What should you say to comfort a grammar nazi?
– There, their, they’re.
Let this lame attempt at a joke be your call to pay attention to dire spelling errors and edit that email before it’s too late. Did you know that a wrongly placed Oxford comma can cost you $5 million? There is no room for grammatical errors in today’s content-driven age. Whether you write blogs, create social media content, or even just emails, spelling errors can dilute your credibility.
Well, don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Here’s a review of the best grammar checking software based on spell checking and punctuations. But before we check out the best spelling error solutions, let’s take a look at the most common spelling errors.
Common Spelling Errors
Here are some of the most common errors that we make almost every day:
- Transposition: Reversing the order of letters. E.g: Recieve- Receive.
- Salient: Only including key sounds. E.g.: Butifull to Beautiful.
- Omission: Missing out letters from a word. E.g. Dsh- Dish.
- Substitution: Substituting one letter for another. E.g. Tweaching- Tweaking.
- Insertion: Adding an extra letter. E.g. Gratefull- Grateful.
- Homophones: Words that sound the same but differ in meaning. E.g. There, sun.
- Double letters: People tend to miss out letters in words with double letters. E.g. Oportunity- Opportunity.
- Phonological: Phonetic spelling errors are common. They occur when we write as we speak. E.g. Concede- cunseed.
- Contextual: This happens when the wrong word is used, but the word is spelled correctly. E.g. It is lovely to meet your deer.
These spelling errors can leave a giant stain on your professional career. Wouldn’t you like to avoid that from happening? Go ahead and choose the best spell checker from our hand-picked spell checking software listed below.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a robust spell checking tool that lets you correct spellings in real-time.
You can choose the English language native to you.
E.g.: If you choose United States English, it would correct your ‘centre’ to ‘center’.
Grammarly is available online, and also as an add-on for Chrome, Firefox, and Mac. This facilitates accuracy and is twice as powerful as Google docs, Microsoft word, Reverso, etc.
Key Features
- Checks clarity and consciousness on limited sites.
- Corrects redundancy.
- Detects tone on limited sites.
- Offers synonyms.
- Has a personal dictionary feature.
- Allows you to set goals.
What works:
Grammarly detects most spelling errors except for phonetic and homophonic errors. The auto-correct feature automatically detects and suggests context-optimized synonyms, corrects punctuations, wordiness, sentence structures, and so on. It can detect errors ranging from over 400 factors.
What doesn’t work:
Grammarly doesn’t detect phonetic and contextual spelling errors. There is no offline editing mode.
Price
Free plan: Free to use with an internet connection.
Premium version: $29.95/month.
Business: $12.50/month/member.
ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid works as a browser extension and a desktop app. A free trial is available. After installation, you see a pre-written text with errors to test the software.
You can download the Google Docs add-on. Much like Grammarly and Ginger, this software has real-time editing to help you edit on the go. ProWritingAid presents a precise summary report which includes where the document looks great, where it needs work, detailed checking, and gives an overall score.
Key Features
- Gives a readability score.
- Checks Spellings, Grammar, Style, Structure, length, and more.
- Flags overused and repeated words.
- Checks transitions and sticky words.
What works:
ProWritingAid works well in checking transitions, overcapitalization, structure, overused and cliche words. It corrects obvious spelling errors. It presents accurate reports and explanations of errors to help you understand the reason. It flags the fragment errors right away.
What doesn’t work:
It takes a long time to identify spelling errors. I consciously introduced punctuation and contextual spelling errors. It failed to catch either. ProWritingAid, unlike Grammarly, LanguageTool, and Ginger, overlooks homophonic, contextual, salient, and substitution spelling mistakes. It also flags names of popular applications like WordPress, Whitesmoke, etc. ProWritingAid does not meet the expectations as a spell checker.
Price
Free plan: Free of charge with an internet connection.
Premium plan: Starts at $20/month.
Premium Plus plan: Starts at $24/month.
Whitesmoke
Works on all devices with an internet connection. It is a complete grammar checker, which detects grammar, spelling, and reading issues.
Key Features
- Gives a readability score.
- Translates over 55 languages.
- Assists dyslexic users.
- Has a mobile app.
- Has a plagiarism checker.
- Provides tutorial videos.
- Works on all browsers.
What works:
Whitesmoke detects regular and contextual spelling errors and provides accurate suggestions for them. Unlike ProWritingAid, Whitesmoke understands the difference between product names and spelling errors. It checks punctuations, shifting sentences, double negative, and other such advanced grammatical errors.
What doesn’t work:
Whitesmoke makes faulty suggestions for phonetic spelling errors. In my testing, it happened a few times. Another downside is that you cannot upload documents to check your spelling. The online version does not have a real-time editing feature. Though not as powerful as Grammarly, it does an average job as a spell checker.
Price
Free plan: Online version is free to use.
Basic plan: $9.95
Premium plan: $14.95
Ginger
Ginger is available as an extension on multiple browsers like Chrome, Firefox, etc. It works on Mac and Windows.
Ginger, much like Grammarly, checks your email texts for errors and provides a real-time edit. It works on almost all websites. You can translate to over 40 languages with a premium account.
Key Features
- Personal Dictionary feature.
- Translates over 60 languages.
- Rephrases sentences to improve style.
- Personal Trainer to guide your writing.
- Has a text reader.
What works:
The sentence rephraser is a unique option in Ginger. It gives you multiple paraphrased sentences to choose from. It corrects transposition and insertion spelling errors like Seppling – Spelling, Recieve – Receive, etc. You can easily add unfamiliar words to a personal dictionary. This is a handy feature for fiction writers.
What doesn’t work:
Ginger offers limited synonyms. It doesn’t correct homophonic, and contextual spelling errors. It missed quite a few punctuation errors as well. Unlike Grammarly and ProWritingAid, Ginger did not flag unusual capitalization in the middle of a sentence.
Price
Free plan: Free to use with an internet connection.
Premium plan: Starts at $20.97/month.
Google Documents
Google Docs is not a primary spelling or grammar checker. However, it does a fine job at detecting regular spelling and punctuation mistakes.
The grammar checker in Google Documents is available in G-suite Basic, Business, and Enterprise.
Key Features
- Translates to over 100 languages.
- Integrates with G-suite apps.
- Word count and spell-check.
- Personal Dictionary is available.
What works:
It highlights spelling errors in red and grammatical errors in blue. It automatically corrects all transposition and double letter mistakes. You can add unfamiliar words to your dictionary. Google Documents further facilitates translation in over 100 languages.
What doesn’t work:
Google Documents misses and overlooks incorrect words, punctuations, contextual and phonological spelling errors. In my testing of this software, it failed to detect the simplest errors. Unlike other grammar checking software, Google Documents does a shoddy job at providing accurate suggestions.
Price
Free to use with or without internet connectivity.
Paper Rater
Paper Rater is a cloud-based online document checker, powered by Ginger. It is designed to check papers, essays, stories, business reports, etc.
Key Features
- Rates papers based on the reader’s education level and type of article.
- Has a vocabulary builder.
- Facilitates e-submission.
- Provides effective outlines.
- Gives general grammar tips.
What works:
This grammar and spell checking software does a shoddy job of flagging word inconsistencies. Similar to ProWritingAid, it also does not recognize popular applications like WordPress, Whitesmoke, Reverso, etc. Another downside of Paper Rater is its cumbersome editor. There is no real-time editing. You must complete your document before hitting the Get Response button. The interface is difficult to use. The software is also not available offline as a desktop version.
What doesn’t work:
This grammar and spell checking software does a shoddy job of flagging word inconsistencies. Similar to ProWritingAid, it also does not recognize popular applications like WordPress, Whitesmoke, Reverso, etc. Another downside of Paper Rater is its cumbersome editor. There is no real-time editing. You must complete your document before hitting the Get Response button. The interface is difficult to use. The software is also not available offline as a desktop version.
Price
Basic plan: Free to use
Premium Plan: $11.21/month.
Hemmingway Editor
Named after Ernest Hemingway, the Hemmingway Editor is free to use online.
It works differently than other spelling and grammar checkers. Hemingway Editor doesn’t correct mistakes but highlights them with different colors. Here’s what it claims to offer:
Key Features
- Highlights passive sentences in green.
- Highlights overused adverbs and complex sentences.
- Gives a readability grade.
- Online and offline availability.
- Integrates with third-party browser extensions.
What works:
The readability score helps to understand the quality of content. It works well for checking other grammatical errors like style, use of adverbs, etc.
What doesn’t work:
It does not highlight any spelling errors. It doesn’t detect even the most obvious spelling errors like omissions, transposition of letters, etc. I can’t compare it to any other spell checking software. Another downside is that you cannot save or export your work. If you are a native English speaker and a professional writer, you can benefit from Hemingway Editor. However, I cannot say the same for students and non-native writers.
Price
Free plan: Free to use with an internet connection.
Desktop app: The desktop app costs a one-time fee of $19.99 for both Mac and Windows.
SlickWrite
Slick Write is hands down one of the most powerful tools to correct spelling and stylistic errors.
Professional writers and students alike can benefit from this software. It offers extensions for Google Chrome and Firefox.
Key Features
- Provides a detailed report with statistics.
- Allows the setting of goals in the form of analysis.
- Word Associator to find contextual and word associations.
- Identify paragraphs with the least variety.
What works:
Slick Write detects spelling errors of all kinds. Fiction writers can benefit from the word associator tool. It helps bust the writer’s block and create new metaphors. It provides accurate spelling suggestions and a readability score. Slick Write also has advanced features like a comprehensive report with graphs to track word count, sentence structure, the flow of text, and passive voice use, and more.
What doesn’t work:
Unlike Grammarly, Slick Write’s editor does not have real-time editing. Click on the check button to view the errors. You can either run a check after completing your document or toggle between the editor and checker.
Price
Free to use with an internet connection.
LanguageTool
LanguageTool works anywhere on the web. You can add it to Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera, etc. This program also works on Google Docs and MS Word. LanguageTool has a lot to offer.
Key Features
- Multi-language support for over 20 languages.
- Provides explanations and suggestions.
- Has a personal dictionary feature.
- Detects incorrect names in emails.
- Allows setting mother tongue.
What works:
As a spellchecker, the LanguageTool can compete with Grammarly and Ginger. LT (Language tool) identifies transposition, omission, and even contextual errors. The interface bears a striking resemblance to Grammarly. LT detects passive voice, missing hyphens, typos, redundant words, punctuations, and more. It highlights agreement errors as well. Even the basic version has advanced features like text statistic reports.
What doesn’t work:
LanguageTool flags homophonic errors as word confusion and agreement errors. Often, it overlooks punctuation mistakes. It offers a limited and surface-level explanation for flagging errors.
Price
LanguageTool is an inexpensive alternative to Grammarly. It also offers a 7-day free trial.
Free plan: Free to use
Premium plan: Starts at $19/month.
How To Use Spell Checking Software In Your Writing Flow
You can use spell checking software in two ways:
- Extensions and add-ons: You can download the browser extension of the spell checking software. Make sure the extension works on the applications you use to write. Then, you can edit your document in real-time by following the suggestions.
- Copy-paste on Web Software: You can use online grammar and spell checking software and copy-paste your text or type it on the editor to run a check. Applications like Grammarly, Ginger, Language tool, etc have online versions as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can download the browser extension of the spell checking software and edit your document in real-time by following the suggestions. You can also copy-paste your text or type it into the editor to run a check.
What is the best free spell checker?
Grammarly is a robust spell checking tool that lets you correct spellings in real-time.
Is there an app for spell check?
Grammar checking software like Grammarly, Ginger, Whitesmoke, etc have inbuilt spell checkers to flag and correct spelling errors.
Final Thoughts
Our pick for the top three Spell checkers are:
- Grammarly
- Ginger
- Language tool
These three spell checkers have more advanced features that can help you improve your writing style. You must give your desired spell checker a shot and let us know which one you like the most.
