Social media posts, on average, have 39 errors per 100 words, whereas emails, on average, have 13.5 errors per 100 words. When writing for yourself or friends, for instance, you can approach editing and proofreading casually. You can skim the text quickly and mentally check for any glaring errors before posting or sharing.
However, when writing for a professional audience such as an academic project, a publication or client, you’ll need to take a more thorough approach to editing and proofreading. For this scenario, you should treat editing like a second draft and proofreading like a final review of the text.
Check out our list of tools to ensure better results with your work if you’re wondering “how to pick an online service to proofread my essay”.
What is proofreading in writing?
Before diving into the various tools you can use to improve your writing, it might be helpful to know what constitutes proofreading. Similar to how an editor would polish and perfect a piece of content before handing it over to a publisher, a writer would typically proofread their work before submitting it for publication. However, the focus of proofreading varies slightly, depending on the intended audience.
Why should I bother with proofreading?
Without proofreading your work, you run the risk of misleading your readers with errors and mistakes. Readers form opinions based on the content they read, and those opinions can often be derailed by minor grammar mistakes. In extreme cases, incorrect information can lead to negative consequences stemming from the content you published.
Even though it may take more time to review and correct your text, the extra scrutiny you give your writing will improve its quality.
What is proofreading software?
You can employ various tools and techniques to help polish your writing. One of the easiest and most convenient ways to proofread it on your computer. Laptop users can take advantage of full-featured proofreading software programs like Microsoft Word or Apple Pages.
Another option is to use a dedicated proofreading tool. These apps are lightweight and easy to use, allowing you to fix grammar mistakes and style issues quickly. If you’re a writer who prefers to work offline, you can also find free online proofreading tools such as Grammarly or Autocrit.
Proofreading tools to help you succeed
When it comes to desktop tools, Mac users have a few options for helping polish their writing. These tools are equally useful for editors and writers alike.
The following is a list of the most effective proofreading tools, which will help you refine your writing and develop your personal style:
1. Scrivener
Proofreading software that assists authors, novelists, and students in organizing studied data, notes, and references into understandable chunks. Team members can use the platform to add comments and annotations, include images, change the font size, and highlight terms in the document. Businesses may also use Scrivener to set word or character targets, track revision progress, color-code important areas of the write-up, and auto-save projects on a unified interface.
Scrivener integrates all of the writing tools you need to reduce writing anxiety and design your first draft, from the seed of an idea to the final full stop.
2.Grammarly
With more than 600 million users, Grammarly is one of the most popular proofreading tools available. This desktop app seamlessly integrates with a variety of content management systems, including Microsoft Office, Word, Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and WordPress.
Its language processing engine checks your writing for grammar, spelling, style, and punctuation errors. Grammarly also provides explanations for why it’s making certain corrections, which helps writers better understand the elements of writing.
3. ProWritingAid
Like Grammarly, ProWritingAid is a desktop proofreading tool that checks your writing for grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and stylistic inconsistencies. Originally created by the University of Nijmegen in the Netherlands, ProWritingAid uses an advanced artificial intelligence system to analyze your text.
Unlike Grammarly, which focuses on formal writing, ProWritingAid is a more general writing tool that’s ideal for creators of fiction, journalists, bloggers, and writers of any genre. The app also comes with configuration options (so you can adjust the editorial style) and literary theory dictionary.
4. iA Writer Pro
This app, which is available for iPhone and iPad, stands out due to its simplicity and emphasis on user experience. At first glance, it appears to be simplistic. iA Writer Pro, on the other hand, includes everything you need for a smooth writing experience.
- easy execution flexibility to switch between headings
- simple formatting
- improved keyboard with easy access to punctuation keys
The keyboard has additional short keys.
The background is slightly off white, which keeps your eyes from tiring too quickly.
Overall, it’s a decent writing app.
5. WhiteSmoke
Checks for style, grammar, spelling, and punctuation are all included in the WhiteSmoke Writing Solution’s all-inclusive writing tool for the English language. There are many different packages available, each with its own unique set of capabilities, and the trial version is completely free. WhiteSmoke also functions faultlessly with your iOS device, be it an iPhone or an iPad.
6.Ginger Writer
Ginger Writer is an excellent tool for writers who want to improve their work. The app provides grammar and spelling corrections, as well as writing style and content critiques. This makes it easy for writers to identify areas that need improvement and make the necessary changes. The app is also easy to use, which makes it a great choice for writers of all levels of experience.
7. Ulysses
Ulysses is an advanced writing tool designed for creators of all kinds. The software provides you with powerful features to manage and edit your texts. It also comes with features to connect with other apps and services.
Besides spell checking and grammatical accuracy checking, Ulysses also comes with auto paste and auto-correction features to correct writing mistakes as you go.
The tool also allows you to make private notes about a project without influencing the public page. This feature is useful for gathering research materials for your blog post or article.
8.LanguageTool
It is a great proofreading tool for any business team. It’s affordable, stylish, and integrates well with other tools. It’s perfect for catching errors in blog posts and emails. Thanks to LanguageTool, we can avoid embarrassing mistakes and make sure our communication is clear and error-free.
LanguageTool uses cutting-edge technology to detect more problems than comparable spell checkers and to enrich your manuscripts with useful grammar and style suggestions in over 20 languages.
9. Linguix
AI-based assistant built by expert content creators, linguists, and technology geeks helps you enhance your writing efficiency and fix millions of problems and typos in your English documents. If you write in English, English-based languages like Hindi or Portuguese, the Linguix spelling checker will improve the quality of your work with its advanced dictionaries. The app is free and available for iPhones and iPads.
10. English Grammar Check & Spell
Improve your grammar and punctuate correctly with this free English grammar checker that ensures your written English is impeccable. The app can also identify nouns and pronouns and point out incorrect usage of these essential writing terms. English grammar checker is a perfect proofreading tool for writers who are unsure of the rules of grammar or confused about the correct use of common English words. The app can also correct spelling errors and point out slang words that should be avoided because they are non-standard in usage.
There is always potential for error, regardless of how brilliant a writer you are; even the most seasoned pros make typos from time to time. You may spare yourself the shame of submitting papers and articles that contain misspellings and other errors by using some of the best proofreading tools that are available for iPhone and Mac. These apps can be found on both platforms. Because you have access to these resources, you will be able to generate writing that is devoid of errors and leaves a favorable impression on the people who read it.
