“No soliciting or trespassing violators will be prosecuted”. Does that sound correct? Punctuations can make or break your sentence. And in turn, they can make or break you. Here are the best punctuation checkers to prevent you from making lethal errors.
The Methodology of Testing These Punctuation Checkers
The testing format for ranking the usefulness of the Punctuation Checkers
I introduced punctuation errors in a paragraph and ran it through every software listed below. Here is the paragraph:
“winston is one of the most laid-back people i know he is tall and slim with black hair and he always wears a t-shirt and black jeans his jeans have holes in them and his baseball boots are scruffy too he usually sits at the back of the class and he often seems to be asleep however when the exam results are given out he always gets an “A” i don’t think he’s as lazy as he appears to be”
It has several punctuation errors like missing joining commas, capitalization errors, missing apostrophe, wrong usage of inverted commas, and more. The software mentioned below performed better than all the other punctuation checkers that we tested. Take a look at the best punctuation checkers on the internet.
Grammarly
Price
Free plan: Free to use with an internet connection.
Premium version: $29.95/month.
Business: $12.50/month/member.
Grammarly is an all-in-one grammar checker. It corrects punctuation errors, wordiness, sentence structures, and so on. It detects errors over 400 factors. It is a digital writing assistance tool based on artificial intelligence and natural language processing. It gives real-time feedback and explanations of corrections.
Top Features
- Grammarly gives real-time writing feedback.
- It corrects minor grammar and spelling errors.
- It corrects capitalization mistakes.
- Grammarly also provides suggestions for improving unclear sentences.
- It gives recommendations for streamlining wordy sentences.
- It has an advanced punctuation corrector.
- It suggests and finds proximate synonyms.
- Grammarly gives a short and clear explanation for every correction.
- It supports typing in 28 languages.
- The personal dictionary lets you add unfamiliar words to your dictionary.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- It flagged undercapitalization and wrongly placed quotation marks.
- It detected apostrophe errors.
- Additionally, it detected and flagged passive voice sentences.
- Missed contextual commas.
- Didn’t detect missing full stops.
- Did not detect joining commas.
Ginger
Price
Free plan: Free to use with an internet connection.
Premium plan: Starts at $20.97/month.
Ginger uses statistical algorithms in conjunction with natural language processing, and aims at improving written communication, developing English speaking skills and serving as a personalized editor.
Top Features
- Ginger uses AI with natural language processing and grammar rules to improve writing.
- It corrects various punctuation and capitalization errors.
- The software rephrases sentences and gives alternate ways to write the text.
- It corrects improper word usage.
- It gives contact suggestions in emails.
- Ginger has a personal dictionary feature to add your slang, proper names, or jargon.
- It translates text into multiple languages.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and wrongly placed quotation marks.
- Detected apostrophe errors.
- Automatically corrects errors.
- Missed contextual commas.
- Didn’t detect missing full stops.
- Did not detect joining commas.
ProWritingAid
Price
Free plan: Free of charge with an internet connection.
Premium plan: Starts at $20/month.
Premium Plus plan: Starts at $24/month.
ProWritingAid is designed to improve your writing style by checking readability, grammar, and spellings. It fixes writing mistakes and typos and provides a detailed summary report. It also has a handy plagiarism checker.
Top Features
- It checks incorrect and missing punctuations.
- It edits the style of the text.,
- It checks for alliteration.
- It flags misuse of commas.
- ProWritingAid provides synonyms.
- It automatically deletes some of the grammatical and punctuation errors.
- It corrects words and checks text for plagiarism.
- It can be used in MS Word, Google Docs, Open Office, Google Chrome, and Scrivener.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and wrongly placed quotation marks.
- Detected apostrophe errors.
- Also detected and flagged passive voice sentences.
- Missed contextual commas.
- Didn’t detect missing full stops.
- Did not detect joining commas.
Whitesmoke
Price
The online version is free to use. The basic plan is $9.95, and the premium for $14.95.
WhiteSmoke is an English proofreading and grammar software. It checks grammar, punctuations, spellings, and writing style. It includes a dictionary, translator, and built-in templates. WhiteSmoke ensures error-free writing.
Top Features
- WhiteSmoke corrects punctuation and flags incorrect comma usage.
- It detects incomplete sentences and spelling errors.
- It flags fragment usage, capitalization, and fused sentences.
- WhiteSmoke enables non-native speakers to write English properly.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and wrongly placed quotation marks.
- Detected 6 punctuation errors.
- Detected spelling and style errors.
- Missed contextual commas.
- Failed to detect context-specific mistakes.
- Did not detect joining commas.
Language Tool
Price
It is available online and works similarly to Hemmingway Editor. The editor isn’t as clean and smooth as compared to the other software mentioned in this article. That notwithstanding, it detects common passive voice errors. Datayze has other writing tools like spell checker, word analyzer, difficult and extraneous word finder, readability analyzer, alternate spelling finder, and word blender. These tools, however, aren’t available together in one editor.
In my passive voice detector usage, Datayze highlighted passive voice errors in green in 3 of the six sentences. It did not provide any suggestions or solutions to rectify the mistakes. Further, it marked auxiliary verb phrases in yellow.
The lack of insight restricts learning and improvement. Another downside of this passive voice detector is the absence of real-time editing. The free version of the above three grammar checkers is much better than Datayze. I wouldn’t recommend Datayze over the other software mentioned in this article.
Top Features
Price:
Free to use with an internet connection.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and wrongly placed quotation marks.
- Detected 11 grammatical errors which had 7 punctuation mistakes.
- Effectively checks texts for misplaced colons and apostrophe errors.
- Missed contextual commas.
- Failed to detect context-specific mistakes.
- Did not detect missing full stops.
Spell Check Online
Price
Free to use with an internet connection.
SpellCheckOnline corrects grammatical mistakes, misused words, wrong or missing punctuations, poorly written sentences, and typographical errors. You can copy whole paragraphs and pages from your Word Documents, Google Documents, Excel, or even Powerpoint and run it through this checker. It does not save the file online and deletes it right after you close the tab. It provides word suggestions and corrects commonly switched words as well.
Top Features
- It is available in multiple languages such as Spanish, French, Swedish, and more.
- It corrects grammar and spelling errors.
- It detects several punctuation errors.
- This software provides word suggestions.
- It corrects commonly switched words, contextual spelling, and punctuation errors.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and contextual commas.
- Detected 7 punctuation mistakes.
- Effectively checks texts for misplaced colons and apostrophe errors.
- Failed to detect misplaced quotation marks.
- Did not detect missing full stops.
- Does not save the work file.
Virtual Writing Tutor
Price
Free to use with an internet connection.
Virtual Writing Tutor is a free online grammar check website that helps writers score essays, check punctuations, spelling, and grammar. It helps improve word choice, assess the usage of target structures, and master English pronunciation. It also has an Error Correction game to help writers improve proofreading their texts.
Top Features
- It is an all-in-one grammar checker.
- It checks spelling, punctuation, and cliche and overused words.
- It has a field-related vocabulary.
- It provides feedback and links to improve writing.
- It has a paraphrase checker.
- Virtual Writing Tour has an Error Correction game.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and contextual commas.
- Detected 7 punctuation mistakes.
- Effectively checks texts for misplaced colons and apostrophe errors.
- Failed to detect misplaced quotation marks.
- Did not detect missing full stops.
- Does not save the work file.
Grammar Lookup
Price
Free to use with an internet connection.
Grammar Lookup is a grammar and punctuation checking website that makes your articles easy to read. You can use it for academic assignments, business proposals, and even technical articles. It is an efficient and effective punctuation checker and facilitates error-free writing.
Top Features
- It flags incorrect usage and missing punctuations.
- This software is available in British and American English editors.
- It lets you select the writing style.
- It maintains the tone of the text.
- It flags over and under usage of commas.
- Grammar Lookup checks texts for grammar and spelling errors.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and contextual commas.
- Effectively checks texts for misplaced colons and apostrophe errors.
- Improves writing by detecting cliched words.
- Failed to detect misplaced quotation marks.
- Detected only 2 punctuation errors.
- Does not save the work file.
Reverso
Price
Free to use.
Reverso is a well-known software for translations but it is a portal of linguistic tools including dictionary, spell-checker, conjugation, and grammar. The spell-checker also checks punctuation errors and gives short explanations for them.
Top Features
- It checks spelling, punctuations, and grammar.
- Reverso provides synonyms and conjugation.
- It gives real-time suggestions.
- It has a vocabulary list.
- It provides indices of words.
- Reverso translates 11 languages.
- The software acts as a guide to natural pronunciation.
- It provides examples of use in context.
Strengths and Weaknesses
- Flagged undercapitalization and contextual commas.
- Detected 7 punctuation mistakes.
- Effectively checks texts for misplaced colons and apostrophe errors.
- Failed to detect misplaced quotation marks.
- Did not detect missing full stops.
- It does not save the work file.
Frequently Asked Questions About Punctuation Checkers
Most of the applications listed above are all-in-one grammar checkers. They check punctuation errors as well. However, confusion around using these programs is quite common. Let us address frequently asked questions about punctuation checkers.
Where can I check my punctuation for free?
You can use free punctuation checking software available online like Grammarly, Ginger, Whitesmoke, etc to check your punctuation.
Does Grammarly check punctuation?
Grammarly checks texts with over 450 factors and punctuations are one of them.
What are the 14 punctuation marks?
The 14 punctuation marks are as follows:
- The Full Stop
- The Comma
- The Dash
- The Question mark
- The Hyphen
- The Inverted Commas
- The Apostrophe
- The Semicolon
- The Colon
- The Brackets
- The Oblique
Final Thoughts
In my usage of the above punctuation checkers, ProWritingAid and Grammarly are the top two software. Though they cannot replace a human proofreader, they do a satisfactory job at detecting most punctuation mistakes.
No tool can meet all your grammar requirements but the above-listed punctuation checkers can make your life easier and improve your writing style.
Are you ready to improve the efficiency and accuracy of your content? Let me know your favorite punctuation checker.
