A free proofreading tool can be invaluable when you’re writing an English text that needs to be flawless but don’t want or cannot afford to hire a professional proofreader. While you can’t rely on the proofreading talent of artificial intelligence, it will find many of the typos and grammatical mistakes in a text.
There are many flavors of proofreading software available, but most of them are commercial. However, some proofreading software comes with a limited version or trial which is free. That version can serve your purpose at times.
Based on my experience, free online proofreading tools can have serious limitations, so I can’t recommend any of them.
But a proofreading tool I can recommend is that of a commercial word processor. It’s included in the price of your software, so while not exactly free, it doesn’t cost extra. I recommend it because it’s likely to be improved upon with each new version release.
However, no matter how good your word processor is, any proofreading tool is only as good as the grammatical rules coded into it. This means some of its suggestions will be incorrect. You’ll still have to know your spelling and grammar to be able to look over the shoulder of your automated proofreading tool.
If instead of a commercial word processor you’re using an open-source one (such as OpenOffice Writer), chances are its grammar checker is subpar. In this case, you can also run the proofreading tool of Google Docs. It’s not the best out there, but it’s a free grammar and spell checker. Backed by Google’s machine learning, it is a decent proofreading tool. So, the spell-checker embedded in Google Docs is the free proofreading tool I usually recommend.
If you are looking for the best proofreading tools out there, websites such as Capterra and GetApp have lists and reviews of proofreading software (some free, some with a free trial only).
Do you need a freelance proofreader? Send me a message at editor@languageediting.com.
Related posts:
- Why your grammar checker can’t make documents perfect
- The small-business owner’s proofreading checklist
- In short, what is proofreading?
Last revised on 7 September 2022
