sentences than other grammar checkers on the market, such as Grammarly's free online grammar checker.

Plus, ProWritingAid's premium package is cheaper and more affordable than Grammarly's.

4. Can I check for grammar mistakes in email? And on social media?

Yes! You can use our grammar checking browser extensions (Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge) to check your writing on nearly every website out there, like Facebook, Twitter, and Medium, as well as on web-based email providers like Gmail and Yahoo.

Using the browser extensions, you’ll feel more confident that you are sharing error-free content every time you Tweet, share, or post.

5. Does ProWritingAid have a plagiarism checker?

Yes! ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker will check your work against over a billion web-pages, published works, and academic papers, so you can be sure of its originality. Find out more about pricing for plagiarism checks here .

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Personalized Writing Help When You Need it

Unintentional plagiarism, grammar mistakes, and uncited sources  can turn what you thought was a good paper into a poor one. When you’re writing a paper the last thing you want is for your message to get lost due to incorrect punctuation or confusing sentence structure. You know that the great ideas in your head would make for a standout paper, if only you could get them written clearly on the page. If this struggle sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Great ideas may be an essential part of high-quality writing, but they’re not the only component. Excellent papers and essays clearly express strong ideas with good grammar, proper punctuation, spot-on spelling, and thorough, careful citations. While this may sound like a lot, your teachers and professors are grading you on your skills as both a writer and a researcher, which means your assignments will require an ethical and attentive approach. Luckily, there is no shortage of available tools to help you along your way.

You could use a plagiarism checker free, though, these tools often lack grammatical support. Given the high stakes and rigorous requirements, the aid of a plagiarism checker without the needed support of a grammar checker could mean the difference between an “A” paper and a “C” or even “D” paper.

Thankfully, the EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool provides all-in-one support to cover all your bases. Our premium essay checker is convenient, easy to use, and includes access to a grammar and spell checker, plus a plagiarism checker. With a single scan, you’ll receive personalized feedback to help identify potentially missing citations and help improve your sentence structure, punctuation, grammar, and more.

Not sure if that noun is spelled correctly, or if the preposition at the end of your sentence is grammatically correct? The EasyBib Plus plagiarism tool is your one-stop shop to help check plagiarism, get grammatical suggestions, correct spelling and punctuation errors, and help create polished papers you can be proud to turn in. And, we haven’t told you the best part yet: you can try our tool free and scan your work for grammar suggestions right now!

Access all the tools today!

A Grammar Check for Peace of Mind

You know that grammar plays a significant role in your assignments. Not only does it factor into your overall grade, but without clear and precise language, your ideas can lose their impact or might even be misunderstood entirely. Still, with so many different parts of speech and rules to learn and apply, it’s not uncommon to get them mixed up and find yourself questioning your knowledge now and again:

Can you use an adverb to modify a noun? (No. You need an adjective for that.)

Well, can you use it to modify a pronoun ? (Still no.)

What do they modify, then? (Almost everything else. Fun, right?)

Ugh. (That was an interjection .)

Does this have to be so difficult? (Nope!)

Scanning your paper with the EasyBib Plus writing tool delivers more than the basic punctuation and spell check functions that come standard in word processing programs. You’ll receive immediate, targeted feedback that can help improve the sentence structure and style of your writing. Not only can this help ensure that you don’t lose points off your grade for grammatical errors such as mismatched verb tense, but it can also help to clarify your meaning and strengthen your arguments by eliminating confusing punctuation and run-on sentences that confuse readers.

Reviewing your work to correct errors and refine the flow of your writing is a critical part of the revision process for novices and novelists alike. Even the most conscientious of wordsmiths might make mistakes, such as using a conjunctive adverb in place of a coordinating conjunction or pairing a plural determiner with an uncountable word. They likely appreciate a subscription-based or free grammar check as much as a beginning writer. That’s why the EasyBib Plus writing tool is designed for all writers, from students who are still learning the fundamentals to published professionals who get paid by the word.

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides quick, targeted feedback that you can use to help improve your writing immediately. Also, our free resource library is available 24/7, just like the rest of our tools, to help you brush up on the areas that challenge you the most (Conjunctive what? Uncountable who?) That means you can continue to sharpen your skills and improve your writing over time, which will help make finishing your next project easier.

Ready to give your paper a boost? Sign up for EasyBib Plus or scan a paper right now for a free spell check—it’s easy!Just upload or copy and paste your paper to the online grammar check tool and, in a matter of seconds, you’ll be able to receive up to 5 feedback cards so you can begin polishing your draft.

To learn more about proofreading tools, you can find more info here. Or, for more tips on grammar, punctuation, and style, check out this useful reference .

Why is Grammar So Important, Anyway?

Why is grammar important? As long as others know what you mean, does it really matter if you use proper grammar? These are age-old questions, but the answers remain unchanged. Grammar is important for many reasons:

Communication:  Communication is about more than merely listening and talking. We communicate in myriad ways: with our voices, our mannerisms, our facial expressions, our actions, and frequently, our written words. Written communication is just as important as all the other ways we broadcast our thoughts and feelings. Unlike our other communication methods, though, written communication leaves a record. While most of us relax our style when talking to or texting friends, the fact remains that more formal venues require a more formal tone. Proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation are a necessary element of professional and academic writing, so running your work through a spelling and grammar check before you submit it is an absolute must.

Clarity:  Expressing your thoughts, ideas, and opinions is an uphill battle when you communicate them with less-than-stellar punctuation, spelling, and grammar. A missing or misplaced comma, for example, can entirely change your meaning:

• Call me Ishmael = My name is Ishmael.
• Call me, Ishmael = I want Ishmael to call me.

Spelling errors can result in similarly muddled meaning:

• Her shoes perfectly complemented her dress. = Her shoes and dress go well together.
• Her shoes perfectly complimented her dress. = Her shoes can both speak and engage in flattery.

Grammar deficiencies such as a dangling modifier yield similarly confusing results:

• I saw the girl’s purple backpack in the library. = The purple backpack belonging to the girl is in the library; I saw it.
• I saw the purple girl’s backpack in the library. = You know the girl who mysteriously turned purple? I saw her backpack in the library. This week has not been easy on her.

Credibility: Establishing your credibility is critical whether you’re writing for school or business. Proving that you can reliably communicate using proper grammar is essential to establishing and maintaining the trust of your teachers, professors, readers, customers, and colleagues.

To learn even more about the importance of English grammar in writing, check here .

What Happens After I Upload My Paper?

Once you upload a paper, the EasyBib Plus grammar checker scans your text and highlights grammar issues within your document so you can see it in context. For users running a grammar check and spell check using the grammar check free tool, up to the first 5 issues are shown. For subscription subscribers, all of the areas that require your review will be highlighted once the scan is complete.

No matter which version of the tool you’re using, your feedback will include detailed explanations so you can understand why the text was flagged. Other highlighted areas will include examples of how the issues can be fixed. Some will include a detailed explanation as to why the issue was flagged. This personalized feedback allows you to make an educated decision about whether to edit your text or dismiss the suggestion, so you’re always in control of your final draft.

Subscription users also have the plagiarism checker at their disposal when scanning their papers for style and grammar suggestions. Just as with our other writing tools, when you use the tool to check plagiarism, changes are never made without your review, so you are always in the driver’s seat. You can review each highlighted area as well as the sources of matching text and will always be given a choice to either accept or ignore both citation and grammar suggestions.

Whether you are a student or a professional, the EasyBib Plus tools are powerful allies that can help you improve your paper, establish credibility as a writer, and maintain an ethical writing process.

Try our checker free for 3 days to see what you think*. Trust us; you’ll wonder how you got along so far without it!

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Check for Unintentional Plagiarism

Persistent use of the best grammar checker and spell checker you can find will help to shape up the style and substance of your composition. However, to ensure the integrity of your work and root out unintentional instances of academic dishonesty, you’ll also need to incorporate a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker for students.

The ability to scan your paper and check plagiarism and grammar before submitting your work is an invaluable tool for students. It’s so valuable, in fact, that students are not the only ones who consistently use this type of software.

Many teachers and professors use a service to ensure that student papers are original and include properly formatted and sourced citations for all reference materials. For some, this may be a consistent element of their grading process, while others may utilize one only when they feel there is a reason to do so.

What Exactly Does a Plagiarism Checker Do?

If you’ve used an online plagiarism checker before, you may be familiar with the process that these tools employ. For those who have never used one, it can be helpful to understand how these tools work and what you should expect as a result of using one.

The most basic free tools will scan your paper and provide you with a percentage that indicates how much of your work is original. This feature can be useful to a point, as some instructors and institutions set a percentage for the amount of similar text that is considered acceptable. This policy does not mean that they are lenient about academic dishonesty but, instead, that they recognize that similar or even matching word choice is not always an indicator of copying.

However, some schools do not tolerate any form of incremental plagiarism, period. In these institutions, “check paper for plagiarism” is likely a standard action when grading all papers.

With a free plagiarism checker, the percentage of word-for-word plagiarism in your text may be the only feedback you receive. Moreover, some of these providers may wade in unethical waters, and offer essay writing services in conjunction with their checking services. This is why many students and teachers prefer subscription-based checkers that focus on integrity, such as the EasyBib writing tools.

With our premium tools, you get more than just supporting proof that your paper is original and in your own words. Your writing is scanned for potentially matching text and areas that needs your attention is highlighted. We’ll provide you with the source of the matching text so you can review it and decide how to proceed. If you agree that a citation is needed, our citation tools and resources will provide you with the information you need to help format and insert the new sources in your text as well as your works cited page.

How Does the EasyBib Plus Online Plagiarism Checker Work?

The EasyBib Plus writing tool provides an all-in-one spell check, grammar review, and plagiarism checker that not only helps you with the paper you’re writing now but enables you to gain new knowledge and improve your writing for the future, too.

Our essay checker searches online for phrases, sentences, or passages that are similar to those in your paper. If it returns matching text, this may indicate that you have passages that are missing citations.

Just as with many checkers, our tool will tell you how many instances of matching text it finds in your paper. Our plagiarism tool is designed to do more than most free tools, however.

When a portion of your paper is flagged for review, we provide you with the source that it matches. As with our online spell check tool, you have the power to review each area and choose how to proceed. If you decide to cite the flagged text, you can review the suggested source and access our citation tools to help create a proper citation and start building a bibliography for your paper. Or, you may determine that no citation is needed, in which case it’s simple to dismiss the suggestion and continue to the next section.

If you’re unsure about how to proceed, our library of resources can help you learn more and make an educated decision. In this way, you gain more than just the ability to correct your work; over time, you can learn how to avoid plagiarism altogether.

Reasons Your Teacher May Run Your Paper Through a Plagiarism Detector

As stated previously, your teachers and professors grade papers with a fixed process that includes “check paper for plagiarism” as a standard, across-the-board action. Others may check for plagiarism only when they feel there is cause to do so. There are a few red flags that may stand out to them while reviewing a paper that would lead to their running a plagiarism check, including:

Style/Voice:  Most teachers are familiar with the style and voice that you use in your writing. While most will hope that the feedback they provide when grading your work will help you to improve problem areas over time, a paper or essay that has a dramatically different style or voice than the work you’ve previously submitted can be a red flag.

Inconsistency:  Changes in the font, font size, formality, formatting, and more may indicate that portions of a paper have been copied and pasted. If these inconsistent passages are not presented as quotations or don’t include citations, this may further indicate to your teacher that there’s plagiarism in the paper.

Old References:  Part of a well-researched paper is verifying the legitimacy and relevance of your sources. While some older references may be acceptable depending on the topic, if all of your sources are outdated, it may lead your teacher to believe that you’ve recycled your own work or someone else’s.

Looking for a checker to try? With EasyBib Plus you get unlimited checks to give you peace of mind when turning in your papers!

What is Plagiarism?

If you’re looking for a free online plagiarism checker , you’re already aware that it’s not something you want to be found in your papers. However, you may still be wondering: what does plagiarism mean? It’s a reasonable question and one that merits exploring. After all, some of the actions and circumstances that fall within the plagiarism definition come as a surprise to those who only learn that they’ve committed them after it’s too late.

So what is plagiarism? To define plagiarism in the most basic sense, you might say that it is taking someone else’s ideas and words and passing them off as your own.

If your goal is avoiding plagiarism entirely, you’ll need to go beyond the basics to thoroughly define plagiarism, recognize it, and keep clear of it. Some examples of plagiarism that students find surprising include forgotten citations, poor paraphrasing, and re-submitting your own work in whole or in part for more than one assignment. This useful article provides more help in recognizing and understanding the different forms that academic dishonesty can take.

Of course, using your own words and ideas does not count as plagiarism, nor does using common knowledge . Basically, common knowledge is information that is well known by the average person. Examples of common knowledge:

• there are 12 months in a year
• the freezing point of Celsius is zero degrees
• Socrates was a Greek philosopher

So should you only include your original thoughts and common knowledge in your papers? Of course not! Research-based assignments are meant to demonstrate your skills as a researcher, after all, as well as your ability to build upon the work of others to formulate new ideas. To avoid accidentally committing an act that falls within the plagiarism definition when you’re using another person’s words or ideas, though, you need to give them proper credit. This means you’ll need to clearly identify direct quotations or properly paraphrase them when including them in your paper.

Regardless of your approach, you’ll also need to cite your sources according to the style your professor specifies. Generally, you will use MLA format for the arts and humanities and APA format for the sciences, but it’s always best to check with your instructor when you’re unsure.

If you know what style to use but still aren’t sure how to create your citations, don’t fret! Our library of resources includes free guides to help you learn about various styles so you can properly structure and place them. And our premium tools not only help you check grammar, spelling, and originality in your papers, but subscribers also enjoy access to our citation creation tools!

What are the Different Types of Plagiarism?

In addition to the question “what is plagiarism,” you may also be wondering, “why do students plagiarize?” While some students do intentionally plagiarize because they believe they can pass off someone else’s work as their own to avoid spending time on their assignments, many others do so accidentally. They may not understand how broad the plagiarism definition is or they haven’t learned how to research and cite their sources properly. That is why it is vital to recognize plagiarism in all of its forms if you wish to ensure the integrity of your work.

Examples of plagiarism & How to prevent it

Direct plagiarism:

Intentionally copying another person’s work without including a citation that gives credit to the source. When most students are asked to identify potential plagiarism examples and behaviors, this direct and deliberate act is what they think of first.

• Prevention: If you use an idea or quote from another source, cite it in the text. Make it clear that it was not your own words. 

Incremental plagiarism:

Copying parts of another person’s work, such as phrases, sentences, or paragraphs without crediting the source. When deciding which tools to use to check a paper for plagiarism , instructors often seek out those that will identify incremental forms as well as instances of direct copying and similar phrasing.

• Prevention : Decide to either directly quote the phrases or sentences you want to use, or write a good paraphrase. In both cases, be sure to add a citation. Using a plagiarism checker could also help you identify problematic passages.

Self-plagiarism:

Academic self-plagiarism occurs when a student submits the same paper or parts of a paper for more than one assignment. When your instructors are grading your papers, they’re assessing your research and writing skills in the present. When you submit work that you completed in the past, they are both unable to evaluate your current skills and unaware that you haven’t completed the assignment.

• Prevention: Write a new paper for each assignment you’re assigned. If you feel strongly that your past work could enhance your new paper, speak to your instructor and ask for permission first.

Misleading citations:

Including a citation for a quote or idea that misrepresents the source material. This can occur if a student does not understand the reference they are citing; if a student includes a citation for a disreputable source; or the source material simply does not align with the idea or argument that the student has attributed to it.

• Prevention: Carefully review your assignment to understand it. As you research, take the time to evaluate each source notes . Remember, it’s better to have quality citations over an abundance of citations.

Invented sources:

If a reference in a student’s bibliography is found not to exist, it is considered an invented source. This may occur if a student couldn’t find a reputable source to back their argument, or if they needed to include additional references to meet the requirements of the assignment and chose to take an unethical shortcut rather than completing the required amount of research. No matter the reason, this behavior ultimately hurts them in the long run. Not only will they fail to gain the experience they need to conduct research in the future properly, but they’ll also experience significant consequences if they’re caught.

• Prevention: Set aside time to do proper research so you can find enough sources. Start creating a list of sources as you’re researching and take good notes. This will help you keep track of your sources so none are forgotten. If you do end up forgetting where a quote came from, a paper checker could help you pinpoint the original source. 

Patchwriting/Spinning:

Patchwriting is often confused with paraphrasing, but there’s a significant difference. When you paraphrase, you demonstrate that you understand the topic well enough to restate it in your own words. When you patchwrite or spin, it is more akin to a word-swapping game; there’s no need to understand the subject, merely to have access to a thesaurus so you can substitute enough synonyms to mask the source material. This can be intentional, but it may also be a result of having a poor understanding of how to paraphrase.

• Prevention: Using your own words, write down the key points of the phrase or idea, and put them together in a sentence. Be sure to include a citation as well. 

A good way to test if you’re patchwriting or paraphrasing is to remove your sources from view. If you can write about what you’ve read without looking at the source material, you likely understand it well enough to paraphrase it. If you have to review the source material with each new sentence or consult a thesaurus while writing about it (except when you’re adding direct quotations), you may be spinning your sources instead of paraphrasing them.

Academic Integrity Policies and Statements

If you’re still uncertain about what counts as plagiarism, look for your school’s/ organization’s policies on academic integrity and plagiarism. The policies of academic institutions usually cover what is considered plagiarism, the consequences of committing it, and how to avoid it. One great example is Purdue University’s Academic Integrity statement .

What are the Consequences of Plagiarism?

No matter the setting, plagiarism is not taken lightly, and the consequences can be significant. For a good reason, too! Whether in an academic or professional setting, the plagiarism consequences reflect the seriousness of the act, which is ultimately a form of theft that hurts everyone involved.

Just as with the theft of a tangible object, there can be legal punishments for plagiarism. It is, after all, a form of copyright infringement in many instances. A quick search for plagiarism articles will reveal that professional instances of intellectual theft have resulted in civil lawsuits and can even be criminally prosecuted under rare circumstances. In addition to the possible legal consequences, professionals may lose their jobs or have to start over in a new field after their acts of fraud are uncovered.

As a student, you’re likely to wonder what happens if you plagiarize in college or high school. While there will almost always be consequences for this behavior, there is no one-size-fits-all plagiarism sentence. Depending on the circumstances, academic dishonesty could result in outcomes such as:

• You might get a zero for the assignment in which the infringement occurred.
• You may receive a failing grade for the class. If it is a required course, this could leave you without enough credits to move on to the next level until you can repeat it and, in some instances, postpone graduation.
• You may be expelled from your school or university.

The academic dishonesty may be noted on your transcript, which can lead to you not getting into your preferred college, graduate school, or Ph.D. program in the future.

Nobody wants to be known as a fraud or to have a reputation for dishonesty follow them through their career. And, given the consequences that can extend beyond just their reputation, it’s no wonder that professional and academic writers who wish to avoid them take the time to understand the complete definition of plagiarism and run their work through a plagiarism checker before sending it out into the world.

Even the vigilant can fall prey to inferior tools, unfortunately. Before selecting a plagiarism checker, you should understand how they work and what they can (and cannot) detect.

How We Check for Plagiarism

When exploring how to check for plagiarism, most students and professionals conclude that including a checking tool in their revision process is not only helpful but necessary. When you consider the Herculean task of checking each line of your paper against the text of each of your resources, the benefits of a checker are clear. Moreover, this manual approach would only alert you to matching text in the sources you’re aware of, after all, and leaves the sources you haven’t reviewed untouched.

But, hang on. Why would sources you haven’t reviewed factor into your review? The answer to this lies in the plagiarism definition you learned above. What is plagiarism? It’s presenting someone else’s work or ideas as your own, intentionally or otherwise. It is not uncommon to uncover an idea while you’re researching a topic and later misremember it as your own. This might even occur years after you originally came across it.

You might wonder: how can plagiarism be avoided if you have to account for the source of every thought you include in your work? A few exceptions minimize the scope of this. Common knowledge about your topic does not need to be supported by a citation, nor does knowledge that you gained through your personal experience. Using a subscription-based or free plagiarism checker will help you locate any passages that may fall into these categories so you can review them and decide for yourself whether a citation is needed.

EasyBib Plus writing tools provide easy, convenient, and reliable support to help you find potentially missed citations and can help you improve your paper into a high-quality paper with integrity. Simply upload your paper, select the checker, then sit back and relax as the site scans your document. In mere moments, we’ll search the web for passages of similar text and highlight duplicate content for your review.

Regardless of the tools you use to help you revise and polish your work, it’s ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you’re writing and submitting ethical work. That’s why our tools go beyond the basics and require your participation. The tool never automatically makes changes to your paper, but only flags sections that may need your attention and provides you with the matching source so you can to make an educated decision.

If you find that a citation is needed, our citation tools can help you create properly formatted citations and develop a complete bibliography. And, if you review the passage and determine that the match is coincidental, you can dismiss the alert and move on to the next.

Seamless Citation Creation

Professional writers and students alike can find creating citations incredibly confusing. Nevertheless, they are an integral part of a well-written and researched paper and a requirement in almost all academic settings. But, have you ever wondered why they are so important? Citations really do have a purpose—other than driving us crazy— that make it necessary always to cite our sources.

We cite our sources for a few important reasons:

We need to give credit where credit is due. When you use a quote from someone else’s work, you need to give credit for using their words and ideas. Research is often based on the works and ideas of others. However, to include the words and ideas of another without giving them proper credit is to plagiarize, even if the act was unintentional.

In addition, showing that you’ve done proper research by including in text & parenthetical citations and a comprehensive list of sources to back up your arguments gives your work a layer of credibility that can help you earn the trust of your reader or teacher.

Readers can find the sources you used.  When you’re writing high school or undergraduate papers, your only readers may be your instructors and peers. However, including citations at every level of writing helps to ensure that anyone who reads your work can access your sources to check their accuracy, learn more about your topic, and further their own research.

Sources can take your research and learning to the next level, too. When you are conducting research on a topic, checking the works cited or annotated bibliographies prepared by your sources can lead you down new avenues in your research to further develop your ideas and help you write your papers.

Correctly utilizing citations gives strength to your thoughts and opinions. Understanding the value of citations does not, unfortunately, make them any easier to create. We know how confusing it can be, but don’t throw in the towel on learning how to cite websites in MLA , create your APA citation website references, or format your works cited —this is where we come in!

While a free online plagiarism detector may tell you how much of your work is unoriginal and may even identify the passages that meet their plagiarize definition, a premium EasyBib Plus plagiarism checker account also gives you access to our powerful citation resources and generator so you can:

Scan your papers with the plagiarism tool to check for plagiarism-free work before you submit.

Review flagged passages to determine if they meet the plagiarism definition and create unlimited citations in APA format and MLA format for anything fitting the plagiarism meaning. Need more styles ? Check out our regular citation generator for thousands of choices and free resources to help you learn how to create an APA parenthetical citation , APA book citation , APA works cited , and so much more!

Build a full bibliography for your paper right along with your parenthetical or in-text citations, which can save you hours of work along the way compared to manually creating and formatting them.

How Else Do We Help You Improve Your Paper?

The EasyBib Plus plagiarism detector helps you check your content or paper for text that may be missing a citation—which may fall within the definition of plagiarism—to help ensure you don’t accidentally plagiarize. It also includes grammar check and spelling check tools to help identify errors and suggest grammatical tweaks that could help to elevate the level of your writing.

Running a plagiarism check couldn’t be easier! Just upload your paper to the online proofreader, and in a few moments we’ll have your writing and citing suggestions. And, there’s no need to worry about your paper after it’s been scanned.

Run a Grammar and Spell Check for Free!

There’s no denying that your schoolwork can be challenging at times, and your assignments can lead to some late nights even when you’ve started them early. The last thing you want is to submit assignments that don’t reflect your best effort, but it can occasionally be quite the juggling act to get everything done on time.

Why not let our plagiarism checker free up space on your calendar by helping you revise your papers quickly and efficiently? The EasyBib Plus paper checker is your one-stop shop to check for plagiarism, create citations, spot spelling mistakes, and receive feedback on your grammar and style.

When you proofread and do a manual spelling check on work that you’ve written, you’re more likely to overlook mistakes. This is even more likely if you’re pressed for time or trying to complete several different assignments at once. There are tricks to help minimize this, such as reading your work aloud to identify poor grammar or reading each sentence backward to find spelling errors. When time is of the essence, though, these solutions aren’t the most convenient or useful options. That’s why many students seek the assistance of online tools that will run a grammar and plagiarism check on their work.

Are you asking yourself, “ How do I check my grammar online ?” We’ve got the perfect checker for you! Our advanced tools help you find and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. Our targeted feedback and free writing and citing resources help you learn as you go to improve your writing over time.

The best part? You can use our grammar and writing tools any time of the day, any day of the year for! Looking to try it? Just upload or copy and paste your text into our online proofreader for a free grammar check with up to 5 suggestions, or sign up for EasyBib Plus today! EasyBib Plus gives you use of the plagiarism checker and unlimited access to suggestions that can help improve your spelling, sentence structure, punctuation, writing style, and grammar.

Published February 3, 2019. Updated April 9, 2020.

Written and edited by Michele Kirschenbaum and Melissa DeVrieze Meyer . Michele is a school library media specialist and the in-house librarian at EasyBib. You can find her here on Twitter. Melissa is a professional writer and editor based in New Jersey. She writes for academic brands and independent publishers about writing, grammar, and literature, and creates study and curriculum materials for ESL learners. You can find her on Twitter .

Visit our EasyBib Twitter feed to discover more citing tips, fun grammar facts, and the latest product updates.

Free online proofreading and essay editor

A reliable proofreading tool and essay editor for any writer or student, a complete environment.

Typely is more than just a proofreading tool. It's a complete writing environment.

Thousands of checks

More than a thousand checks are being performed and we've only scratched the surface.

Inspired by the greatest writers

Gain access to humanity’s collective understanding about the craft of writing.

A proofreading tool that does not bark at every tree

Typely is precise. Existing tools for proofreading raise so many false alarms that their advice cannot be trusted. Instead, the writer must carefully consider whether to accept or reject each change.

We aim for a tool so precise that it becomes possible to unquestioningly adopt its recommendations and still come out ahead — with stronger, tighter prose. Better to be quiet and authoritative than loud and unreliable.

Relax, focus, write your next masterpiece...

Writing presumes more than simply laying out words on a paper. Typely helps you get in the mood and keeps you focused, immersed and ready to write your story.

Whether you need a distraction-free environment, some chill relaxing sounds or a pomodoro timer to manage your time we got you covered.

Got questions? We have answers.

No. Typely is completely free and we plan on keeping it that way. We are considering some advanced features however that might be available under a premium plan.

The only limit we have applied thus far is on the number of characters you can submit and that is being set at a maximum of 50,000.

In theory yes but that will require a lot of work and professionals dedicated for this job. We are considering a way of letting the community participate somehow.

Typely does not do grammar checking because it's hard and almost impossible to get right. The aim for Typely is to be precise and reliable.

• Best Grammar Checker [Most of Them are Free]

Do you want to write grammatically correct and properly styled content?

Then you should find and use the best grammar checker tool for your specific needs. Bad grammar and spelling can affect you and your business’s credibility more than you can imagine.

If you are starting a blog , poorly written content with grammar mistakes and spelling errors will kill the trust of readers. It will also discourage them from visiting your website again or buying something from you.

On top of that, grammar is an important factor in the quality of your content, and poor content quality can affect search engine rankings. This is why more and more businesses are using grammar checking tools to improve their online content.

EDITORS’ CHOICE ( JAN 2024)

I created this guide to share my own experience with online grammar checker software. I will lay out the key points you should consider when searching for the best grammar checker.

We will take a look at the best available solutions and review the ones that offer specific features that your online business likely needs to enhance the writing quality.

ProWritingAid — Premium grammar checker for bloggers

ProWritingAid is an online grammar checker and style editor for writers and content creators in general. This editing software not only helps you to quickly edit grammar and spelling errors, fix punctuation and optimize word choice but it also provides detailed reports to help you improve your writing skills.

I use this tool on a daily basis as integration to Google Docs, Gmail, and WordPress to double-check for grammar mistakes. I also like the style and terminology suggestions this software provides to perfect my written content.

In addition, the platform offers in-app explanations, suggestions, quizzes, videos, and articles to help you build your writing skills in real-time. ProWritingAid integrates with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, MS Outlook, as well as most web browsers. 

A Desktop App is available for Windows and Mac. Users can also upload their documents to the platform’s web-based editor.

Key features

• Spelling and grammar check software.
• Mac and Windows support
• Checks for consistencies in spelling, hyphenation, and capitalization.
• Third-party integration and browser extensions available.
• More writing reports than any other tool.
• Suggestions that improve words power and clarity.
• Checks for plagiarism.

Pricing and plans

ProWritingAid is available in three packages – Free and Premium.

• Free of charge

The Free version gives you access to a web-based grammar checker of up to 500 words, as well as a basic browser extension that checks grammar and spelling online.

• $30 per month
• $10 per month billed annually
• $399 Lifetime payment

The Premium version package allows you to check documents of any size via a desktop app or Google Doc, Microsoft Word, and Scrivener integrations with in-depth reports.

Grammarly — Easy-to-use tool applying AI processes

Grammarly is one of the most popular, also the best grammar checker and online editing tools (or, as it calls itself, writing assistant) with more than 20 million users. And for good reason.

I used this software when I first started writing longer articles and guides for our website. Also, I know a few bloggers who find this grammar tool handy when creating quality blog posts.

Grammarly’s online grammar checker detects all types of mistakes, from misused words to sentence structure issues. Then, it suggests grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style changes in real-time. When you create a Grammarly online account, you can add words to your personal dictionary, select your preferred English dialect, and even check your texts for different genres.

• Easy-to-use spelling and grammar checker.
• A robust algorithm that thoroughly scans your writing errors.
• Provide specific suggestions based on the context of your writing.
• Plagiarism detector with the paid version.
• Exceptional user interface.

You have a few options to start using Grammarly. There is a free version, premium, and business plan. I’m testing Grammarly Premium or Business plan for our online team since we started adding more writers and social media content creators. I’ll keep you posted and share my experience.

The Free grammar checker plan covers all the basics including grammar mistakes, spelling, and punctuation, along with another fun feature: tone detector. The tone detector analyzes your word choice and phrasing to identify the tone of your message before you hit send.

• $12 per month billed annually
• $20 per month billed quarterly

The Premium plan takes things a step further. It offers the best writing practice recommendations and stylistic suggestions. With the Grammarly premium version, you also get vocabulary enhancement suggestions, genre-specific writing style checks, and a plagiarism detector that checks more than 16 billion web pages, among other extras.

• $15 per month billed annually for 1 member

Grammarly also offers a Business plan, for companies that have a team of people involved in content creation. It allows you to choose your team size from 3 to 150+ members and you will be charged per member. For teams larger than 10 members there are special discounts available.

Linguix — The writing assistant you need

Linguix checks your writing for errors and provides context-appropriate best grammar, punctuation, and style suggestions. The tool is more than just a spell checker, with over 2700+ advanced corrections that cover thousands of issues from grammar to style. Linguix offers detailed explanations for popular errors and gives recommendations on how to make your business emails, as well as academic and personal projects, read and look better.

The web app features a secret mode for editing sensitive content. This mode lets you make your changes and then *poof* all of that data is gone as soon as the document is. The browser extension helps in fixing writing mistakes everywhere on the web, including Google Docs, email, professional software for content creation, messaging apps, and lots more.

Also, Linguix retail and business users can create their snippets for faster writing. These are draft texts, used for automating repetitive writing tasks like scheduling a meeting or sending intros.

Built-in vocabulary suggestions help users to add some color to their writing. Linguix not only helps you when you write but even when you read. Just use the “Look Up in Linguix” feature to get the definition instantly.

• Spelling, grammar, and style check software.
• Paraphrasing tool to rewrite and enhance sentences
• Snippets and content templates for faster writing.
• Advanced insights and readability scores.
• Browser extension and third-party tools integration.
• Business dashboard and team management.
• Writing insights on a company and individual users’ level.

Linguix is available in three modes – Free, Pro, and Business.

Users can use Linguix Free at no charge. This mode gives access to basic writing corrections.

The Pro plan gives the user access to the full power of the grammar checker with advanced grammar and style suggestions, writing insights right in the browser extension, email reports with progress, unlimited snippets, and content templates, vocabulary enhancement suggestions.

• Contact sales for pricing

With a Business plan, you can get a company dashboard with team management and statistics features, and corporate snippets that can be created by admins to ensure consistent and productive communication within the entire team. The Team product allows companies to dive even deeper and get writing insights on a team member level to understand how each content creator in your team really performs in terms of content quality and productivity.

WhiteSmoke — Grammar and style checker solution

WhiteSmoke is a grammar checker and proofreading software that corrects not only simple spelling mistakes, but everything from word choice, grammar corrector, punctuation, and even style mistakes.

WhiteSmoke also has a translator and dictionary for more than 50 languages, over 100 built-in templates, as well as video tutorials, error explanations, and a plagiarism checker. Its products are based on NLP (Natural Language Processing) technology, featuring unique algorithms and AI for text analysis. The tool offers a mobile app for Android and iOS and also works with Windows, Mac OS, and all web browsers.

• AI technology and natural language processing techniques.
• Expert grammar correction and punctuation checker services.
• Editing for correction of sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling errors.
• Anti-plagiarism tool + Thesaurus.
• Translation services to 55 languages.
• Simple clutter-free user interface.

WhiteSmoke’s web-based writing solution doesn’t have a free trial. It doesn’t have a free version and only offers paid packages to get started.

• $3.47 per month 3-years plan
• $5.00 per month 1-year plan

The Web plan works with all browsers and features a grammar checker, translator, and plagiarism checker. It features an online writing solution for any operating system.

• $5.55 per month 3-years plan
• $6.66 per month 1-year plan

The Premium plan includes all browsers, desktop clients, Gmail, and Microsoft Word compatibility. It comes with a grammar checker, plagiarism checker, one-click instant proofreading, and translator tool, and is integrated with all writing platforms. The Premium version features a fully integrated writing solution for Windows and Mac and includes a one-computer license.

• $8.82 per month 3-years plan
• $11.50 per month 1-year plan

The Business plan contains all the features included in the Premium plan plus features a fully integrated writing solution for Windows and Mac. It is compatible with all browsers and includes a three-computer license.

Ginger — Start proofreading your texts fast

Ginger is a grammar and spell checker system that helps users write faster and better, thanks to its grammar-checking, punctuation, and spelling tools.

On top of standard editing tools, Ginger also offers a series of additional features including a text reader, sentence rephraser, dictionary, a translator with over 50 languages, and a personal trainer feature to help you improve your English!

One significant downside is that Ginger doesn’t offer a plagiarism detector. Also, the reporting is rather sparse compared to its competitors.

Ginger can be downloaded directly into Google Chrome or Safari and works with programs like Outlook, Microsoft Word, and PowerPoint. In addition, Ginger has a desktop app that can be installed on both Mac and Windows, as well as an app for both Android and iOS. The free version allows only 14 checks per month, with browser add-ons, definitions, and translations in 40 languages.

• Proven software for spelling and grammar error checks.
• Excels at proofreading your text as you type.
• Rephrases sentences to improve style.
• Translations in over 60 languages.
• Personalized practice sessions based on your own writing.

Ginger has a free plan with some limitations and a premium version.

• Free of charge.

The free version is available for users with limited features and up to a certain limit for grammar checks. As stated on their User Agreement, Ginger may limit the number of corrections to which you are entitled in a certain period of time (e.g. up to 50 corrections per month).

• $6.99 per month 1-year plan
• $11.19 per month Quarterly plan
• $13.99 per month

The Premium plan comes with all the free features plus translations into more than 50 languages, a text reader, sentence rephraser, and more.

LanguageTool — Tool for more than 20 languages

As their official website says, LanguageTool is an “Open Source application developed by a group of language enthusiasts and software developers.” The very fact that it’s powered by Open Source software makes Language Tool a unique online grammar checker.

With its clean interface, Language Tool is super-easy to use and its grammar checker is quite accurate. One of the most important upsides of this tool is that it can be downloaded for offline use. Another great thing is that you can use the Language Tool to check grammar errors in a number of different languages including Asturian, Catalan, Dutch, English, Esperanto, French, GermanItalian, Japanese, Persian, Tamil, and many more!

LanguageTool can be accessed via mobile or web and is compatible with Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice. Finally, Language Tool has a forum that not only serves as customer support but also contains tons of helpful content.

• The proofreading tool with an easy-to-use, spell, and grammar checker.
• Corrects grammar errors in multiple languages
• The proofreading engine of more than 1,700 patterns for error detection.
• Translation for over 20 languages.
• Ability to detect mistakes that other similar platforms fail to identify.

Language Tool comes with a Free plan with some limitations, Individual, and Team plans.

The Free version offers thousands of patterns for finding errors in various languages like English, French, and German and is limited to 20,000 characters per check, which is a reasonable limit.

• $3.99 per month 1-year plan
• $10.40 per month Quarterly plan
• $15.92 per month

The Individual version has a limit of 40,000 characters per check, as well as impressive features such as the detection of more than 2000 additional errors for English grammar, French, Dutch, and German, the detection of incorrect checksums in IBAN and ISBN numbers, and detection of wrong gender use in salutations (only for German).

• $7.59 per month

The best choice for small teams of up to 20 members.

Outwrite — Writing help for clear communication

Outwrite is an AI-powered grammar and plagiarism checking tool which uses advanced grammar, spelling, and rephrasing suggestions to improve the quality of your writing.

It’s available online as a web app, which means you can sign in from any browser but there’s no desktop app. Outwrite also features extensions for Chrome, Microsoft Word, and Google Docs and has a mobile app that’s currently available only for iOS.

One of the best Outwrite features is the AI Eloquence Engine. It scans your text and offers recommendations on how to improve it by eliminating erroneous words, simplifying sentences, and avoiding the use of passive voice. The Pro plan also has a very efficient Plagiarism Checker which allows you to conduct 50 checks a month.

Users can correct grammar mistakes, improve phrasing, and check for plagiarism in multiple languages.

• AI-powered proofreading tool.
• Improves fluency, efficiency, and clarity of writing with GradeProof’s Eloquence Engine.
• Tracks statistics about your writing such as grade level, word count, readability.
• Plagiarism detection ensures the originality of your writing.

Outwrite comes with three plans: Essential, Pro, and Teams.

Essential is a free plan that is quite limited as it only includes a very basic spelling and grammar checker. It doesn’t offer all the features provided by the paid plans and the number of scans is limited.

• $9.69 per month 1-year plan
• $23.77 per month

The Pro plan comes with a free trial which gives users one week of full access to all of the extra features of the Pro subscription. The Pro plan is limited to 10,000 words per article but the number of articles you can check is unlimited. It includes Grammar and spelling engines, a Custom dictionary, Punctuation, Capitalization, Repetition, and Word Confusion tools.

• $8.61 per month 1-year plan
• $15.11 per month

Teams plan is for groups that want to enhance their communications. It also gives users one week of full access to all of the extra features of the Teams subscription.

Paper Rater — Artificial intelligence to improve your writing

PaperRater is a web-based application targeting mainly high school and college students.

PaperRater checks papers and essays for grammar and spelling errors. It also compares your text with that of other students who are at the same education level and offers recommendations on how to improve your writing. It focuses on sentence length and variability, vocabulary usage, passive voice detection, and phrases to avoid.

PaperRater also provides readability statistics, as well as an automated essay scoring system to give you a rough idea of what grade you might get from your teacher.

This tool also checks for plagiarism. The plagiarism detector relies on the search indexes of the two most popular search engines – Google and Bing. And according to their official website, compares your text to more than 10 billion documents.

PaperRater uses an advanced AI system and data science to analyze submitted texts in real-time and offer almost immediate results (typically 5 to 15 seconds after submission). Users are not required to sign up, log in, or download anything.

• Cloud-based spelling and grammar checker software.
• Offers feedback and writing instructions.
• Integrated plagiarism detection service with Originality Score.
• Perfect for students.
• Immediate analyses and comparison with other students at the same education level.

PaperRater has free and premium versions. Although it’s popular among its target audience (it’s used by thousands of students in more than 140 countries), the tool does have limitations. One limitation is that users can only access PaperRater via its website as there’s no mobile support.

The Free version allows 10 plagiarism checks a month which can be no longer than 5 pages, each containing up to 300 words. It is available with limited features and up to 50 document submissions per month.

• $7.95 per month

The Premium plan allows users to do 25 checks per month, each containing 20 pages with up to 300 words each or 6,000 words in total.

Writer — The grammar checker for professionals

The Writer goes above and beyond standard grammar checkers. In addition to covering the basics — grammar, punctuation, and tone — Writer performs more content checks than any other writing assistant.

Writer’s key differentiator is the ability to improve your writing for work: to make sure you’re using the right tone, writing style, and terminology for your audience. Writer also checks your company’s content for clarity, readability, approachability, conciseness, writing style, terminology, tone, brand voice, and bias.

Writer is fast becoming the leading writing assistant for companies.

• Grammar and spelling checker plus compliance, plain language, plagiarism, and inclusivity checker.
• Configure content suggestions to your brand voice.
• Define and consistently use terms and phrases that set your brand apart from the competition.
• Consistently apply key messaging and ensure no one bungles your elevator pitch, value propositions, or mission statement again.
• Customize your brand-specific content rules to correct edits you’re making over and over.
• Use the Styleguide portal to organize and share your brand guidelines in one place, for easy updating and sharing.

Writer is available in two tiers – Team and Enterprise:

• $18 per month
• $162 billed annually

The Team plan includes a multiplayer mode, styleguide documentation site, team snippets, terminology management, team roles and permissions, quality report, and Google and Okta single sign-on.

Writer’s Enterprise plan is designed for businesses to scale and provides multiple workspaces for separate teams. In addition to the Starter plan features, the Enterprise plan includes unlimited custom terms, Style Guides branding and sharing, API access, Word and Google Docs extensions, and SSO.

Hemingway App — App to make your writing bold and clear

Hemingway App is a grammar checker software available in the form of an online editor or a desktop app.

Unlike the rest of the grammar checkers on our list, Hemingway App doesn’t provide in-depth grammatical lessons. Instead, it assesses the overall readability of your text and helps you to improve your writing style.

Once you paste your text into the editor (or write directly into it), instant feedback will appear in the sidebar on the right side of the page. You’ll get information on the letter, character, word, paragraph, and sentence count, as well as the estimated reading time of your text.

The app also uses different colors to suggest text improvements. For instance, adverbs and weak language are marked blue, whereas dense and complicated sentences are red and the run-on sentences are noted in yellow. Finally, the Hemingway App gives you a readability score to let you know the reading level of your text.

• Writing style checker.
• Third-party integration and browser extensions are available.
• Primarily focuses on improving the overall readability of any text.
• Examines every text and rate it by grade level.
• Incorporated Automated Readability Index technology.
• Can be used both online and offline.

You only have to pay a one-time charge if you want to use their desktop app (available for Android and iOS).

The online version of the Hemingway App is free.

Hemingway Editor 3 (desktop version)

• $19.99 One-time payment

The desktop version costs a one-time fee of $19.99 for both Windows and Mac versions and it comes with a few extra features such as free updates, the ability to save and export, and direct publishing to WordPress and Medium.

Scribens — Powerful English grammar checker

Scribens is a free grammar checker tool that uses a sophisticated syntactical algorithm to correct more than 250 types of grammar, spelling, and stylistic mistakes including nouns, verbs, prepositions, pronouns, homonyms, typography, and punctuation.

Also, Scribens corrects stylistic elements like redundancies, run-on sentences, repetitions, and even suggests synonyms. Along with the corrections, the tool also offers a readability indicator, explanations to help you improve your writing skills, as well as detailed stats including the number of words, sentences, paragraphs, and more.

Scribens is compatible with MS Office applications, email clients, and with the help of Chrome and Firefox extensions, users can correct their writings directly while using the browsers.

• Reliable grammar checker tool.
• Can correct over 250 types of common grammar and spelling mistakes.
• Offers explanations to help the writer improve his or her English writing skills.
• Utilizes an advanced syntactical recognition algorithm.

Scribens is a free tool that can be used by everyone at no cost.

Slick Write — Powerful proofreading tool for better writing

Slick Write is a very powerful free online grammar tool for correcting grammatical, spelling, and stylistic errors. It’s an excellent tool for SEO professionals, students, bloggers, and anyone else who loves writing.

It lets you import an existing file for proofreading or write directly on the platform. The text editor comes with lots of stylistic suggestions that you can customize according to your type of text. For instance, if you’re writing a resumé, Slick Write will focus its feedback on professional language.

This tool generates detailed text reports with graphs, helping you keep track of your word count, sentence structure and paragraph length, readability score, passive voice use, and more.

Slick Write offers extensions for Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

• Quickly lookup a word in dictionaries, thesaurus, on Google and Wikipedia.
• Identify paragraphs with the least variety.
• Word Associator to find contextual word associations.
• Customizable settings to suit your writing style.
• Detailed statistics on readability score, reading time, word count, etc.

Slick Write is a free tool that can be used by everyone at no cost.

NOUNPLUS — Simple grammar and spelling checker

NOUNPLUS is a very simple online grammar and spelling checker for English texts. It corrects grammatical mistakes and misspellings and provides suggestions for improving compositions and the quality of writing. It helps you write logical sentences according to the context and grammar rules.

When checking the spelling, it focuses on context, helping you avoid common pitfalls, such as using “effect” instead of “affect.” It also corrects the spelling based on the UK and US English.

NOUNPLUS also checks your punctuation, enabling you to polish your texts. It doesn’t have browser extensions, but you can easily access it online without registering.

Key Features

• Contextual spelling checker – avoid common spelling mistakes that change the context.
• Grammar checker – follow the grammar rules and explore suggestions for better compositions.
• Sentence construction checker – write logical sentences based on grammar rules and context.
• Punctuation checker – polish your texts.

NOUNPLUS is a free tool that can be used by everyone at no cost.

Virtual Writing Tutor — Free essay checker

Virtual Writing Tutor is a feature-rich free online essay checker with lots of useful capabilities that are ideal for ESL teachers.

When checking grammar, it fixes grammatical errors such as double negatives, collocation, missing auxiliaries, tense shifts, and more. It also corrects false cognates, word choice, and punctuation, as well as contextual spelling errors. It can analyze your vocabulary to help you avoid clichés and power words, and achieve better cohesion.

Depending on your writing style, it can provide suggestions for common, academic, or field-related vocabulary. This tool also features a paraphrase checker, which is basically a plagiarism checker. Apart from comparing two texts, it also provides a calculated score on the similarities between them.

Virtual Writing Tutor also comes with a grammar checker forum, feedback and links from past grammar checks, and a pen pal exchange. The pen pal exchange lets you create writing projects for students, where you can provide automatic feedback and scoring. You can embed this tool into your website, blog, or Moodle course using an iframe code that you can find on the site.

• Grammar checker – correct grammatical and punctuation errors.
• Spelling checker – correct misspellings and contextual spelling errors.
• Vocabulary checker – use general, academic, or field-related vocabulary.
• Paraphrase checker – check texts for plagiarism.
• Essay checker – check cohesion, tone, argument strength, sophistication, etc.
• Essay outliner – create outlines for opinion, argument, and prioritized list essays.

Virtual Writing Tutor is a free tool that can be used by everyone at no cost.

It has a 3000-word limit for members with a free account, while non-members can proofread only 500-word texts.

How to choose a grammar checker software

Writing is regarded as art – it requires perfection at every level. If writing is an art, the master that carves it is the grammar. As there are numerous grammar checkers available to you, here is how to pick the most suitable and best grammar checker tailored to your needs.

Extensive compatibility

You should always be able to use grammar checkers no matter the operating system or device you use. Grammarly is a perfect example of this. It’s a fantastic grammar checking tool that offers extensive compatibility and is available to use on multiple systems and devices. It’s perfectly compatible with iOS and Android, you can use it as a desktop app for Windows and Mac, and it offers extensions for Google Docs, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.

Writing statistics generation

In many cases, writers are commissioned to create documents that have to follow strict standardization and format. As a writer, it’s essential to know if the document you have prepared has met those expectations. It’s extremely helpful if the grammar checker tool you use to proofread the text generates in-depth statistics. That’s why it’s important to choose a tool that helps you identify statistics like word count, paragraph length, and average reading time.

Online grammar checkers and punctuation tools offer a variety of pricing options. Some of the basic grammar checker tools are entirely free to use; for example, Online Correction. Still, most of the advanced tools come either with a free version with limited features, or a premium/pro version that comes at a cost. Depending on how often you write and need to check over your work, the premium versions of these grammar checkers are generally cost-efficient if you opt for the longer subscription terms.

Software features

Each specific grammar check tool comes with a particular set of features attached. Consider what you need, how you are going to use the software, and what features are offered by each option before you make your final decision. Each tool offers the same core features as grammar checks, expert spelling, sentence checker, writing style, punctuation, and originality checker. However, particular tools come with additional features like writing stats, vocabulary, and proofreading. Make a list of all of the features that you need, find the perfect solution within the best grammar checkers, and improve your writing.

Third-party integrations

In case you want to use one of the tools to improve your blogging skills, ensure that it integrates seamlessly with WordPress and other third-party applications. Not every grammar check tool offers this feature, and it could save you a lot of time and effort along the way. For instance, ProWritingAid and Grammarly are grammar checkers that provide integrations with applications such as MS Office, Outlook, and Google.

Best of the best

Students copy editors, and even professional writers use grammar and copyediting tools to improve their writing and to ensure quality in their write-ups. There are several reasons why people use grammar software.

Bloggers use grammar checkers to make sure their writing is free of all errors and are quickly accepted by the website editor.

Teachers and students also use these platforms to make sure that they are issuing and submitting the right essays and content. Even website developers use the tools to improve the writing of web copy and to attract more visitors to a website. Quality writing and best grammar practices can instantly improve the credibility of a website.

The grammar checker tools improve the worthiness of a text with robust grammar and punctuation solutions. Some of these tools are equipped with AI capabilities to ensure smart learning and give better error-free suggestions for write-ups.

Best for grammar check

Grammar checkers are the key to avoiding embarrassing grammatical errors in your papers. Regardless of your academic level or expertise, if your writing has mistakes, your credibility goes down.

The tools proofread every piece of content, identify spelling errors, and even suggest better words to improve readability. These tools can identify and rectify errors in a matter of seconds, which saves time.

These are the two best grammar-checking tools, in our opinion.

ProWritingAid

It is a premium grammar editor for bloggers, novelists, and business writers. It is easily accessible online for both Windows and Mac. It also supports integration with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener. It is termed as one of the best because of its remarkable features and ability to improve overall writing.

Grammarly is one of the best grammar checker tools on the market today. With Grammarly, you can easily check your content for errors and you can integrate it with the software you are already using. For example, you can copy and paste any text into Google Docs and use Grammarly to check for grammar and punctuation errors right inside your documents. Grammarly premium will give you even more grammar suggestions , such as style corrections and plagiarism checks.

Best for punctuation check

The incorrect use of punctuation can kill the meaning of a sentence. Even a misplaced comma can change the context of the entire sentence. Everybody can miss out on these errors. But this punctuation checker tool can help you get rid of these errors when writing.

WhiteSmoke has a state-of-the-art punctuation detector to help you analyze and correct your errors. This makes it an excellent choice for your punctuation checkers . Also, it is smart enough to identify less-obvious punctuation mistakes such as missing commas, wrong placement of semicolons, or unnecessary hyphens. It works as your tutor and guides you through the mistakes to help you write better.

Best free grammar tool

Most free grammar checkers do a good job of finding grammatical errors and offering suggested corrections. These free tools can be extremely beneficial for students to check their assignments, papers, and essays or for bloggers who can run a quick grammar check for any post they create.

Selecting the best free online grammar checker depends on the features that you require for an accurate grammar check.

Hemingway App

Hemingway App is the easiest to use online grammar check free tool. All you have to do is go to its website, paste your text in the editor’s text box, and check for errors. Not only does it check grammar , but it also detects the style and tone of the written content. It was designed to help the user increase the readability of a piece which is done by displaying a readability score of your content and improvement suggestions. Hemingway App has a clean and simple layout that can help you analyze your content quickly before posting it.

Best iOS grammar app

Learning grammar has become even easier with smartphones now. Several grammar iOS apps correct grammatical errors to help you read and write correctly.

So, if you are looking for an app that corrects your grammar on the go, you can read our analysis of the best iOS grammar checking app which is completely free and can be easily found on the Apple Store.

CorrectMe is a fast and user-friendly app to improve your writing. Not only does it correct all your grammar and spelling mistakes as you type, but it also uses a built-in synonym checker to offer suggestions for different words. While this app is completely free for all iOS devices, it does come with a pro version that you can purchase. The pro version offers advanced features, such as smart recommendations and grammatical explanations.

Best Android grammar app

Android smartphones are now more preferred than desktop computers as they are easy to use. So, if you want to check the grammar of your content on your android smartphone, there are several apps available on the Play Store.

Through these interactive apps, not only let you detect grammatical and spelling errors, but also let you learn and improve your skills.

English Grammar Spell Checker

This app is like a portable grammar dictionary that you can carry in your pocket. It corrects all your grammar and spelling mistakes as you type and helps you write error-free sentences. The app also comes with a text-to-speech option, which is perfect if English is your second language, and you want to learn proper pronunciation. The app can read aloud everything you type.

We go with ProWritingAid. It isn’t just a precautionary measure against writing errors but is a habit-forming system to improve your writing proficiency. The ProWritingAid app will also help improve your vocabulary and check if your content is plagiarism-free.

As for free versions, you can use Grammarly’s free version. It is a marvelous thing to have installed on your device for creating error-free content.

Most of the grammar checker tools can check your grammar online. Visit their official website, copy and paste your text to be examined into the selected area, and enjoy a basic grammar check.

Not all of them, but there are a few tools that work offline too. Some offline options are Ginger Software, WhiteSmoke, and Hemingway App.

Grammar checking tools such as ProWritingAid and Grammarly offer their users the ability to install a Google Chrome plug-in extension.

With these 15 online grammar checker tools, proofreading and editing your writing should be a breeze! All of these tools come with different features, pros, cons, and capabilities. And while no tool can meet all of your requirements, think about your writing needs, the amount of help that you need with it, and select the best grammar checker that will help you elevate your game to the next level so that you can enjoy writing like never before.

13 comments on “Best Grammar Checker [Most of Them are Free]”

Writing in English is difficult for everybody who is not strong in the English language. Sometimes you might think that you have written a perfect post but did you know that small mistakes can give away to the charm of your writings. So, it is wiser to use Noun Plus grammar checker tool.

I use Grammarly and I particularly love the features. It works both on my phone and pc and it has significantly improved my writing skills. I totally recommend them to everyone who really wants to get serious with professional writing.

Wow. This list has everything and I’m not even sure which to pick anymore. They all have amazing features and I’m sure they will work just as I want. Maybe I’ll try the Grammarly since I heard a lot of good reviews about it.

Grammarly is the best. I have it as an extension in Chrome and also in my MS Word application. It has made writing a lot easier and the fact that I get reasons and explanations on each error is enough to improve my vocabulary and writing.

I’ve used like 4 of the tools on this list and they all delivering the expected results. If you write professionally, or even for yourself, you may want to have one of these to make the whole thing a lot easier and faster for you.

I have no problem with grammar, being a college English teacher. But I am an abominable speller. So I need a spellchecker that is 50 times better than the ridiculous one that comes with WORD, which is beyond belief stupid and idiotic! I also don’t know how to download a superb spellchecker that will automatically open in Word every single time without me having to do anything special. I’ve tried following online directions, but I just don’t understand them, and they don’t function for me. Suggestions for a smart editor that is dim about spelling and computers??

We strongly suggest Grammarly: https://firstsiteguide.com/grammarly/

or WhiteSmoke: https://firstsiteguide.com/whitesmoke/

Hope this helps. Good luck!

For years I have been stalling trying to write a book but didn’t have a clue of how to put together the manuscript because I had major problems with grammar, spelling, and simply putting a manuscript to begin with!

Grammarly, the best tool you’d ever want to use for your grammar checking

Thank you Anja for this great list of grammar checker tools! I’m using Ginger Online and for a single payment of $40, you can get it for life.

We’re glad that you like the list. Ginger Online is a great tool. Thanks for following our blog!

For all the mistakes, Grammarly will give you an explanation of what you did wrong and offer to improve or replace errors. Great tool for a small price!

Thanks Steve. That’s why we placed it at #1 spot.

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Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand

The porn star testified for eight hours at donald trump’s hush-money trial. this is how it went..

Hosted by Michael Barbaro

Featuring Jonah E. Bromwich

Produced by Olivia Natt and Michael Simon Johnson

Edited by Lexie Diao

With Paige Cowett

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This episode contains descriptions of an alleged sexual liaison.

What happened when Stormy Daniels took the stand for eight hours in the first criminal trial of former President Donald J. Trump?

Jonah Bromwich, one of the lead reporters covering the trial for The Times, was in the room.

On today’s episode

Jonah E. Bromwich , who covers criminal justice in New York for The New York Times.

Background reading

In a second day of cross-examination, Stormy Daniels resisted the implication she had tried to shake down Donald J. Trump by selling her story of a sexual liaison.

Here are six takeaways from Ms. Daniels’s earlier testimony.

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Jonah E. Bromwich covers criminal justice in New York, with a focus on the Manhattan district attorney’s office and state criminal courts in Manhattan. More about Jonah E. Bromwich

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