A grammar checker is a contemporary writer’s indispensable tool—an AI-powered editing buddy and writing coach.
It feels so good to have a tool that lets you blitz your way through pages and chapters with a flurry of typos knowing that you’re going to sort all of them with single clicks.
There are paid and free grammar checkers and I’m going to cover both, right in this post.
You probably know or have heard about Grammarly, ProWritingAid, Ginger, and many others…
You’re going to have to give lots of these a try to find out your cup of tea. But luckily, again, I’m here to help you find the best grammar checker in 2024 and beyond.
Let’s delve in.
Our Top 4 Grammar Checkers at a Glance
The Cream of the Crop: The Best Grammar Checkers List
1. Grammarly
As far as grammar checking tools go, Grammarly is the market leader.
Setting standards…
Grammarly has very powerful integrations that enable users to utilize its features in Google Docs, Gmail, Microsoft Word, Outlook, WordPress, and many other platforms.
Plus, this tool has a couple of browser extensions; for Firefox, Edge, and Chrome.
Whether using a free or paid version of the tool, you will be able to detect different types of errors in your text, misused words, monotonic sentences, etc.
It works by highlighting errors (Spelling, grammar, and contextual errors) and offering suggestions for rectifying the mistakes (writing style, grammar, and spelling fixes).
Key features:
- Free version.
- Exhaustive spelling and grammar checks.
- Tone detector. Grammarly uses your choice of words, punctuation, and letter case (capitalizations) to determine the tone of your text and help you use the right tone which fits the text’s intended purposes.
- Plagiarism checker.
Pros:
- Has a comprehensive Free version, and it includes a plagiarism checker.
- Very intuitive, user friendly, and tidy interfaces.
- Fast learning algorithms that personalizes the tools editing
- Seamlessly integrations and convenient browser extensions.
- It is usable on various platforms, including web editor, browser extensions, desktop app, keyboard for smartphones (Android and iOS), an add-in for MS office, among other platforms.
Cons:
- Its premium plans are a bit pricey
Pricing Plans
Apart from the free plan, Grammarly has premium packages for individual users, businesses, and academic institutions.
Individual Premium Subscriptions: One-time monthly subscription costs $29.95 USD/month, and the quarterly subscription costs $19.98/month ($59.95 in total), and the annual subscription costs $11.66/month (total payment of $139.95).
Grammarly Business: With this package, Grammarly offers subscriptions for professional teams with members from 3 up to 149. The Grammarly Business packages are:
- 3 to 9 members — $12.50/member/month
- 10 to 49 members — $12.08/member/month
- 50 to 149 members — $11.67/member/month
2. ProWritingAid
Best In-depth Feedback
ProWritingAid is Grammarly’s best competitor. In many areas, the two tools are at par.
Whether it’s highlighting and correcting grammar, spelling, punctuation errors; or identifying style issues, ProWritingAid will do just as good a job as Grammarly, even better.
ProWritingAid’s feedback is comprehensive and in-depth; It provides up to 20 various writing reports.
The topics covered in the reports range from grammar, spellings, overused words, et cetera.
And the good news is, it costs less than Grammarly.
Key Features:
- In-depth Writing Reports—20 different writing reports, which makes the tool’s analysis to be comprehensive.
- Scrivener project editing.
- Plagiarism Checker.
Pros:
- It offers tons of reports to help you edit your text. The reports improve efficiency and offer insights.
- Seamless integration with MS Word/Outlook, Google Docs, Open Office.
- Offers browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari.
- It’s inexpensive—ProWritingAid is cheaper than Grammarly and a bit more cost-efficient compared to other paid grammar checkers.
- It has an affordable lifetime plan.
- Users can work on scrivener files.
Cons
- The tool does not have mobile apps for either Android or iOS,
- The tool has aggressive package plans which stuff key features in the premium version.
- It is slower than Grammarly.
Pricing
ProWritingAid has 2 paid plans alongside its free package. It offers Premium and Premium Plus.
The ProWritingAid Premium Monthly Subscription costs $20, the Annual Subscription is pegged at $79, and the ProWritingAid Lifetime Subscription is billed at $399.
The ProWritingAid Premium Plus costs $24 monthly, $89 annually, and ProWritingAid Premium Plus Lifetime Subscription is $499.
3. Ginger Software
Best Paid Multilingual Support
Just like the top two on this list, Ginger has a free version.
This free version lets you use the Ginger smartphone keyboard and Ginger’s web editor.
But…
Just like most free things, this version offers limited capabilities. For example, the web editor only allows you to edit a sentence at a time instead of the whole text.
However, the premium plan, which includes a Desktop app and a Premium mobile phone keyboard is unlimited and packs a whole lot more features like a personal trainer, sentence rephraser, and others.
Ginger also offers excellent support for non-native English speakers and English students (both native and non-native). It can translate text between 40 different languages, and that coupled with the paraphrasing tool, makes it easy for people learning to write in English to grasp the intricate rules of the language.
Key Features
- Multi-Language Support—Ginger has a translation tool that supports 40 different languages.
- Text-To-Speech—essential tool that reads your text and helps users learn word pronunciation and accent.
- Customizable Interface
- Personal Trainer—a tool equipped with lessons that are tailored to users to improve their weak areas.
Pros
- Excellent editing and learning tool for pre-intermediate and intermediate English learners.
- It is an excellent paraphrasing tool: Ginger comes equipped with synonym and idiom suggestions; thus the tool proves to be a helpful instrument that helps users to learn how to easily rephrase bland and dull sentences.
- It can read your texts aloud. The Text-To-Speech feature, which vocalizes your text comes in handy when you want to hear just how good or dumb your writing sounds. It is also a convenient way to learn to speak with a good natural accent. It also helps
- It has very helpful Translations: The translation tool, which supports 40 languages, is more than convenient when you want to communicate with global audiences, some of which do not speak English.
Cons
- Ginger Offers No MacOS support: Although the Ginger software has extensions for web browsers like Chrome and Safari; and Windows Desktop and mobile apps (Android and iOS), it has no dedicated app for macOS.
- Ginger has fewer writing style checks: Ginger lags behind Grammarly and ProWritingAid in terms of writing style checks.
Pricing
Ginger offers both free and paid plans.
The monthly plan costs $20.97, the Annual plan is $7.49, and the Two-Year package will cost you $9.99.
4. WhiteSmoke
Great tool for businesses
Unlike the previous three grammar checkers, this tool is completely paid.
No freebies. WhiteSmoke doesn’t have any room for us cheapskates.
However, despite not having a free plan, WhiteSmoke’s plans are affordable.
Among the assortment of pricing categories, you could be able to use a grammar checker, a translator, and a plagiarism checker for a whole month, for as low as $3.47.
And… WhiteSmoke offers more web browser extensions than Grammarly and ProWritingAid (including an extension for Opera).
Some of the areas that this grammar checker handles include Subject-Verb disagreements, double negatives, tense shifts, misspellings, punctuation, capitalization, object clauses, sentence fragments, comma splices, and missing words.
Key Features
- Pre-set Templates—WhiteSmoke has over 100 already made templates that users can utilize to start a tailored document.
- Very Helpful Video Tutorials—this tool has video tutorials that offer insight into the underlying principles for the grammar checks and rationale behind the suggestions.
- Style Checker – This feature detects issues like monotony and verb tenses and offers suggestions to correct and enhance the text in line with the context’s writing style.
Pros
- Excellent multilingual support—WhiteSmoke has a translation feature that supports over 50 languages.
- Outstanding Web browser support—It supports a good variety of browsers, one or two more than its competitors. The supported browsers include Safari, Firefox, Opera, and Chrome.
- WhiteSmoke also offers support for mobile devices on both the iOS and Android platforms.
Pricing
WhiteSmoke offers three distinct pricing plans namely: Web, Premium, and Business.
The most basic of the three, the Web package, costs $5 per month and is billed as one payment of $59.95. The same plan costs $3.47 per month, billed as a single payment of $124.95.
The premium version, which has more integrations, features, and one computer license, costs $6.66 per month when billed as one yearly payment of $79.95. When billed as one 3-year payment, the plan has a total cost of $199.95 and $5.55 monthly.
5. Hemingway
A Great Tool for Creative Writers
If you did your background checks on the evolution of English literature in the 20th century, you probably know Ernest Hemingway.
This grammar checker was named and modeled after the Nobel prize for literature laureate’s style of writing.
The Hemingway writing editor seeks to help its users write refined text that is easy to read and unambiguous.
The Hemmingway editor is unique; instead of focusing on grammar and spellings, the Hemmingway editor tries to analyze and break down complex sentences.
The tool tries to correct bland and unnecessary adverbs and weakening phrases, lengthy sentences, and passive voice.
It flags “hard to read” or “very hard to read” sentences and offers solutions to simplify the sentences to make them readable.
The editor uses a color scheme to suggest changes.
- Yellow highlighting indicates a lengthy, complex sentence and common errors; this means that you have to shorten or split the sentence.
- Green highlighting means that there has been the use of a passive voice.
- Blue highlighting indicates unnecessary adverbs and weakening phrases.
- Red highlighting indicates dense hard-to-read text.
- Purple highlighting suggests that a shorter word can be used in place of the highlighted one.
Key Features
- Readability Rating– The tool utilizes the Automated Readability Index to rate the text under analysis.
- Passive Voice Detection – The tool aims to reduce the use of passive voice, complex phrases, and undue employment of adverbs.
Pros
- Can be used offline.
- Has a one-click prose formatting feature.
- Allows users to publish their work to post their text to Medium or WordPress directly, with a single click.
- Text with Hemingway’s highlights and suggestions can be shared with a third party analysis further or collaborative analysis.
- Edited work can also be exported to regular word processors, i.e., MS word.
Cons
- It is a relatively weak grammar checker tool.
- Lax detection of missing words.
Pricing
The Hemmingway web editor is available to free users, but the desktop app costs $19.99 per month.
6. After The Deadline
The Best Free Grammar Checker
My cheapskate buddies, here’s a freebie.
Yay!
After the Deadline is a great tool for churning out error-free content at zero cost.
There are lots of areas in your writing that ATD can help you polish, including spelling errors, contextual errors, and sentence formation.
This open-source grammar checker also offers style suggestions which prove to be great leaps as you try to refine your writing style.
In general, wrapped up in a free bouquet, the tool offers contextual spell checking, grammar checking, and advanced writing style checking.
Since After the Deadline is available as an open-source code, web and app developers can embed the code in native and web-based apps to help refine the text.
After the Deadline is compatible with multitudes of platforms, including WordPress, the grammar checker also works on web browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox, and OpenOffice.
As far as free grammar checkers go, there’s nothing better than this one, right here.
Key Features:
- WordPress Plugin—After the Deadline has a WordPress plugin that enables you to check misspellings and grammatical mistakes in the web editor.
- In-depth feedback on your writing—The tool explains the rationale behind the flagged mistakes for you to comprehend the correct way of writing.
Pros:
- It detects more writing errors than its free grammar checking counterparts like MS Word.
- Excellently works with WordPress
- It is a completely free, open-source grammar checking tool
- It’s a flexible tool and is easy to use on various platforms—apart from WordPress; you can use it on OpenOffice, Windows Live Writer, BuddyPress, etc.
- ATD’s spell checker feature is also available in French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish languages.
Cons:
- Not available as a mobile app
Pricing:
‘After the Deadline’ is completely free.
7. Scribens
Affordable Tool for Web Developers and Freelancers
You will probably read blog posts that claim that Scribens is an entirely free tool.
It isn’t. It has both free and premium versions.
As a matter of fact, its paid version isn’t the cheapest either. It is a low-cost tool, but not the least priced.
However, Scribens is a powerful English grammar checker that uses advanced syntactic algorithms to identify and remediate over 250 types of grammar, spelling, and stylistic errors.
The grammar, spelling, and stylistic errors that Scribens aims to correct include nouns, verbs, prepositions, pronouns, homonyms, and many others.
The tool also analyses stylistic areas of your texts, i.e., redundancies, run-on sentences, repeated words. Scribens also provides a readability indicator and informative summaries.
It also attempts to make your text attain some vibrancy and gain an extra oomph by suggesting synonyms.
Scribens has MS Office, OpenOffice, and LibreOffice add-ins. It also has web browser extensions and can also be used using the web editor.
Key Features:
- Dictionary—the tool has a dictionary feature that provides definitions, synonyms, and conjugations.
- Web Browser and Office Integration—Scribens boasts of seamlessly browser integrations and MS Office, OpenOffice, and LibreOffice add-ins.
- Stats—The tool provides detailed numbers on your text, i.e., word count, sentences, and paragraphs.
Pros:
- It has a free plan that includes grammar and style checks.
- Scribens works on multiple platforms—web browsers, i.e., Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. MS Excel for Mac and Windows, MS Office Suite, Libre Office, OpenOffice, and Google Sheets.
- The tool comes with an Application Programming Interface, which can easily integrate with other websites.
Pricing:
Scribens has a free version and a premium version.
The premium plan costs 9.90€, billed as one monthly payment; 6.63€ per month billed as one quarterly payment of 19.90€; and 4.16 €, billed as one annual payment of 49.90 €.
8. LanguageTool
Open-source Grammar Checker Solution
They didn’t even bother coming up with a nerdy or fancy name.
“It is the language we’re dealing with, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Sire.”
“Call it the language tool then.”
“Oh! Clever, Sire.”
Back to serious business. LanguageTool is an Open Source application that utilizes an advanced algorithm to help you achieve precision and clarity in your writing.
This tool has Free and Premium versions, which give you access to grammar and spelling features, a personal dictionary, quality scores, et cetera.
This multilingual grammar and style checker can be used via a desktop application (which can be used offline).
The tool has downloadable browser extensions for Google Chrome, Opera, and Mozilla Firefox. It also offers plugins for Google Docs, LibreOffice, Open Office, and MS Word.
Features
- Highly accurate multilingual grammar and style checks
- Has more web browser extensions (including Opera, which Grammarly doesn’t have)
- Add-ins for Google Docs, MS Word, OpenOffice, and LibreOffice.
- Adequate Free Version—the free version puts a limitation of 20,000 characters at a time which is way better than other limits by its competitor’s free versions
- Customizable personal dictionary
Pros:
- Scribens supports over 20 languages.
- The personal dictionary lets you use non-English names and words that are useful to your writing without getting flagged by the editor.
- It has a very interactive community forum of users
- Its user interfaces are user-friendly.
Cons:
- Scribens has no plagiarism checker.
- The tool doesn’t flag passive voice.
Pricing:
LanguageTool has free and premium packages.
The premium version costs $19/month paid monthly, $13/month paid quarterly, $4.92/month paid yearly, and $4.13/month paid biyearly.
9. Reverso
A Great Free AI Editor for Cheapskate Writers
Another free grammar checker.
This grammar, powered by Ginger software—checks for grammar errors, misspellings, punctuation mistakes and translates your text.
Reverso is an excellent translation tool with the capability to translate between 14 languages. It can translate words, phrases, idioms, and other sentences.
The supported languages include German, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, and others.
But then…
The tool has a limit: it only allows you to edit text that is 600 characters long at a time. Until I saw the limit, the tool was a 5-star freebie, but that quickly slumped to a 3-star rating.
As a free tool, I wouldn’t rate it above ‘After the Deadline’, but I still think it’s a great tool that online writers can benefit from.
Key Features:
- Easy to use mobile app.
- Translation tool—can translate text into 14 languages.
- Multilingual Support
Pros:
- It has an easy-to-use mobile app.
- An excellent tool for non-native English writers or non-English writers
- It is a completely free grammar checker.
Cons
- It has fewer features than most grammar checkers on this list.
- It is slower than some of its competitors, i.e., Grammarly.
Pricing:
Reverso is an entirely free tool.
10. Linguix
Excellent Tool for Learning English
Linguix is an AI-powered writing assistant that checks your text for mistakes and offers or suggests context-tailored grammar, punctuation, and style solutions.
I used to confuse Linguix with LanguageTool. I might even have used them interchangeably.
As a grammar checker, the Linguix tool has over 3,000 AI-based corrections, hundreds of supercharged checks, and flags millions of typos.
It also offers writing style guidelines that help improve your tone and style when you consistently use them.
The writing assistant comes with vocabulary suggestions that help you to add some vibrancy to your writing. There’s a “Look Up in Linguix” feature that provides definitions right on the spot.
Linguix also sends email reports to users to help them understand the flaws in their grammar. This feature is very educational, especially for non-native English writers.
Key Features:
- Has a Convenient Chrome Extension—This browser plugin is available to both free and paid users.
- Powered by Excellent Algorithms—the tool utilizes powerful AI to check for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes.
- Provides Personalised Reports—Linguix analyzes your writing over time and sends personalized reports to your email.
- Offers Snippets or Templates—For automating repetitive writing tasks, i.e., scheduling a meeting, business account users can create templates to write faster next time they are doing the same writing task.
Pros:
- The personalized reports help you improve your writing over time.
- Very comprehensive free version—the free chrome extension comes with a lot of features.
- You can share your work using teamwork settings.
- The snippets are a convenient feature for writers who write documents in the same format.
Pricing:
Linguix has a free Chrome Extension.
Then there’s the Linguix Premium Plan which costs $18.95/month when paid monthly, $12/month when paid quarterly, and $8/month when paid annually.
11. 1Checker
Best Tool for Non-Native English Speakers
This editing tool was specifically developed for non-native English speakers and writers who have not yet fully understood the intricacies of the English grammar.
It’s a tool you can use to run the “natural online grammar checker” tasks like spelling, grammar, style, and vocabulary enhancement.
But…
Since it was built specifically for non-native English speakers, 1Checker can flag mistakes that are more often than not committed by non-native, including Incorrect use of articles subject-verb agreement, wrong verb tenses, and incorrect order of adjectives.
And…
The best part is that the tool is a completely free grammar checker.
Although 1Checker is for free, it’s so versatile and works on many platforms. You can use it online, as a Windows or Mac app, on Word, and Outlook.
Key Features:
- Plugins for Word and Outlook—The tool offers free, downloadable Word and Outlook plugins
- Already made Document Templates—1Checker has templates that you can use to write documents without setting up the formatting details.
- Text readability enhancement.
Pros:
- The already made Document Templates are timesaving.
- Supports more platforms than most, if not all free grammar checkers.
- Excellent tool for non-native English speakers—it detects errors often made by non-native English speakers.
Pricing:
1checker is a completely free tool.
12. SpellCheckPlus
Budget Option Among Paid Grammar Checkers
SpellCheckPlus and 1Checker pretty much do a similar job.
They are both online grammar and spelling checkers that were built for people who speak English as a second language.
Apart from checking for grammar mistakes, spellings, and punctuation, SpellCheckPlus also scours your writing for errors that are frequently made by non-native English speakers, i.e., commonly confused words, capitalization, apostrophes, etc.
But the difference is… SpellCheckPlus has both a free and a paid version.
Expectedly, the free version has a limit; as a free user, you can only submit a maximum of 2000 characters. The tool trammels the amount of text that you can edit at a time.
In fact, not to worry, forget the free plan as the paid plan is only a dollar and some cents a month, you read that right; about $1.25 per month.
Although the tool was designed for non-native English speakers, you can still specify that you’re anglophone and then readjusts its checks (I haven’t tried this feature, so I wouldn’t be sure about its effectiveness).
Key Features
- Summary Reports.
- SpellCheckPlus Mobile.
- Vocabulary Enhancement.
- Text Archiving or Writing Portfolio
- Interactional Grammar Exercises
- Second Language Errors
Pros
- It is a great editing tool for non-native English speakers and learners
- It is very inexpensive—it costs a scrimpy $14.99 annually
- Has a handy mobile version
- Enables archiving so that you can lookup
Cons
- It’s not possible to add custom words to a dictionary or specify writing styles.
- Limited free version
Pricing
As I said, SpellCheckPlus offers a limited free version. Purchasing a no-holds-barred one-year license will cost you $14.99.
13. Google Docs & Microsoft Word
Complete Writing and Editing Tools
Finally, Word and Docs.
The most basic grammar checking tools on the list, but at the same time, the most used. This is simply because almost everyone uses them (especially those using Windows).
Let’s start with “the good ol’ Microsoft Word”.
MS Word is excellent for both individuals and professional teams; you can either download it separately or as a component of a cloud-based software solution called Office 365.
From a basic writing tool, MS word has, over the years, evolved into an intelligent, user-friendly, and highly accurate editing and proofreading software that provides its users with spelling, grammar, and stylistic writing checks and suggestions.
Both online and offline.
On to Google Docs, a web-based application that pretty much does what MS word plus some spreadsheets.
One great thing about this tool is that you can access your documents from any computer or device that is online and has either a Google Docs app or a web browser.
As you write, Google Docs provides spelling and grammar checks and offers solutions to either use or dismiss.
If you are not sold on the idea of using specialized grammar checkers, then Word and Google Docs will do just fine for you.
Key Features
- Both MS Word and Google Docs offer cloud storage.
- Both have Mobile Versions
- MS Word has a Thesaurus
Pros
- MS Word works both online and offline—some features don’t require an internet connection; they’re literally plug-and-play tools.
- Google Docs is completely free.
- Provide all the elements of a processor plus grammar checking tools.
- Provide definitions of some words.
Cons
- The tools don’t provide impressive word choice suggestions.
- Usually fail to pick out subject-verb agreement issues.
- Do not offer vocabulary enhancement suggestions (MS Word in particular).
Pricing:
Google Docs is a completely free tool. You just need a google account to access the tool.
On the other hand, Office 365—the solution that comprises MS Word and others—is a paid software package.
The Office 365 Home package costs $99.99 per year or $9.99 per month (For up to 6 users). The Office 365 Business Essentials package costs $5 per month and is available on the web or as a mobile version only.
Guide to the Best Grammar Checkers for 2024
Things to Consider With a Grammar Checker
I’m sure that you now have a good idea of what a grammar checker is supposed to do. If not, jump to this section and see a quick overview.
Apart from the rudimentary editing features, there are a couple of other features that make a grammar checker a convenient tool.
So, before purchasing a grammar checking tool, look out for these things:
1. Easy to Use User Interfaces
The most important aspect of a grammar checker that is unrelated to its checking capabilities is the User Interface (UI).
You don’t need a user interface that’s a bit complicated and one that will probably lead you to commit more errors than the writing mistakes it was meant to help you with.
Make sure that it is a tidy and easy to use UI that is more intuitive than technical.
2. Versatility
The best grammar checkers support various Operating Systems and are compatible with many web browsers and writing tools.
It’s inconvenient for a grammar checker to be inaccessible in some popular systems, writing apps, or web browsers.
A good grammar checking tool needs to support at least Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS platforms.
Plugins for Word processors and web browser extensions are more than indispensable features of the best grammar checkers. Integrations with third-party tools like Word, Outlook, Google Docs, Scrivener, WordPress, and Chrome save time and improve the organizational benefits of the tool.
3. Personalized Dictionary
If you’re a fiction writer, this is a very essential feature.
Most fiction writers use non-existed names and words.
From MS Word to Grammarly, grammar checkers are ruthless regarding misspelled words.
So, you need a flexible grammar checker dictionary that lets you customize your vocabulary. This way, the grammar checker does not exaggerate the errors in your text.
4. Overall Scores
Tools like Grammarly have a feature that tells you how well or bad your text is doing.
A high overall score tells you that your writing is smooth, and a low overall score tells you that the text needs a lot of work.
Or you could just throw it in the trash, no?
But seriously, the tool acts like a very effective cheerleader, cheering you from a low to a high overall score.
Paid Vs Free Grammar Checkers
Most paid grammar checkers come with a free version.
But, the developers and their marketing teams are clever; the free versions have very limited features and are just there to ensnare users.
They know that once you taste the limited sweetness of the free plans, you’re going to fork out some dollars to get the full packages.
There are a couple of entirely free grammar checkers, like After The Deadline and 1Checker.
These free editors are very good, but they aren’t as comprehensive and versatile as the Premium grammar checkers like Grammarly.
If you want to be thorough and have comprehensive checks that exceed the basic grammar and spelling, then you’ll need to purchase a premium plan.
What is the best free grammar checker?
After the Deadline is the best completely free editing tool.
ATD and 1Checker are the creams of the crop. They obviously don’t have all the features that their paid counterparts have, but they offer way more than you could expect from a free tool—WordPress plugin, are compatible with many platforms and are tailored for non-native speakers.
What is the best paid grammar checker?
I’ve covered this question in almost all the ‘grammar checker’ reviews that I have published, and the answer remains the same—Grammarly.
Over 20 million users would concur with me on this one.
Grammarly has comprehensive checks, in-depth reports, and is fast.
The tool proves to be a reliable and convenient writer’s ally; it is compatible with most popular web browsers, MS Office, and WordPress, among various other platforms.
Moreover, it has an easy to use and clean interfaces which complement the tool’s fast responses.
However, depending on your writing styles and needs, you might find that a tool other than Grammarly does the job excellently for you.
What should a good grammar checker tool pick up and fix?
Any sane writer wants their writing to be perfect, free of any typo or any grammatical stain.
Regardless of your editing skills, checking your own writing does little to perfect your writing. There’s bound to be one or two very damaging mistakes that are going to be overlooked.
That’s one of the reasons why writers need grammar checkers. In fact, there are other major issues that can help you with:
- Typos—A grammar checker takes care of all the erratum in your text. Sometimes, you have typos littered all over your writing, but your head keeps reading them like you imagined them before your fingers pounced on the mechanical switches of your keyboard. Unlike you, grammar checkers flag these typos instantly.
- Punctuation—commas, apostrophes, brackets, or hyphens are great condiments of literature. Punctuation symbols like the semicolon and dashes are hard to master, but you can use these to make your text read deliciously once you understand them. Grammar checkers check for misplaced commas or a missing semicolon, and over time, you start getting better.
- Passive Voice—one of the great traits of a good writer is knowing how and where to use passive voice. Grammar checkers detect the usage of passive voice and determine whether it is healthy for the context. If a passive voice is staining your text, the tools can suggest better usage of your verbs.
- Overused words—When your writing is filled with overused words, it sounds like a 4-year old explaining a movie. Good grammar checkers identify words that have been overused in your text. You can replace these words with their appropriate synonyms so that diversity is added to the text.
- Improve Sentence Structure and Readability—grammar checkers also check for sentence length and readability, among other writing style elements. They aim to help you achieve a balance between long and short sentences. Some grammar checkers help improve the readability of the text by flagging complex sentences and giving readability scores.
Where can you use a grammar checker?
Where you use a grammatical checker depends (to an appreciable extent) on the specific grammar checker being used or the plan of that grammar checker.
The best grammar checkers, like Grammarly, enable you to edit text on multiple platforms. Whether you are using a Mac or PC, they offer you editing capabilities, whether you are typing on Google Docs, LibreOffice, or MS Word, or you’re preparing your post for upload in WordPress.
Here are a couple of ways or platforms you can use a grammar checker on.
1. Word Processors
Grammar checkers provide downloadable add-ins for word processors like MS word, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and others.
As Add-ins for word processors, most grammar checkers seamlessly slot themselves into the word processor’s toolbar and are often accessed as a dropdown menu.
2. Via Browser Extensions
Writing nowadays is not constrained to one tool; you might be editing a fiction piece on your MS Word and at the same time uploading a blog post or sending an email.
Grammar checkers have extensions for web browsers so that when you are typing or editing text online, you can rely on the tool for instant checks and solutions.
The more browsers a tool supports, the more convenient it is.
3. Desktop App
Some of the tools on this list are also available as a Desktop app. Some grammar checkers have desktop apps for both macOS and Windows.
For example, ProWritingAid has a desktop app that is available on both Windows and Mac. Using this desktop app, you can work on Scrivener files.
4. Email and WordPress Integrations
Although Grammar checkers come with web browser extensions, there are special sites that need special tweaks.
Therefore, several grammar checkers have integrations for sites like WordPress and Gmail to help users write a professional email or write a blog post in a warm and engaging tone.
5, Web Editor
Although I put this last, it is usually the first option (especially for free tools).
To be honest, this isn’t a method that I like. Usually, it involves copying and pasting your text into a dialogue box, and the tool analyzes the text and offers solutions to the detected errors.
Which is better: A desktop grammar app or web/online editor
As I said already, a web/online editor involves copying and pasting your text into a dialogue box—which I think takes the fun out of editing.
On the other hand, a desktop app gives you more options; you can use it as a native typing tool, upload more file types than a web editor, and is easily accessible.
So, for me, the desktop does the job better.
Why Add a Grammar Checker Tool for WordPress?
Usually, writers who own WordPress blogs have professional editors working on their articles before publishing them.
Either that or they hire a bunch of writers and act as editors when the hired hands submit their work.
This way, the published articles are prone to a lot of preventable errors.
Adding a grammar checker to WordPress helps writers prevent these avertable mistakes and give their reader polished and professional content.
What grammar checkers work with Microsoft Word?
Most.
Having a Microsoft Word plugin is a no-brainer. MS Word is still the best writing tool there’s and not having a plugin for it does more harm than good.
Most tools have an MS Word plugin. The only grammar checker that doesn’t have a Word plugin is After the Deadline.
It’s not a prerequisite; still, it’s essential.
What’s the Best professional grammar checker?
Grammarly!
I don’t even think twice about that.
Do I have to say again that it’s fast, has a sleek interface, a comprehensive free version, thorough checks on the Premium plan. What about the tone detector? The thorough plagiarism checker? and the seamless integrations with web browsers and word processors?
It is the crème de la crème.
Final Words
I think it’s no longer a question of whether you need or you don’t need a grammar checker.
It’s more of, should I go with Grammarly, ProWritingAid, or Hemingway?
Two of them, perhaps.
Once again, I recommend that you try out Grammarly first. Better algorithms, faster, a thorough plagiarism checker, comprehensive grammar, and stylistic checks.
It’s the best… Period.
Of course it’s a bit pricey, but I say this all the time; it’s the Lamborghini of grammar checkers.
