ProWritingAid Review. Does this grammar checker solve your writing issues?
ProWritingAid helps you improve your writing by using an editor of style and grammar checker. What exactly is it? Is it a useful tool? To find out, I tested it and will breakdown the results in this ProWritingAid Review.
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Anyone who’s ever written anything in writing is aware of the fact that errors are not uncommon. These occur to us all, from accidental mistakes to not finding the correct word, to numerous grammar nuances that it’s difficult for me to keep track of them all.
Of course it would be great to have an editor or writing instructor on hand to correct all those mistakes is the ideal situation. (I’m an editor myself, so I’m a little biased, but it’s true.) There is no substitute for the knowledge and experience of a person who is able to comprehend language and help to communicate your ideas effectively.
However, If you’re not able to access an editor (or if you do, but do not want to pay them to edit your emails or Facebook posts) Grammar checking software like ProWritingAid is an accessible, affordable alternative.
ProWritingAid’s Editor’s Recommendation
ProWritingAid has received great reviews from writers I have confidence in. However, as an editor, I was skeptical. Can software be able to spot every mistake in my writing? Can it truly serve as a helpful alternative to an editor on the human side? It could help writers identify and correct writing issues and help them improve their writing.
Let me also admit that I had a question. Could I write so flawlessly that ProWritingAid could not even critique it?
ProWritingAid I wanted to try it for myself to find out how it performs.
Before we begin, though I wasn’t paid to write this review, I’d like to be totally transparent and inform everyone that some of the links in this post could be affiliate links. ProWritingAid membership allows me to continue writing and also share editing tips. Naturally, this will not affect your overall price as it did not influence my decision about the program, as I mentioned I’m coming from a place of skepticism.
ProWritingAid has some great features.
What does it all mean? Here’s what i discovered.
ProWritingAid Review: The Basics
Let’s start with a quick overview of ProWritingAid.
ProWritingAid is described as “a grammar coach stylist, style editor, writing mentor and style editor in one.” It’s a piece that works as both a grammar checker, spelling checker and style checker.
ProWritingAid is a tool for editors, students, writers, and copywriters. Whether you’re new to writing or are a veteran ProWritingAid has features that will help you improve your writing in every stage.
It’s available as the free and premium version. Of course, with the premium version, you’ll get significantly more options and support.
What features does it include? Let’s take a look.
Grammar and Spelling Checkers
ProWritingAid excels in this field. It’s more powerful than Microsoft Word in grammar and spelling check.
For spelling and grammar mistakes, errors are highlighted in red. My favorite thing about this site is that when you mouse over the underlined text the box appears up with not only a suggested correction but as well an explanation as to why it suggests this correction in the first place.
Additionally, there’s a live error-checker that can take a look at all the errors it finds and direct you to them in one click. Do you not want to know the amount of errors it spots while you write? Switch it off or on at any time.
More than a Dictionary and Thesaurus
Most writing software comes with a built-in dictionary or thesaurus. ProWritingAid takes it one step further with thesaurus and a dictionary and a range of tools for word suggestions.
You’re searching for the perfect word for your English essay, but you don’t know where to start? You can use the thesaurus or the standard dictionary. Click on any word that is underlined to open a list offering alternative suggestions.
Are you writing poems? Do you need to have an unambiguous poetry line or are you trying to stay clear of using alliteration in a serious text? Alliteration analysis can assist to achieve this.
Are you writing a novel of a lifetime and want to make sure you haven’t been relying on a myriad of clichés? The report on redundancy and cliches will catch the most common ones.
Are you unsure if you have used the correct spelling here or there? The homonym checker will assess the word you’re using and fix any incorrect words.
With all these tools you can be certain to use the right words at the appropriate time every time.
Robust Reports on Your Writing
So far, so good. At this point, however, I must confess that I was certain that I could the best ProWritingAid as an editor.
It gave me an analysis I couldn’t have gathered without ProWritingAid.
I have mentioned a few of ProWritingAid’s dictionaries, reports and checkers in the previous post. They barely even scratch the surface of the tools ProWritingAid offers.
There are a variety of reports that you can use to analyze and improve your writing. I’m not going to cover all of them however I’d like to select a few of my favorites.
The Writing Style Report
This report, along with the tools for spelling and grammar are among the most useful reports you can use to quickly and easily clean up your prose. Writing Style reports evaluate your writing and identify any improvement that might be made. It will help you identify writing style elements like:
Passive voice
Hidden verbs
Adverbs are often used in excess.
The sentence is repeated.
This will provide you with a quick overview of the areas where you can make minor changes to enhance your writing and improve the user experience.
The Word Count and Sentence Length Report
While many writing tools provide word counters to their users however, the Sentence Length Report is far more effective.
Yes it will count characters and words in your document. It will display every word in each sentence in an visually illuminated. You’ll be able to see the average sentence length and any variations, and it will warn of any lengthy sentences.
It can be difficult to determine where your readers might not understand the message you want to communicate. Sentence Length is a fantastic way to find confusing lines so you can divide them.
Three Reports to Combat Repetition
ProWritingAid provides three reports that will help you find repetitive words.
The Overused Words report will highlight the words that are frequently used. It will also tell you how many instances of each word to remove in order to reduce their use. It will also compare your writing to other published writing to help you understand how your style compares to others.
The All Repeats Report will highlight words and phrases you’ve repeated throughout your text. It doesn’t mean that they must be used in excess, but it’s useful to be aware of any repetitions.
Echoes are the term used to describe words or phrases repeated near to one another. It will also recommend alternatives words to use to break up repeating phrases.
The Sentence Structure Report
The Sentence Structure report is a interesting one for me. It examines every way you structure your sentences so you’ll be able to see where you’re repeating certain syntax.
For instance, 37% of my sentences start with a subject, however no of them begin with the gerund. It’s not right or wrong, but I find it useful to be aware of ways to increase variety in my writing.
The Pacing Report
This is the kind report I was expecting and am so happy to have discovered it. The Pacing Report is an excellent tool for creative writers.
There should be some background. If you have too much, you will bore your reader. This tool can identify parts of your work which slow down the pace, and let you know in a glance if it’s excessive or just enough.
The Plagiarism Report
Plagiarism has long been a concern for writers. Our Plagiarism report will help alleviate your worries. ProWritingAid scans millions of academic books and papers and analyzes your writing to find any plagiarism in these documents.
The ProWritingAid Plagiarism tool is not included in the Premium package. Premium Plus lets you purchase 50 Plagiarism Checks each year.
The House Report
Do you write for an organization with a stylebook for its employees? ProWritingAid will check your writing for any specific guidelines or patterns.
The House report is a blank document that can be customized to create your own. ProWritingAid can create a report by telling you what it is supposed to be analyzing.
Analyze to Your Heart’s Content
I’ve mentioned nine of ProWritingAid’s reports in the past, but that’s not even the half of what this program can accomplish. You should take a look at the entire list or sign up for an initial trial for free to test the program.
These reports make it possible to analyze your writing in detail. You can take a deep dive on readability by using the Readability report. You can also just correct grammar errors and move on to the Grammar report.
Whatever type of writing you’re working on there’s a report to aid you in enhancing your writing and become a better writer.
Where can I use ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid is available directly on the ProWritingAid Website. Edit your text directly through the ProWritingAid site. Or copy and paste from another document.
ProWritingAid is open to all users. It is possible to install a plugin to allow ProWritingAid to analyze your writing in any word processing program, including Microsoft Word, Google Docs and Scrivener.
You can also install the Chrome extension. Your personal writing editor will follow your every online activity. You don’t have to worry about spelling errors on your status updates on Facebook!
ProWritingAid – Free Vs. Premium
So, what’s the deal? What will you receive when you sign-up to ProWritingAid?
Here’s a rundown of both the premium and free versions.
ProWritingAid Premium ProWritingAid for free
Access to the Desktop Application in Online Version
Can analyse up to 500 words in a minute. Can also analyse entire length documents at once
25 Writing Reviews 25 Writing Resources
Limited results for Word Explorer Tools Full range of Word Explorer tools Results
Integration with MS Word and Google Docs, Chrome and Scrivener
Real Time Grammar Score and Style Score
Register for ProWritingAid today.
ProWritingAid comes with a free trial. It’s a great starting point. The premium version provides more flexibility and greater capacity for me personally.
What does it take to become premium? ProWritingAid is a subscription-based program. You can select how many years of membership you would like or sign up to get lifetime access.
60$ per Year
2 Year $90
3 Year $120
$210 for Life
Join for ProWritingAid here.
ProWritingAid also offers a fourteen-day refund policy. If you try it out and decide it won’t aid you in writing, you can cancel your subscription within two weeks and you’ll be given a full refund. ProWritingAid will only offer one refund per customer.
The Editor’s Disclaimer
I’ll also add a caveat that I believe is crucial to include in any discussion of grammar checkers and writing tools.
Grammar checkers are designed to assist you in identifying problems in your writing, and offer solutions. ProWritingAid is remarkably good in analyzing context and usage and recommending the best solutions. However, ProWritingAid is a grammar checker that can help you understand context and suggest the correct solutions. It is your choice to reject suggestions that don’t work.
Whatever grammar checker you choose If you simply accept every change it suggests, you will introduce new mistakes into your writing. Grammar checkers cannot replace an editor in this sense.
However, they’ll bring you a lot closer to a perfectly written piece. ProWritingAid provides a variety of useful features, beyond grammar checking.
The verdict is: Do editors recommend ProWritingAid to You?
Truth be told, I was a skeptic when I first started. I strongly believe that a good editor is essential. Even with all of the reports ProWritingAid provides me, I am convinced that there will never be a substitute for the human element.
ProWritingAid was amazing. Here’s my ProWritingAid review. It’s a tremendously helpful instrument for writers at all level.
Try ProWritingAid and see how it improves Your Writing!
ProWritingAid’s spell- and grammar-checkers can help you spot mistakes and correct them.
ProWritingAid’s style and word choices tools can help you enhance your writing.
If you’re like me and believe that you’ve surpassed the capabilities of a simple writing tool can provide, I’d encourage you to reconsider your approach. It’s amazing to see the detail of my writing sentence-by-sentence and word-by-word. ProWritingAid identifies patterns I didn’t recognize in my writing so I can discern my style more clearly and modify it as I want.
ProWritingAid offers the perfect tool for you.
Are you ready to try it?