online document proofreading

AI Proofreader

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Our Online Proofreader Improves Your Writing Like an Expert

Use Wordvice AI’s free online proofreader to perfect your English writing in any document. Instantly proofread any text; fix grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style errors; and receive vocabulary corrections and grammar tips to enhance your writing skills. The free AI Proofreader makes editing quick and painless, helping you avoid language mistakes and improve your writing impact.

What is an AI proofreading tool?

A proofreading tool edits and proofreads writing in real time to correct any remaining grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics errors. Using AI-powered technology, it offers a reliable and affordable way to instantly improve your writing and communication skills.

Proofreading is the final step of editing before publication, so your writing needs to be as strong and clear as possible. An online proofreader like Wordvice AI puts the power of expert editing in your hands, allowing you to improve your written work before sending it to journals, reviewers, or professors.

Why choose the Wordvice AI Proofreader?

Our free proofreader helps you improve your documents by increasing fluency, clarity, and flow in your writing. Whether you need to review your paper for language errors or simplify a wordy paragraph, Wordvice AI’s free proofreader is your go-to AI writing and editing tool.

Comprehensive proofreading and editing

Wordvice AI is powered by the latest AI language models, giving you online proofreading that is proven to enhance your writing. Our proofreader is trained on millions of academic documents and can apply nuanced revisions nearly at the level of a professional proofreader.

English style editing for more natural vocabulary

Our free proofreader identifies awkward or unusual terms and phrases in your text and replaces them with more appropriate words, elevating the impact of your writing without altering your intended meaning. It also rearranges sentence structure to enhance clarity.

Helpful feedback on grammar and style issues

Marginal comments explain revisions and provide grammar tips, helping you improve your writing skills in ways most proofreading software apps do not.

How to Use the AI Proofreading Tool

Before entering any text into our online proofreader, apply the revision settings that best suit your needs.

Select your proofreading mode

Choose from four proofreading modes to match the amount and type of revision needed to correct your writing.

Light proofreading

Basic AI proofreading to correct errors in grammar, spelling, punctuation, and mechanics without changing the meaning or message of your content. Perfect for work that just needs a final check before submission.

Standard proofreading

Proofreading and error check, plus style and copy editing, including vocabulary changes and light rephrasing to correct awkward or unclear terms and expressions. Sharpen your writing without changing the meaning of your text. Ideal for revising your first draft.

Intensive proofreading

AI proofreading and substantive editing, including vocabulary changes, rephrasing, and restructuring of sentences for more natural expression and improved readability, clarity, and flow. It’s like having your own personal content editor.

Concise proofreading

Text-shortening tool that makes your text more concise and to the point while retaining your meaning. Reduce the length of sentences to meet your document’s word count limit or to sharpen your writing in emails, copy, and other documents where brevity matters.

Need your document edited by a professional human editor?

Sometimes you want an expert to help polish your important written work. While our AI writing and editing tools offer instant free revision, we also provide two levels of proofreading by professional human editors.

• Use Wordvice AI’s Human Proofreading Service when you need affordable proofreading and basic style editing by human editors with a quick turnaround time. Great for polishing important work with a human touch when you need it.
• Get Wordvice’s Professional English Editing Services for comprehensive style editing and proofreading by native English speakers with advanced degrees in your paper’s subject area. Receive detailed feedback on content and language issues. Perfect for research documents bound for publication in journals.

Choose Your Document Type

Instantly correct any kind of document. Select from several document types to ensure that your content is revised with appropriate language and conventions.

Who should use our AI proofreading tool?

Our free proofreader is useful for all writers!

Researchers need an online proofreader…

…to help them create polished research papers, journal articles, manuscripts, and dissertations and get their work published in top journals.

Students can use AI proofreading services…

…to draft application essays, CVs and resumes, class assignments, and term papers that will impress admissions officials and help them achieve their academic goals.

Authors and businesses rely on a document proofreader…

…to revise important marketing content, blog articles, reports, and creative texts that will wow their audiences and increase revenue.

Wordvice AI Proofreader FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions about our proofreading tool.

• Why should I use an online proofreader for documents? An online proofreading tool provides writers with a fast and efficient way to enhance their writing, and they are quickly becoming a crucial tool for correcting all kinds of text. They not only correct grammar and spelling errors but also help improve the overall clarity and coherence of your text. Using large language models and natural language processing technology, online proofreaders provide suggestions that can elevate your writing style, making it more engaging and professional. Whether you are crafting an important email, an academic paper, or a college essay, using an AI proofreading tool ensures that your message is conveyed clearly, accurately, and impactfully while saving you time.
• What is the best free AI proofreader? The best online proofreading tool will provide error detection, user-friendly interfaces, and the ability to proofread various types of documents. Accuracy in identifying grammatical, punctuation, and spelling mistakes is crucial. Some proofreaders (like Wordvice AI) also include style corrections, revision modes to control the output of your writing, and feedback that explains the revision of the proofreader. The Wordvice Al Proofreader uses the most advanced language models to instantly fix grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style errors in your text. It is equipped to handle a variety of writing styles, including academic, admissions, business, creative, and web content. Our free AI proofreader also provides grammar tips and writing suggestions to improve vocabulary and style to accompany the specific proofreading mode you choose: Light , Standard , Intensive , or Concise .
• How does Wordvice AI’s proofreading tool work? To get instant proofreading online for any kind of text, simply register with Wordvice AI, enter your text into the left side of the text box, choose your revision mode and document type, and click the "Proofread" button. If you would like different output text, you can simply change the revision mode and/or document type and click the "Proofread" button again. Note that the Basic plan is limited to fewer modes and fewer words of uploaded text. Upgrade to a Premium plan to unlock all revision modes and get nearly unlimited monthly submissions.
• Can Wordvice AI replace a human proofreader? An AI proofreader can significantly complement but not fully replace a human proofreader. While Wordvice AI’s tools excel in identifying and correcting grammatical, spelling, and basic syntactical errors, they can’t quite match the nuanced understanding of context and tone that human proofreaders possess. While AI proofreading software can be invaluable for quick, basic edits, human oversight remains crucial for in-depth, context-sensitive proofreading. If you need editing and proofreading after the drafting stage of your essay or paper, use Wordvice’s professional English proofreading services . Our subject experts will polish your writing and give your paper that human touch that only a qualified editor can provide.
• How much does the AI Proofreader cost? Wordvice AI’s online proofreader is free to use after registering. Simply create an account and enter your information to get started with instant revision of your work. You can also upgrade to a Premium plan to get more features and extended access to AI proofreading tools, including Intensive and Concise revision modes, which provide more in-depth writing assistance. See the Wordvice AI Pricing page for details on plans and a comparison of proofreading tools and features.
• Can your proofreading tool detect plagiarism? While our proofreading solution cannot detect plagiarism in your document, our AI plagiarism detector tool is capable of detecting plagiarism in any academic text. It combs through millions of journal articles in online databases to find instances where your work might have borrowed from other sources. The AI Plagiarism Checker is included with a subscription to Wordvice AI Premium .
• What is the turnaround time of the AI Proofreader? Our proofreading tool can edit any text in just a few seconds. It is perfect for correcting your work while drafting essays, research papers, and other documents. For more extensive editing and a human touch, use our English editing services (including essay proofreading and paper proofreading ) and select turnaround times from 9 hours to 7 days.
• Is your online proofreader safe and secure for my documents? Any documents and text you submit to Wordvice AI are completely secure and confidential. Our site uses advanced encryption standards to protect your work and personal information. For more information about how we collect and store data, see our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service .
• What apps can the AI Proofreader be used on? Wordvice AI currently has an MS Word add-in, with a Chrome extension under development. The MS Word add-in allows users to edit any text within their Microsoft Word document and includes the same proofreading functions and comment features as our online tool. Learn more about how to use the Wordvice AI add-in for MS Word .
• How can I get professional proofreading and editing services? Sometimes you need an expert editor to take a look at your writing and ensure it is free of style errors, awkward wording, and unnatural phrasing. Fortunately, in addition to our free proofreading website, Wordvice offers professional proofreading services for any kind of document. Whether you are submitting a journal manuscript for publication, a statement of purpose for graduate school, or a resume for a professional position, Wordvice has you covered for all your editing needs.
• - AI Paraphraser : instantly rephrase and sharpen your sentences
• - AI Text Summarizer : turn the main points of your writing into a bulleted summary
• - AI Translator : features the best AI language translation currently available
• - AI Plagiarism Checker : check for plagiarism in any document

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Free Online Proofreader

Perfect your writing with ProWritingAid's proofreading tool. Try it now for polished, error-free text.

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Our writing tool goes beyond proofreading

In addition to basic proofreading, ProWritingAid has over 25 tailored reports to help improve your writing.

Readability

Redundancies

Sentence structure

Overused words

Transition use

Inclusive language

Homonym confusion

Sentence length variety

Business jargon

Predicted read time

...and more!

It’s just like having a real-life writing coach

Some reports provide quick grammar suggestions. Others go in depth and help you improve the strength and readability of your text.

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Works in all your favorite writing apps

Access all ProWritingAid's features directly in your writing app of choice.

Proofreader FAQs

1. does prowritingaid autocorrect.

ProWritingAid provides recommendations so you can identify and correct writing errors. You have complete control over whether to accept or ignore these suggestions.

2. Can I proofread emails and social media posts?

Yes. As a matter of fact, ProWritingAid's browser extensions work across almost all websites and online apps, including Gmail, LinkedIn, and Google Docs.

3. How can ProWritingAid help?

ProWritingAid helps with a variety of writing tasks. It corrects grammar, spelling, and punctuation, while also enhancing vocabulary variety and more.

4. Is ProWritingAid free?

A free account allows you to edit up to 500 words at a time. If you want to edit larger documents, upgrading is necessary. You can find more information on our pricing page .

5. Can ProWritingAid paraphrase?

Yes! You can rewrite sentences with a single click using Rephrase. See multiple options to reword any sentence.

6. Does ProWritingAid have a plagiarism checker?

Yes! ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker will check your work against over a billion webpages, 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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More pdf tools, organize pdf, image tools, pdf proofreader | proofread pdf online for free.

Check and correct spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style issues in PDF documents powered by ChatGPT Proofreading. Free, quick, and reliable.

or drag and drop the file here to start an online free PDF proofread

How to get PDF proofreading online for free

Only 3 steps to proofread your file and keep it at its best.

• Upload your PDF file to HiPDF AI PDF Proofreader.

• Choose the target language and click the “Start Proofread” button.

• Click the “Export Text” button to get the proofread version.

Why choose HiPDF AI PDF Proofreader

Free online pdf proofreader.

Drag and drop your PDF and proofread it quickly in your browser. No cost, no download, and no sweat.

Professional AI Proofreader

Powered by ChatGPT, HiPDF AI Proofreader helps you catch and fix errors you didn’t notice to keep your PDF perfect.

Maximum Security and Privacy

Your security and privacy are our priority. All uploaded files are permanently deleted within 60 minutes after processing.

View Fixes in Real Time

Check corrected text in real time to enhance your writing experience and make your ideas clear and concise.

Proofread in 50+ Languages

Proofread PDF documents in over 50 languages like a breeze, including English, Hindi, German, and more.

Automatic proofreading

One-click checks for misspellings, grammar, and punctuation errors. Pick the perfect style and choose the right words for you.

University Professor

As a university teacher, I find this free online PDF Proofreader incredibly useful. It catches errors I might miss and makes my documents polished and professional. It's easy to use and has significantly improved my work quality. Highly recommended!

Software Engineer

HiPDF Proofreader has changed the way I work. It quickly fixes mistakes and improves the clarity of my technical documents. Easy to use and highly efficient, it’s an essential tool in my workflow.

I rely on this free online PDF Proofreader to ensure my legal documents are error-free and clear. It’s quick, accurate, and straightforward, making my work more efficient. Highly recommend it for legal professionals.

HiPDF Proofreader is great for ensuring my designs and project documents are precise. It also enhances clarity, offering a seamless experience that boosts my productivity. Good free online proofreading tool!

Financial Manager

A must-have for proofreading. It’s online, free, and easy. I can easily proofread my financial files within seconds. Keep them correct in spelling or punctuation, allowing me to focus on more important tasks. I feel more confident in the accuracy of my work when I use it.

Free Online AI PDF Proofreader for Anyone

Let AI craft PDFs for you. Keep your essay, resume, assignment, and professional documents perfect with ease.

Student | Proofread your essays and assignments

Grab the last chance to fix mechanic mistakes in your essays, like misspellings, grammar issues, punctuation, and more, before turning them in. Find the perfect academic tone and style for you. Make your articles truly shine.

Teacher | Proofread your teaching materials

Quickly identify and correct grammar and spelling issues in your teaching materials with many words. Give style and clarity suggestions. Help you stay professional and accurate in class. Save your time and energy on more important things.

Professionals | Proofread your documents

Professional documents must have error-free content, proper language style, and a clear structure. With HiPDF AI Proofreader, you can meticulously craft technical documents or user guides, avoiding ambiguity and ensuring precision.

FAQs about HiPDF AI Proofreader

• What is the difference between proofreading and editing a PDF? Editing and proofreading are two separate stages in the writing process, each with its purpose. Editing aims to improve a written piece's overall quality, clarity, and effectiveness through a comprehensive review and revision of content, structure, style, and organization. Proofreading, the final stage, focuses on identifying and correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting errors to produce a polished final version of the document.

Yes, there are free proofreading apps available online. These tools help users identify and correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors in their writing. Examples include Grammarly, Hemingway Editor, and LanguageTool. You can choose HiPDF PDF Proofreader. It’s free and online. No need to download any application. Just visit the HiPDF website and upload your PDF to proofread easily.

Yes, ChatGPT can proofread PDF files. Thanks to its thorough training, advanced NLP skills, and ongoing learning, ChatGPT can detect and fix grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and typos. It can also offer feedback on the general quality of your writing, with suggestions on enhancing clarity, brevity, and style.

Step 1: Prepare. If you upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, you can use GPT-4 to upload your document directly. Otherwise, you need to copy the part of the document you want to edit and paste it into the ChatGPT.

Step 2: Ask. You can input specific prompts to ask for edits. For example:

• Grammar and Spelling Check: "Please correct any grammar and spelling mistakes in the following text."
• Clarity and Style Improvement: "Can you make the following text clearer and more concise?"
• Tone Adjustment: "Can you rewrite this text to sound more formal/informal?"
• Content Editing: "Can you suggest improvements to this paragraph to make it more engaging?"

Step 3: Review. Read the edited output by the ChatGPT. If further adjustments are needed, you can refine your request.

You can easily proofread a PDF file using HiPDF AI Proofreader. Follow these steps to make it happen.

By these simple steps, you can proofread your PDF documents online for free.

To become a proofreader, you must develop specific skills, gain experience, and sometimes obtain relevant certifications. First, you should be proficient in the language you want to proofread, with a strong grasp of grammar, punctuation, spelling, and syntax. Additionally, you need to understand the text deeply and be familiar with common style guides. You also need a keen eye to spot errors. Consider taking training courses to obtain certifications from recognized organizations. Once you have the necessary skills and certifications, you can start taking on proofreading tasks freelance to kick-start your career. You can also use helpful tools like HiPDF AI Proofreader to enhance productivity.

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The free AI proofreader

Improve your writing with our free online proofreading tool. Harness the power of artificial intelligence to fix grammar mistakes, spelling errors, and enhance your writing style. Ideal for students, professionals, and anyone looking to polish their text.

🌟 New Update: As of JAN 30, 2024, Experience enhanced grammar and punctuation detection! 🚀

Free Proofreading Online

Install the app to check longer texts.

Free Proofreading Tool

Instantly improve your writing by fixing grammar, punctuation, spelling, and more with just one click.

“Ever hit ‘send’ or ‘publish’ only to find a typo or a grammar mistake staring right back at you? I get how embarrassing that can be.

Typos and grammatical errors not only affect the quality of your writing but can also make your credibility questionable. GrammarLookup is a free proofreading tool designed to help writers like you instantly find and correct errors in your text. It helps you polish your writing and make your content error-free before it reaches your audience. 

What is a Proofreading Tool?

Proofreading is the last step in your writing and editing process. This is where you give your document a final eye to check for typos, grammatical errors, and formatting flaws. 

A proofreading tool like GrammarLookup makes the process easy by allowing you to check and correct any mistakes in your writing within a few seconds. As a result, this saves you from embarrassing situations when your reader points out the mistakes rather than focusing on your main ideas.

This online proofreading tool is AI-powered, which means it can read and understand your writing. It uses advanced AI to scan text for errors efficiently.   

How Does GrammarLookUp’s Proofreading Tool Work? 

We’ve made things simple for you. To use this proofreading tool, paste or type the text into the proofreader box above and hit “Check”. GrammarLookup will instantly underline all mistakes in blue. You can click the underlined text to see the suggestions or hit the “Correct” button to correct all highlighted errors at once. 

Why Use GrammarLookup’s Free Proofreading Tool? 

Who can Use GrammarLookup’s Free Proofreading Tool? 

This tool is for everyone, literally. Whether you’re a freelance writer, a student, a book author, a business professional, or casually want to check your text for grammatical errors, GrammarLookup’s proofreading tool is here to help. 

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Best Online AI Proofreader for free

From grammar and spelling to sentence structure, tone, and more, Trinka ensures flawless documents. Trinka is an AI-powered writing tool that ensures your content is well-written, free of grammar and spelling errors, and uses correct punctuations. Craft exceptional content effortlessly and focus on delivering a clear message.

See How It Works

Want to know how easy it is to use Trinka's AI Proofreader Tool? Just check out this easy walk-through video and get started right away!

Have more questions? Browse through our FAQs here .

Trinka’s Online Proofreader is Ideal for:

Researchers.

For academics and researchers, Trinka is an essential tool for proofreading and refining scholarly articles, dissertations, and research papers. It assists in maintaining academic integrity and ensures effective communication of ideas.

Professionals

Whether you're writing reports, presentations, or emails, Trinka can help polish your professional documents. It catches spelling errors, improves sentence structure, and enhances overall professionalism.

Trinka's proofreader is an invaluable tool for students of all levels. It can assist in editing essays, research papers, and assignments, ensuring impeccable grammar, clarity, and coherence.

Writers of Various Content

No matter the type of writing you engage in, Trinka is versatile enough to assist you. It can edit personal statements, cover letters, novels, social media posts, and more, helping you convey your message effectively.

Additional AI Writing Tools​

​Trinka offers immediate writing recommendations and advanced grammar assessments, assisting professionals and scholars in achieving formal, concise, and engaging writing.​​

Advanced Grammar Checks

Trinka's advanced grammar and spelling checks evaluate your writing for advanced grammar errors and suggest language enhancements to improve your writing quality.​

Neither the healthy individuals nor the patient recognize recognizes the visual discrepancies.

Sentence Structure

It helps you structure your sentences in a more formal manner based on your subject matter, making your writing easier to comprehend for your audience.

The students don't enjoy to go going over the same rules again and again.

Word Choice

Trinka accurately corrects word choice errors that obscure your writing, making it concise and clear, enabling you to communicate your intent accurately.

One of the reasons is because that the fabrication cost for of steel members depends upon the material.

Advanced Spell Check

Trinka's advanced spell checker knows the context of your writing and helps you pick the right word for your topic. No more awkward spelling errors!

The Bonferoni Bonferroni test was used to check for statistical significance.

Get Trinka Where You Need It

Testimonials

First, I love Trinka. Congratulations on developing something that extensively aids editing, especially critical grammar conventions and word count reductions.

James Smith

I've been using Trinka for four months now, and I have extensive experience with other grammar checker systems. I've used the proofreader for two ten-page papers, and I must admit, I'm quite impressed by its quality and usefulness. I am very satisfied with Trinka and strongly recommend it for academic proofreading.

Emmanuel Lochin

Writing texts with correct English grammar and style is not an easy task for people who speak other languages. Sometimes you cannot find little mistakes in your document without help and moreover for academic writing. I tried Trinka AI as a tool of automatic correction and was quite glad with the suggested corrections and the feedback. With the feedback you understand why the suggested change must be taken into account.

Rosa Diaz Sandoval

Trinka has a robust proofreading feature that allows me to effortlessly upload entire manuscript documents and receive fully tracked changes in a single step. Moreover, its unique supporting tools such as citation checker and journal finder, significantly enhance the efficiency of my research endeavours.

Fouad Khalifa

I just wanted to say thank you for such a great and free service, all the other grammar checkers and writing assistants I have tried don’t have nearly the depth of features let alone all available on a free subscription. As a student with little income available I am extremely grateful that unlike all others companies you don’t limit features on the free plan. This is a fantastic product and given the income I would definitely upgrade to the premium. I've let all my fellow students know about Trinka as it is seriously a life saver.

Jesse Rumball-Smith

I have mainly used it to improve the language, grammar, and syntax of the scientific manuscripts that I write for national and international biomedical journals. I have found the interface to be user friendly and the procedure itself is efficient and hassle-free. The auto-edit is a great help and the supplementary page with the revision summary is an excellent idea.

Dr. Farooq Rathore

Trinka AI is a great tool to help beginners in research publication. Its grammar editing, online proofreading with file download, citation checker, plagiarism checker, paraphraser, and journal finder provide amazing features at your fingertips. Even the free Trinka Basic plan can be invaluable for researchers in their early stages or at PG levels, helping them improve project reports and papers to meet publication standards. Overall, I'm extremely impressed with Trinka AI, as it stands out among research writing tools. Give it a try and you will love it! Thanks Trinka AI team for this valuable tool.

Dr. Nitin Wahi

Trinka.ai is my most favorite choice for grammar and spelling edit. The application works correctly, is fast and tidily! Completely satisfied!

Georgieva Milena

The grammar checking tool exceeds Grammarly! I re-checked some documents that I had checked earlier with Grammarly. I was pleasantly surprised to see such a product from India!

Dinesh Gupta

Trinka has awesome features. Advanced level of academic writing checker and suggestion are so original. I would highly recommend to others.

Aftab Hussain

I have tested Trinka and am impressed with its fine capabilities. It did better than the grammar checkers I use. Well done! I have told my colleagues in my research lab to use Trinka. Hope it is widely used in academia.

Edith Davies

Trinka AI's suggested corrections and feedback astounded me. It is simple to use and extremely beneficial

Noor Al-rishi

It's been a wonderful experience using Trinka and I almost can't submit any manuscript without re-evaluating with it. In summary, Trinka has been a life-saver.

I trust and use Trinka as a final spot check for my edited documents. It helps me find the few remaining errors that I have missed during the primary editing. I really like using this platform for my writing. One particular feature that works well for me is the thumbs down button.

Stumpf Curtis

I think Trinka.ai is a very interesting and potentially useful idea, especially for editors/publishers/journals. I found it very useful when I checked my editing work on the platform.

Dyke Gareth

I am happy with the overall performance. I have been using Grammarly for a long while, but when it comes to academic or technical writing, Trinka is definitely a much better option. Academic document settings and auto file edit are my favorite features.

Bhargava Sharma

Trinka has become my go-to tool for grammar corrections. The AI-powered corrections and language enhancements made writing a lot more easier. Now I am able to focus more on research than on writing an error-free document.

Ralph Bailey

The grammar correction and suggestion based on the AMA style guide is really impressive! Trinka is indeed the best grammar correction tool for medical writing.

Thomas Andres

What are you waiting for?

Frequently asked questions.

Proofreading tools carefully check your text, fixing any spelling, grammar, or punctuation mistakes. This helps you communicate your ideas confidently and without the distraction of errors. Try automated proofreading to enhance your writing significantly.

The quality of the original writing will determine this. A proofreader would be beneficial if you do not speak English and make several complex errors pertaining to logical construction in English. Trinka can fix thousands of grammatical mistakes and complex writing problems. However, AI is limited. If the construction is not logical, it cannot decipher your intended meaning. For those who possess sufficient knowledge of the English language to construct logically correct sentences, Trinka grammar checker can take care of tone, word choice, grammatical constructions, spelling, and a whole lot more.

Trinka’s grammar checker can be used on any web browser. It is also available as a browser plug-in for the most popular browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, to help you get grammar corrections on your favourite websites. Trinka is also available on MS Word add-in for premium users.

Use Trinka to check your writing online for free. It is an advanced AI-powered tool that makes your writing clear and easy to understand. With Trinka, you can check your text for everything from minor punctuation errors and typos to nuanced grammatical mistakes and phrasing problems. You can check your grammar for free anywhere on the internet with Trinka's browser plugin as well as in MS Word using the Trinka add-in for Word.

In order to check the grammatical correctness of a sentence, simply paste it in Trinka's spelling and grammar checker . Trinka will thoroughly check the sentence for punctuation, grammar, and vocabulary mistakes.

Online Proofreading Service

Easily proofread your texts with a single click!

No more mistakes: Proofreading with Ginger

Ginger Proofreader uses groundbreaking technology to correct texts with unmatched accuracy. Ginger’s proofreader consists of a spell checker and a grammar checker that cover a vast range of errors, from simple typos, through severe misspellings and to sophisticated grammar mistakes and wrong usage of words. It successfully spots and corrects mistakes that traditional proofreading tools leave overlooked. Proofreading has never been easier. Ginger’s unique proofreader allows you to correct multiple mistakes with a single click. You will soon notice how the proofreading process speeds up significantly.

Proofreading with Ginger Software

Why proofread? It’s the content that really matters, right?

Content is important, but the way it’s presented, its correctness and coherence, can significantly affect the way people judge it (and the way they judge you). In today’s world, it’s extremely important to write without mistakes. Making mistakes reflects badly on you, whether it’s a school paper you submit, a CV for a job application, or an email to a colleague. In order to avoid mistakes you should proofread the texts that you produce. Proofreading is the final stage of the editing process, focusing on surface errors such as mistakes in spelling, grammar and punctuation. It’s an important part of the writing process and you shouldn’t skip it. Proofreading can be the difference between making a sale and losing a customer for life, succeeding and failing in getting a job you really want, or passing and failing a course. So no, not quite right, proof reading does matter too.

Proofread your way to success: start writing better and faster

With Ginger Proof Reader writing is quicker and easier. You’ll never need to ask others to proofread your texts. Use Ginger’s online proofreader to check your texts or download the full application which also includes the ability to listen to your texts and a complete learning platform to help you learn from your own mistakes and avoid repeating them in the future. Ginger can help you reduce the time you spend and the effort you make when proofreading your texts. Instead, you can spend more of this precious time on content and ideas. Don’t let mistakes get in your way. Start using Ginger Software’s proof reader today!

Software Testing Help

Top 10 FREE Online Proofreading Tools [2024 SELECTIVE]

Edited by Vijay

We publish unbiased product and service reviews; our opinions are our own and are not influenced by our advertising partners. Learn more about how we review products and read our advertiser disclosures.

A Comprehensive list of Top Free Online Proofreading Tools with Features, Pricing, and Comparison. Select the Best Online Proofreader for Error-Free Writing:

Imagine that you are writing a thesis for your degree and have toiled very hard to get it flowing well and driving your research to a powerful conclusion.

The last thing you would want is to get a poor score simply because the sentence structure, grammar, and spelling are not up to the standards. This would send your dreams to the graveyard too early in your career.

Luckily, several free online proofreading tools can be used to polish your thesis and make it error-free. These online proofreaders can help you deliver a thesis that will create a great impression and help you succeed in your preferred field of study.

Table of Contents:

Online Proofreading Tools

List of the best online proofreading tools, #1) prowritingaid, #2) linguix, #3) grammarly, #4) course hero, #5) paperrater, #7) proofreading tool, #9) slick write, #10) ginger software, #11) proofread bot, #12) polishmywriting, #13) scalenut, online proofreaders – faqs, was this helpful, recommended reading.

In this tutorial, we will see some of the top online proofreading tools that can be used to polish any writing piece and make it error-free.

Fact Check: The productivity of any business with an online presence is directly affected by the communication they offer. The rapid growth of global innovations in connectivity has made it important for all the businesses – small or big, to have excellent English applied in their communications.

Poor communication in the USA and UK alone has caused losses topping $37 billion in 2018. This is mostly due to the language barrier in multicultural work environments.

Properly crafted English writing is critical as it is the preferred mode of communication across global business niches. This demand has led to a huge growth in people learning English as a second language (ESL).

Suggested reading =>> Top 10 Essay Checker And Corrector

Free online proofreaders are being used to bridge this gap, thereby people who have a poor understanding of the English language can still produce top-notch content.

• ProWritingAid
• Course Hero
• Proofreading Tool
• Slick Write
• Ginger Software
• Proofread Bot
• Polishmywriting

Comparison of Top Free Online Proofreaders

Let’s start with the review of the top 10 Free Online Proofreaders!!

Best for Fiction/Nonfiction Authors, Bloggers & Content Writers, Students, and Business Writers, etc.

Price: ProWritingAid offers a free version.  There are two premium plans, ProWritingAid Premium ($79 per year) and ProWritingAid Premium+ ($89 per year). Its monthly, yearly, and Lifetime subscription plans are also available.

ProWritingAid is an all-in-one solution that includes a grammar checker, style editor, and writing mentor. It will provide several benefits such as improving efficiency, enhancing your reputation, maintaining brand consistency, and developing skills & capability. It provides suggestions for repeated words and phrases.

ProWritingAid can be used for free online. It provides 20 powerful writing reports. The premium version offers the desktop application and integration with browsers & other apps. It supports MS Outlook, MSWord, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, OpenOffice, Scrivener, and Google Docs.

• ProWritingAid will identify clichés, redundancies, overused words that make sentence construction awkward.
• It will help you with correcting Grammar and spelling errors.
• It can provide suggestions for real-time editing.
• The Summary reports will give you statistics of your writing.
• Writing Style Report will highlight several areas of writing that need to be revised and hence the readability will be improved like passive & hidden verbs, over-reliance on adverbs, repeated sentence starts, etc.
• The free version can edit only 500 words at a time.
• Even with the Premium+ plan, it has limitations on plagiarism checks.

Verdict: ProWritingAid is powerful and easy to use. Its Writing Style Report is a popular and comprehensive one. With premium plans, there will not be any word limit.

You will get a desktop version and integration with various applications with the premium plans only. Premium+ plan includes some advanced features like plagiarism checking.

Best for  All forms of writing and subject matters.

Price: It has a free plan and three premium plan variants.

Linguix has a very basic free online proofreading plan. It highlights spelling mistakes and gives you suggestions when you hover over the highlighted text. The premium plans offer a lot more, such as proper grammar check, etc.

• Grammar and spell checks with suggestions are provided.
• Simple uncluttered interface.
• It allows you to teach the bot unfamiliar words that you would like to use.
• Buy proofread bots for advanced features.
• Multi-lingual support
• AI-powered paraphrasing

Cons: The free version performs poorly when it comes to grammar checking. It only corrects spelling mistakes. The sentence in the screenshot is intentionally wrong and the “You gone get….” (You’re going to get…) is not highlighted, and is marked for editing in the premium version.

Verdict: Great tool if you are only interested in spelling mistakes and basic grammar corrections. If you want advanced editing, then you need to buy one of the premium versions and unlock more features.

Best for  Entry to advanced level writers.

Price: Grammarly has both free and premium options as shown in the image below.

Grammarly offers a wide range of free online proofreading features. Check your documents for spelling, structure, and grammar mistakes. The tool also checks for plagiarism in your text.

Advanced features are available only in the premium versions, but the free version is quite advanced and will give excellent results. There are three premium plans for individual users and one for business users, such as a company.

• Grammar and Spell Check
• Highlighted Writing Suggestions that you correct just by simply clicking.
• Scoring and Reporting
• Places correction on a list that allows you to click on each to correct and skip those that should remain as they are.

Cons: Advanced proofreading checks are only available in the premium versions.

Verdict: Grammarly is a great free online proofreader. It scans through the document within seconds and gives you the results in a list that you can scroll through, by making corrections wherever you need them. It allows you to upload and store documents on their servers so that you can access them later on.

Best for : Students

Price : free to use. You can opt for the $9.95/month subscription (billed annually) to use the platform at its maximum potential.

Course Hero is a platform specifically designed to help students ace their exams. It contains a plethora of study material from all around the world. However, its free proofreading tool is a highlight of its offering. You can use the AI proofreader to enhance the quality of your content for free. 

There are no limitations to the number of words this tool can proofread. It can easily detect punctuation errors and rectify them. It can also perform spell checks and correct the mistake by suggesting the right word. You can also use it to paraphrase the content or create an outline. 

• AI-based content paraphrasing. 
• Correct punctuation errors. 
• Choose between 4 English variants. 
• Conduct spell checks. 
• Create outlines from the content. 
• The annual subscription fee may be too much for some students. 

Verdict : If you are looking for a free spelling and grammar checker online that uses an advanced AI, then I’d recommend you give Course Hero a try. 

Best for  High school students and entry-level writers.

Price: Free basic option with limited features. Premium version costs $7.95/month (25% discounted) and has a free trial period.

Paperrater is a free online proofreader that allows you to check your writing for spelling and grammatical errors. It provides suggestions where errors are found. Unfortunately, you have to activate the plagiarism checker whenever you use Paperrater as it is not a standard feature.

The basic option allows you to check 50 documents of max 5 pages per month, but for a minimum discounted fee of $7.95/month, you can check up to 200 papers of max 20 pages per month and have access to its premium features.

• Writing Suggestions
• Automated Scoring
• Advanced Plagiarism Checker (Premium)
• File Upload (Premium)

Cons: Too many features left out of the basic version, making it unsuitable for advanced proofreading purposes.

Verdict: The free Paperrater option comes with basic features for simple writing and is not useful for advanced proofreading tasks. The plagiarism check feature is not available in the basic option. This tool is ideal for high school papers and entry-level writing.

Best for  Writers of all levels.

Price: Completely free for an unlimited number of documents.

Typely is a feature-rich free online proofreader that allows you to customize proofreading settings to meet your exact needs. The tool gives you the statistics by showing your rating, word use, punctuation, etc., among other parameters.

You can export the document to your desktop or Google docs for storage once you are done with correcting typos, grammar, and other mistakes. Typely is still “young” when compared to other online proofreading tools, with frequent updates thereby making it excellent for checking your work.

• Highlighted Writing Suggestions
• Set Scoring and Reporting

Cons: The tool does not have a plagiarism checker and does not have a feature to upload a document; you have to copy and paste your text on the interface.

Verdict: Typely, though advanced in its grammar and spell check algorithm, it does not allow for plagiarism checks. This is a crucial feature while writing for the web or academic purposes. Typely is fully free and does not limit the documents that you can check, but the number of characters is capped at 50,000.

Best for  Grading essays and business communications.

Price: 7-day trial of advanced features.

The proofreading tool comes with advanced editing features. It can check your document for punctuation, verboseness, colloquialism, difficult phrases, and a lot more.

The spelling and grammar check is fast, thereby allowing you to quickly make changes to your document. You can correct words or sentences by clicking on the highlights to get suggestions.

• Grammar and Spell Check.
• Click highlighted words and sentences to get suggestions.
• Scoring and Reporting on a wide range of issues on the document.
• Grades your work by enabling you to improve on a lot of issues on the document.
• Download your document to your desktop or save it on their server to continue editing at a later date without starting all over again.
• Paste or upload documents for proofreading.

Cons: You have to register to use the tool.

Verdict: The proofreading tool is excellent for grading, correcting, and improving your writing. It highlights areas that could do with improvement, which you can change or ignore.

The grading system allows serious writers to fully edit their work to top-notch quality. The simple and robust interface allows you to do your editing at one convenient place.

Best for  All levels of writing, especially advanced writing projects.

Price: Pay-as-you-go pricing structure which you can pay using various payment processors.

Wordy is not a completely free online proofreader. It has a fixed rate per word. The process is not automated and you may have to wait for more than an hour to get your document back. The tool is multi-lingual and can proofread documents in up to 15 different languages.

• Pay-as-you-go pricing structure.
• Edit in the exact format, E.g. Finance, Corporate, Academic, Health, etc.
• Editing is done by human editors.

Cons: There is a lengthy waiting period to get your document back.

Verdict: Wordy is great for serious writers. The Pay-as-you-go structure may not appeal to those who do not want to spend a lot on proofreading. The editing is done by human editors which accounts for the waiting period before you get your document back.

The advantage here is that you get your document edited correctly according to the subject matter.

Best for  Real-time writing, article checking, and formatting.

Price: Completely free but comes with a tip jar, where you can leave a tip for the developers if you enjoyed using the tool.

Slick Write is a customizable free online proofreader, that allows you to select the subject matter before you make corrections. You can also write on the tool, and it will remember all the text that you input, even if you have to stop and continue later.

• Quick and easy grammar and spell-check.
• Create graphs and other charts from the data you use.
• Customize the feedback.
• Extensions for Chrome and Firefox.

Cons: The tool for creating metaphors is inaccurate.

Verdict: Excellent tool for all types of writing assignments. It allows you to customize the settings so that you get feedback according to your needs and create graphs using the data you input. Although it is free, you can give a tip if you enjoyed the experience.

Best for  Real-time writing using extensions and correct as you go along.

Price: Free to use with limits on the number of corrections per week while using the extension. The online version is always free. Premium plans are shown below.

Ginger is a fantastic free online proofreading tool, that has extensions for Microsoft Office and most browsers. You get real-time suggestions as you go through your document. It also has an online interface where you can paste the text for corrections.

• Real-time grammar and spell-check using extensions.
• Register to use some of the advanced features.
• Proofreads online content such as emails that you send.

Cons: Sometimes the server fails especially when many people are using the tool.

Verdict: A great tool for fast and easy grammar, spell, structure checking, etc. It is robust and has several features geared to make your work shine.

Best for  Entry to intermediate level of writing

Price: Free to use with advanced features boxed up in premium packages as shown below.

Proofread Bot is a free grammar checker that is suitable for entry to intermediate writers. The free version is similar to the spell checker on Microsoft word.

The tool allows you to “teach it” some words that you will be using regularly and are not in the English language, E.g. colloquial words and slang. You can get advanced features when you purchase proofread bot packages.

Cons: Basic version offers very little above Microsoft Word i.e. you have to purchase proofread Bot packages for advanced proofreading services.

Verdict: This is a tool that offers more when you purchase the proofreading bots. The free version is extremely basic.

Best for  Spell checking, grammar corrections, style checking, etc. Price: Completely free open-source online proofreader.

Polishmywriting, rebranded to “After the Deadline” is an open-source free online proofreading tool. It is still under development and will assist in some basic proofreading tasks. Advanced users can download the program and tweak it to meet their needs. Coders can also contribute to the development of the tool.

• A functional style, grammar, and spell checking.
• Easy-to-use interface.
• Allows developers to contribute to the open-source code.
• Add-ons that can be used for several platforms.

Cons: This is a basic tool for carrying out simple proofreading tasks.

Verdict: The tool is ideal for basic proofreading tasks. It is under development and is still not yet robust to compete against other free online proofreading tools. You can download the add-ons to use in various settings, but these are not supported by “Automattic”, the developers of the tool.

Best for Content Planning and optimization.

Price:  Scalenut offers flexible subscription plans, which are as follows:

• Essential: $39/month
• Growth: $79/month
• Pro: $149/month

With Scalenut, you get an AI powered SEO and content optimization platform that can considerably improve your content quality. While the tool helps you automatically proofread and improve the quality of your written text, its merits are very broad. For instance, you can use the solution to come up with a solid content plan.

Scalenut’s advanced AI can deliver an entire keyword plan based on the niche you wish to focus on. The tool can be used to generate keyword clusters and compelling content strategies with just a single click. Besides this, the tool automatically ensures your written content is factually correct, SEO optimized, grammatically sound, and written in your brand’s tone.

• 1-click content plan generation
• Competition analysis
• SEO Optimized
• Plagiarism checker
• Real-time SEO Scores
• You can only create 5 SEO article per month with its cheapest plans.

Verdict: With Scalenut, you get a lot more than a simple proofreading tool. This is a solution I would recommend professional writers, startups, large businesses, and agencies who wish to improve their content marketing strategy.

Given below are some important questions about free online proofreading tools.

Are Online Proofreaders fully accurate?

Online proofreaders rely on AI to come up with suggestions for corrections that you should make. They are mostly accurate but sometimes they give false suggestions. Make sure you read your work after using one of these tools.

What is the difference between free and paid tools?

The degree of accuracy does not differ. However, you will not have access to premium features such as the number of words that you can correct how many times you can use the tools in a specified period, etc. These features just make your work faster and regular but have no impact on the degree of accuracy.

I have seen a typographic error that was not highlighted, why?

The tools are not fully accurate. They simply assist in the precision and reliability of the work. This is the reason for which you have to read the work even after using a free online proofreader. Recommended Reading =>> Best Punctuation Checker Online Applications

Unique and interesting content is crucial to the success of a business, academic pursuit, or career growth, and free online proofreaders provide an important lifeline for those who are not fluent in English.

The free Grammarly tool rates your work and gives it a score by indicating how engaging your content is. Grammarly is excellent in both the free and premium versions and is a great all-round proofreading tool.

Paperrater also gives you plagiarism checks, grammar correction, reports, and statistics, thereby making it great for proofreading your content at no cost. For expert features, you will have to buy the premium version.

Research Process

• Time Taken To Research And Write This Article: 22 hours
• Total Tools Researched Online: 15
• Top Tools Shortlisted For Review: 10
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Free online proofreading

A reliable proofreading tool for any writer.

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.

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Your Ultimate Guide to Proofreading Marks

• 11-minute read
• 18th June 2024

Proofreading may seem like a minor part of the writing process, but it has a big impact . As the final polish of a piece of content, proofreading focuses on catching errors and ensuring that the message and tone are clear and consistent. This process involves reviewing the text for grammatical, typographical, and stylistic errors that could distract readers or misrepresent your intent as the author. 

Proofreading is crucial because even minor errors can significantly impact the reader’s perception of the text and your credibility. Errors can obscure the message, introduce ambiguity, and reduce professional quality and integrity.

Proofreading marks are valuable tools in the proofreader’s arsenal. These symbols, which have become standardized over time (although they may vary slightly between style guides), identify specific corrections that need to be made in the text. The symbols provide a visual guide , highlighting specific issues, such as misspellings, grammatical errors, and formatting inconsistencies. In this article, we’ll dive into proofreading marks and how to use them effectively.

What Are Proofreading Marks?

Proofreading marks are symbols and notations that indicate errors or areas that require correction in a text. Proofreaders place these marks directly on the manuscript or document to highlight specific issues, such as typographical errors, grammatical mistakes, and formatting problems. The marks prompt the editor to make the necessary revisions.

The Difference Between Proofreading Marks and Editing Marks

Proofreading and editing may seem interchangeable, but they’re actually slightly different. Proofreading focuses on correcting surface-level errors, such as spelling, punctuation, and formatting, and editing encompasses a broader range of changes, including structural and content-related modifications. Editing symbols may address issues related to clarity, coherence, style, and overall content quality, requiring more in-depth revisions than those proofreading provides.

Commonly Used Editing Symbols

Although proofreading and editing marks may overlap in some ways, common editing symbols you can use to suggest more substantive changes include:

• The caret (^), which indicates where to insert additional text.
• Strikethrough, which marks text that should be deleted.
• Replace (/), which suggests replacing the marked text with a different word or phrase.
• Transpose (tr), which indicates that two elements should be swapped.

Types of Proofreading Marks

Let’s look at proofreading marks in more detail. They can be broken down into categories: insertions; deletions and replacements; formatting; spacing and alignment; language and grammar; punctuation; and capitalization.

• The caret (^) shows where to insert additional text.
• An insertion point (|) indicates exactly where new text should be added.

Deletions and Replacements

• Strikethrough (appears as a curly line striking through text) indicates text that should be deleted.
• Replace (appears as a forward slash through each letter to be replaced) suggests replacing the marked text with a different word or phrase.

Formatting Changes

• Italics (underline the text and write “ital” in the margin) indicates that text should be italicized.
• Bold (underline the text and write “bold” in the margin) marks text that should be bolded.
• Underline (underline the text) indicates text that should be underlined.

Spacing and Alignment

• Space (place a caret under the text and insert the # symbol in the margin) indicates where you need a space.
• Close up (appears as sideways parentheses over a space) suggests removing unnecessary space(s) between words or letters.

Language and Grammar Corrections

• Transpose (tr) indicates that two elements (such as letters or words) should be swapped.
• Spell out (sp) suggests spelling out an abbreviation or acronym.

Punctuation and Capitalization

• Insert period (place a caret under the text and place a period in the margin) marks where a period should be inserted.
• Insert comma (place a caret with a comma under it below the text) indicates where a comma should be added.
• Capitalize (triple underlining below the text) indicates that a letter or word should be capitalized.

How to Read and Apply Proofreading Marks

Interpreting proofreading marks accurately is the first step in applying the necessary corrections to a document . Each symbol serves a specific purpose, indicating a particular type of correction. Using the categories we’ve outlined above, the following examples show proofreading marks in action:

• Insertion marks: Symbols such as the caret (^) and the insertion point (|) indicate where the writer needs to add new text. You would generally write the suggested text in the margin or above the line:

The cat was ^ shy.

• Deletion marks: Strikethrough and delete marks show which text should be removed:

The cat was being shy.

• Formatting changes: Symbols for italics, bold, and underline direct the writer to change the text style:

The cat was being shy .

• Spacing adjustments: Certain symbols indicate adding or removing a space between words or characters:

The ^ cat was being shy.

• Grammar and language corrections: Transpose (tr) and spell out (sp) marks address grammatical issues or instruct the writer to spell out abbreviations:

The cat being was shy.

• Punctuation and capitalization: Symbols such as insert period, insert comma, and capitalize guide necessary punctuation or capitalization changes:

The cat was being shy ^

Applying Corrective Actions

Once you understand the proofreading marks and editing symbols, applying the corrections involves several steps:

• Identify the mark: Identify the proofreading mark and determine its meaning.
• Make the change: Implement the indicated correction in the text, such as adding, deleting, or altering the marked area.
• Review the context: Read the sentence and the sentences around it to ensure that the text flows and maintains the document’s coherence and style.
• Double-check: After applying all the corrections, review the document again to ensure that you didn’t miss any errors or apply any changes incorrectly.

Tips for Efficient Proofreading

Proofreading is about more than understanding symbols. It involves a meticulous, line-by-line evaluation of the text to ensure that it’s consistent , clear, and error-free. To conduct thorough, effective proofreading, follow these tips: 

• Take breaks: Regular breaks can help you maintain your focus. When you return to the document after a break, your eyes will be fresh and ready to catch missed errors.
• Read aloud: This technique can help you identify awkward phrasing, run-on sentences, and other issues you might miss when reading silently.
• Use a checklist: Keep a checklist of common errors to which you can refer to review the document systematically.
• Proofread multiple times: Conduct multiple rounds of proofreading, focusing on different error types each time, such as grammar, punctuation, and formatting.

Not all of these practices work for everyone, so try some different techniques to arrive at a proofreading routine that works best for you.

Tools and Resources for Proofreading

Take the quality of your work to the next level by using some of the valuable proofreading tools and resources available. Style guides, proofreading tools, and professional editing services are readily accessible and can help you ensure that your writing is error-free, consistent, and effective.

Style Guides

Style guides are comprehensive manuals that provide guidelines for writing, formatting, and citing sources. Style guides ensure consistency and clarity across written content. 

Using an already established and respected style guide saves time and effort, but many brands also choose to develop their own style guide that fosters and maintains their unique voice and tone.

Some well-known guides are:

• The Chicago Manual of Style : Known for its thorough coverage of grammar, punctuation, and citation styles, Chicago is ideal for book publishing and academic writing.
• The Associated Press (AP) Stylebook : Widely used in journalism, AP emphasizes brevity and clarity, making it perfect for journalistic writing.
• The Modern Language Association (MLA) Handbook : Commonly used in the humanities, MLA provides guidelines for writing and formatting research papers.

These guides are helpful because they offer standardized rules that ensure clarity and uniformity in writing, thereby reducing ambiguity and enhancing readability.

Online Proofreading Tools and Software

Online software and various online tools can aid in the proofreading process:

• Spellcheckers: The spellchecker tool available with most writing software is invaluable for proofreaders. Always make sure the spellchecker is turned on and set to the correct dialect .
• Hemingway Editor : This tool highlights complex sentences; it also points out issues such as wordiness, the passive voice, and common errors.
• PerfectIt: This software is popular among proofreaders and editors because it helps perform tedious tasks, such as defining abbreviations and checking for stylistic inconsistencies.

These tools are beneficial because they can quickly identify and correct common errors and catch minor items that human eyes might miss.

Professional Proofreading Services

Professional proofreaders apply an expert lens to the review and correction process. Experienced proofreaders are trained to pick up on inconsistencies and small details you might not notice, ensuring the highest level of accuracy and professionalism in the final document.

Quality proofreading takes time and effort, so outsourcing it to the pros isn’t a bad idea. If you’re not sure whom to turn to, consider our team of experts .

Best Practices for Using Proofreading Marks

Proofreading is a delicate process. Minor changes, if done incorrectly, can introduce new errors and misrepresent your message. So, when using proofreading and editing marks, be sure to follow these best practices.

Maintaining Consistency in Using Symbols

Consistency in using proofreading and editing marks is crucial for clear communication. As you may have noticed, proofreaders and editors use certain symbols for similar actions. To prevent confusion and avoid producing a cluttered, messy page, use proofreading marks consistently. 

Following a standardized system ensures that everyone involved in the editing process will understand the corrections clearly. Inconsistent use of symbols can lead to confusion, misinterpretation, and overlooked or incorrectly addressed errors.

Double-Checking Corrections

Double-checking corrections is also essential. Even the most meticulous proofreaders can occasionally introduce errors or get something wrong. After you’ve made the initial set of corrections, review the document to catch any errors you might have missed or introduced during the editing.

Collaborating With Editors and Writers

Effective collaboration between proofreaders, editors, and writers is key to producing high-quality documents. Clear communication about the suggested changes, the reasons behind them, and any stylistic preferences ensures that the final document meets the desired standards. 

Editors should also query areas of the text about which they’re unsure rather than making a change that could alter the intended meaning. Regular feedback and discussions will help align your team’s efforts, making the editing process more cohesive and efficient.

Proofreading and editing is essential for content production, and proofreading marks provide a standardized language to suggest changes to text. Proofreading is a small but mighty step in the writing process, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and professionalism. You might be surprised at how many issues can pop up in a document that hasn’t been proofread ! To scale your content, practice using proofreading marks consistently, double-check corrections, and establish open collaboration between your writers and editors.

Using a style guide is a great way to elevate the proofreading process and ensure consistency and uniformity in everything from spelling preferences to tone. If you’d like help working with or creating a style guide, we’re here for you . And of course, our team of expert editors and proofreaders is always available to give your writing that final polish. Try our service for free today .

What are proofreading marks used for?

Proofreading marks are used to indicate corrections and changes the writer needs to make in a document. This standardized set of symbols and notations helps proofreaders communicate specific errors or suggestions clearly and efficiently. The symbols identify issues such as spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, formatting problems, and punctuation errors.

How are proofreading marks different from editing marks?

Proofreading marks and editing marks both serve to improve a text, but they focus on different aspects. Proofreading marks primarily address surface-level errors, such as spelling, punctuation, grammar, and formatting. Editing marks can encompass a broader range of changes, including structural, content-related, and stylistic modifications.

What are the most common editing symbols?

Some of the most common editing symbols are the caret (^), strikethrough, italics (ital), bold, underline (__), transpose (tr), insert period (.), insert comma (,), and capitalize.

Are there online tools that can help with proofreading?

Several online tools can help with proofreading. Some popular ones are Hemingway Editor and Microsoft Word’s built-in spelling and grammar check features. Professional proofreaders are also available to give your writing that final polish. 

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Quick Guide to Proofreading | What, Why and How to Proofread

Published on June 21, 2019 by Shona McCombes . Revised on December 11, 2023.

Proofreading means carefully checking for errors in a text before it is published or shared. It is the very last stage of the writing process , when you fix minor spelling and punctuation mistakes, typos, formatting issues and inconsistencies.

Proofreading is essential for any text that will be shared with an audience, whether it’s an academic paper, a job application, an online article, or a print flyer. Depending on your skills and budget, you can choose to proofread the text yourself, use an AI proofreader , or hire a professional.

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Table of contents

Proofreading example, proofreading vs editing, proofreading tips and tricks, choosing a proofreading service, recommended proofreading service, frequently asked questions about proofreading.

In the publishing industry, proofreaders usually check a printed “proof copy” of the text and mark corrections using specialized proofreading marks. In other fields, though, professional proofreaders often work with digital texts and make corrections directly using the track changes feature in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

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Editing and proofreading are different steps in the process of revising a text. Editing can involve major changes to content, structure and language, but proofreading focuses only on minor errors and inconsistencies.

Often a text will go through several stages of editing before it is proofread. The table below shows some common steps in the editing process.

The four stages of editing and proofreading

Do I need to go through every stage?

It depends on the type and length of text. You don’t need to strictly follow the division of tasks shown above, but a good piece of writing will nearly always go through a similar process of revising, editing and proofreading.

In the traditional publishing process, the stages are clearly divided, with different professionals responsible for each revision. A separate proofread of the final print version is necessary, especially because new typographical errors can be introduced during production.

However, in texts that don’t need to be formatted for mass printing, there is often more overlap between the steps. Some editorial services combine copy editing and proofreading into a single stage (sometimes called proof-editing), where grammar, syntax and style are addressed at the same time as minor spelling and punctuation errors (e.g., commas , quotation marks and parentheses ).

Basic proofreading skills are important for anyone who writes. For everyday texts, such as business reports, blogs, or college papers, there are some techniques you can use to proofread efficiently and effectively before sharing your work.

Edit your writing first

Before you get to the final stage of proofreading, make sure you’ve thoroughly revised and edited your work. There’s no point spending time fixing minor errors if you might later remove whole sections or rewrite paragraphs. Only proofread once you’ve got a completed final draft that you’re happy with.

Take a break from the text

When you’ve been reading and rereading the same words for hours or days, it becomes much harder to notice common mistakes . Before proofreading, set your work aside for a while so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.

Ideally you should wait at least a day or two before final proofreading, but if you’re on a tight deadline, even a half hour break can help.

Proofread a printout

Seeing your words on a printed page is another useful strategy for noticing things that might have escaped your attention on the screen. If the final version will be printed, this is also a good chance to check your formatting is correct and consistent on the page.

Use digital shortcuts

While reading from print can help you spot errors, an online proofreader can help you fix them efficiently. Most obviously, run a spell check—but don’t rely on the computer to catch every mistake.

If you notice that you’ve repeatedly misspelled a particular word, inconsistently capitalized a term, or switched between UK and US English , you can use the Find and Replace function to fix the same mistake throughout the document.

Be careful, though, and don’t use “replace all”. Click through and check every replacement to avoid accidentally adding more errors!

Learn from your mistakes

Pay attention to the errors that keep recurring in the text. This can help you avoid them in future.

Knowing what to look out for is the most challenging part of proofreading. You’ll probably notice obvious typos, but subtle mistakes in grammar and punctuation can be harder to recognize. The table below shows some of the most common errors to look out for.

What to watch out for when proofreading

If you lack confidence in your written English, or if you just want to ensure you haven’t missed anything in an important document, you might want to consider using a professional proofreading service.

There are two main options: you can hire a freelance proofreader, or you can send your document to a proofreading and editing company. There are various things to consider when choosing a service.

Do you only need proofreading or also editing?

It’s important to have a clear idea of how much work your text requires. People often think they only need proofreading when, in reality, the text would benefit from some level of editing as well.

If you send a proofreader a document full of grammar mistakes, confusing sentences, and difficult-to-follow paragraphs, they might decline the job or recommend a different service.

Many freelancers and companies offer both editing and proofreading, either separately (with separate pricing) or combined into one service. Make sure you understand exactly what kind of changes are included. Will the editor only correct minor errors, or will they also comment on awkward phrasings and structural issues?

Should the proofreader be specialized in your type of document?

Many different types of documents require proofreading: from literary novels to technical reports, from PhD dissertations to promotional flyers . The best choice of service is usually one that’s specialized in your type of document.

While proofreaders and copy editors generally don’t need expert knowledge of the text’s content, the process will be smoother if your proofreader is familiar with the rules and conventions of the genre you’re working in.

How much does proofreading cost?

The cost of proofreading varies widely. The price depends partly on the proofreader’s location and level of experience, the type and length of text, and the turnaround time. Rates are usually calculated per word or per hour. If the service also focuses on formatting, it may be priced per page.

How long does proofreading take?

You should try to leave plenty of time for editing and proofreading, but if you have a hard deadline, it’s important to find a service that can deliver on time.

Most companies offer various choices of deadline, but it’s best to plan a minimum of 24 hours for proofreading. The price will generally be lower if you can wait longer to have your document returned.

For very long documents, it might not be possible to complete the job in 24 hours, especially if you also need editing services. For combined proofreading and copy editing, you can expect an experienced editor to complete around 10,000–15,000 words in a single day.

How can you check the quality and reliability of the service?

Like everything on the internet, the quality of proofreading services varies widely. Do your research before you choose one. There are a few things you can check:

• Online reviews : are they rated on independent review sites (e.g., Trustpilot ) or freelancer platforms (e.g., Upwork )?
• Qualifications : do they have professional training and experience? If you’re using a company, how do they select and train proofreaders?
• Customer service : are they easily contactable and responsive to inquiries?
• Complaints policy : what happens if you’re not happy with the job? Can you get a refund or a second edit?

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Scribbr offers proofreading services for students and academic editing services for all sorts of study-related documents, including essays, papers, theses, dissertations, reports, and proposals.

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Editing and proofreading are different steps in the process of revising a text.

Editing comes first, and can involve major changes to content, structure and language. The first stages of editing are often done by authors themselves, while a professional editor makes the final improvements to grammar and style (for example, by improving sentence structure and word choice ).

Proofreading is the final stage of checking a text before it is published or shared. It focuses on correcting minor errors and inconsistencies (for example, in punctuation and capitalization ). Proofreaders often also check for formatting issues, especially in print publishing.

Whether you’re publishing a blog, submitting a research paper , or even just writing an important email, there are a few techniques you can use to make sure it’s error-free:

• Take a break : Set your work aside for at least a few hours so that you can look at it with fresh eyes.
• Proofread a printout : Staring at a screen for too long can cause fatigue – sit down with a pen and paper to check the final version.
• Use digital shortcuts : Take note of any recurring mistakes (for example, misspelling a particular word, switching between US and UK English , or inconsistently capitalizing a term), and use Find and Replace to fix it throughout the document.

If you want to be confident that an important text is error-free, it might be worth choosing a professional proofreading service instead.

The cost of proofreading depends on the type and length of text, the turnaround time, and the level of services required. Most proofreading companies charge per word or page, while freelancers sometimes charge an hourly rate.

For proofreading alone, which involves only basic corrections of typos and formatting mistakes, you might pay as little as $0.01 per word, but in many cases, your text will also require some level of editing , which costs slightly more.

It’s often possible to purchase combined proofreading and editing services and calculate the price in advance based on your requirements.

There are many different routes to becoming a professional proofreader or editor. The necessary qualifications depend on the field – to be an academic or scientific proofreader, for example, you will need at least a university degree in a relevant subject.

For most proofreading jobs, experience and demonstrated skills are more important than specific qualifications. Often your skills will be tested as part of the application process.

To learn practical proofreading skills, you can choose to take a course with a professional organization such as the Society for Editors and Proofreaders . Alternatively, you can apply to companies that offer specialized on-the-job training programmes, such as the Scribbr Academy .

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McCombes, S. (2023, December 11). Quick Guide to Proofreading | What, Why and How to Proofread. Scribbr. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/language-rules/what-is-proofreading/

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Shona McCombes

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