Proofreading is an underestimated element of content creation.

In the rush to meet deadlines and churn out content, it’s not uncommon to lose track of minor details. Whether you have made a grammatical error or missed a meaningful punctuation mark, it doesn’t take much to lose credibility for your brand.

We’ve curated a list of the top tools that can enhance your proofreading capabilities. But a reminder – nothing beats a human editor and proofreaders. We’ll also talk about some general proofreading best practices.

 

4 Proofreading Tools for Cleaner Content

If you're looking for a great tool for checking grammar and plagiarism, Grammarly is the perfect option.

1. Grammarly

If you’re looking for a great tool for checking grammar and plagiarism, Grammarly is the perfect option. Right now it’s the best tool on the market for proofreading your content. We use it in all of our content creation. Here’s a breakdown of its pros and cons.

Pros:

  • If you are looking for basic grammar suggestions and feedback, Grammarly’s free model highlights critical grammar and spelling errors.
  • The premium option rates the overall tone of your content so you can make any adjustments to appeal to your target audience.
  • Premium subscription also features a very helpful plagiarism detector.
  • The browser extension allows real-time grammar corrections almost anywhere on the web. So you’ll be able to check grammar in any browser while drafting copy or writing an email.

Cons:

  • As great as the free subscription is, it’s limited. Grammarly pushes you to buy the premium subscription in order to take advantage of its full gamut of tools.
  • Logging in can be glitchy.

Hemingway App is a great tool for freelance writers to catch typos and grammatical errors.

2. Hemingway App

The Hemingway App is a good companion tool to use with Grammarly. It’s super easy to navigate and provides a more detailed breakdown of grammar, readability, and feedback. One of its coolest features is that it highlights specific text and gives direct feedback.

Additionally, the free subscription includes features such as a readability rating and a number of words. You can edit directly within the app as well.

Pros:

  • Publishes directly to WordPress and Medium. It is wonderful to see that Hemingway eliminates some unnecessary steps with one-click integration with WordPress and Medium.
  • Hemingway App helps with HTML too. If you want to embed your blog somewhere that reads HTML code, Hemingway formats H1 and H2 title tags, bullet points, and links so your content functions correctly on your blogging platform or CMS.
  • Very intuitive and easy to navigate.

Cons:

  • It isn’t always a great judge of tone and voice.
  • The rating can be a little misleading.
  • It wants to shorten almost everything (much like the actual writer, Hemingway).
  • You have to pay for the good stuff.

You are probably wondering what would happen if you ran a blog post through each of these apps. Well, guess what? We did it for you.

Grammarly proofreading results

Grammarly proofreading results

Hemingway app proofreading results

Hemingway app proofreading results

Both provided different feedback. We suggest using both to understand more about how you can edit your content and write stronger copy. Don’t make the common mistake of missing subtle grammar errors, and yes, good grammar is still very important.

With Grammarly, you receive an overall score and suggestions on making edits to improve readability. With Hemingway, you receive a more in-depth breakdown that informs you of the number of adverbs, passive voice, and phrases that can have simpler alternatives.

If you are still running into issues after copying and pasting your document into either Grammarly or Hemingway, start listening to some great writing and grammar podcasts to help catch common mistakes that are easily avoidable.

ProWriting Aid uses research-backed analysis to give you instant feedback on the quality of your writing.

3. ProWriting Aid

ProWriting Aid is one of the few programs out there that can compete with Grammarly. It uses research-backed analysis to give you instant feedback on the quality of your writing. It also has cool features like a Transition Checker and Text Expansion to elevate your writing quickly and efficiently.

Pros:

  • Good pricing
  • Rigorous, detailed proofreading
  • Can analyze comprehensive documents

Cons:

  • Cluttered interface
  • Misses some errors

Google Docs allows you to write, edit, and share a document in real time.

4. Google Docs

It’s not specifically a proofreading tool, but Google Docs can be very helpful to the proofreading process. It allows you to write, edit, and share a document in real time. People can work on the document from anywhere at any time, as long as they have internet access. Google Docs is essential to our own content creation process here at ClearVoice.

Pros:

  •  Jot down notes, feedback, and inspiration wherever you are via mobile or desktop.
  • Google Docs saves documents in real-time and allows you to invite members to collaborate and edit the document as well. It even keeps track of any notes and comments that have been added throughout the editing process.
  • Mobile-friendly, as long as you download the app!
  • Pre-created templates that you can use to spruce up your blog, newsletter, or article.

Cons:

  • You must be connected to the internet to access it.

Proofreading Best Practices

Proofreading Best Practices

The tools we’ve listed above are all great ways to support your proofreading. But that’s how they should only be used – as support. Always have human proofreaders do the final pass on any content you create. Here are some tips and tricks for that process:

  • Read Aloud: This is an age-old technique. Reading your content aloud catches awkward phrasings, redundant words, and sentences that might not flow smoothly.
  • Reverse Reading: Start from the end and work your way back to the beginning, reading each sentence. This disrupts your typical reading pattern, highlighting errors that might otherwise go unnoticed.
  • Take a Break: Once you’ve finished writing, step away from your work. Returning with fresh eyes can help you spot more errors.
  • Print it Out: Seeing your work on paper versus a screen gives a different visual context and can make mistakes pop out.
  • Focus on One Thing at a Time: Tackle your proofreading in stages. For example, look for punctuation errors during one read, and then focus on word choice in the next.
  • Get a Second Pair of Eyes: No matter how meticulous you are, some mistakes might slip past you. Having a colleague or friend you trust to review your work can be invaluable.
  • Practice Makes Perfect: The more you proofread, the better you’ll become at spotting errors. Make it a regular part of your writing routine.

How’s Your Proofreading?

Proofreading can feel tedious, but it’s an essential aspect of ensuring your content, and therefore your brand, demonstrates a commitment to quality. We should know, better content is what we do.

Just like proofreading tools can support your writing, partnering with a trusted content agency can support your content creation. Whether you need editorial guidance on a few content pieces or a managing editor to overhaul your entire content creation process, ClearVoice can help. Talk to a specialist today and we’ll get you started.