ProWritingAid Review. Does this grammar checker solve your writing problems?
ProWritingAid is an grammar checker and style editor designed to help you improve your writing skills and become a better writer. How does it work? It’s a great tool for you. I tested it to find out how it performed, and then go over the whole thing for you in this ProWritingAid review.
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If you’ve ever written any work of art, you realize that mistakes are bound to happen. They happen to the even the most skilled writers: From pesky typos, not finding the right word, to so many grammatical nuances it’s difficult to keep track of, and numerous other mistakes.
A writing instructor or editor would be ideal to help correct any errors. (I know this because I am an editor. This isn’t fair, but it is the truth. It’s impossible to replace the wisdom and experiences of someone who’s real and who understands the language system and can help communicate your thoughts effectively.
However, if you don’t have access or don’t need to pay an editor to revise your Facebook posts or emails ProWritingAid grammar checking software is an affordable alternative.
ProWritingAid’s Editor’s Recommendation
ProWritingAid was highly recommended by other writers whom I trust. However I was skeptical of ProWritingAid’s role as an editor. Would a computer program really find all the errors in my writing? Does it have the ability to replace a human editor? Could it be used to help writers fix and find the flaws in their writing, and help them grow as writers?
Also, I must admit I was unsure regarding one aspect: Would I write so well that ProWritingAid wouldn’t find anything to criticize?
I set out to test ProWritingAid myself to see if it works.
Before we begin I want to clarify that I wasn’t paid to write this review. But, I want to be transparent and let you know that this review includes affiliate hyperlinks. ProWritingAid is a subscription which allows me to continue writing and provide editing advice. This won’t affect your overall price and it did not influence my decision to use the program.
ProWritingAid is available here.
How does it stack up? Here’s what I’ve found.
ProWritingAid Review – The Basics
A brief introduction: what is ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid’s website describes ProWritingAid as “a grammar tutor, style editor and mentor within one program.” It’s a piece of software for writing that functions as a highly sophisticated system for spelling, grammar, and style checks.
ProWritingAid is a tool for editors, copywriters and students. It can be used to boost your writing whether you are new or experienced.
It’s available as a free version paid premium version. Of course, with the premium version, you’ll have significantly more options and support.
What are the features of this product? Let’s look at it in depth.
Grammar and spell checkers
ProWritingAid is a top performer in this field. It provides more information than Microsoft Word’s grammar and spelling checkers.
For spelling and grammar mistakes, mistakes are highlighted in red. My favorite thing about this feature is the little box that appears whenever you hover over text that is underlined. It provides suggestions for correcting the error and an explanation as to the reason it recommends that.
There’s also an error-checker that counts all the issues it detects and points you to them with a single click. It shouldn’t reveal how many problems it spots while you write. It is possible to switch it off or on at any time.
More than a Dictionary and Thesaurus
Many writing tools include a dictionary and thesaurus. ProWritingAid goes one step further with a dictionary, a thesaurus, as well as a range of word suggestion tools.
Is there a perfect word to use in English? Thesaurus and the standard dictionary are both readily available. You can hover over an underlined word and get a list of alternative options.
If you are writing poetry, do prefer to remain poetic? An alliteration analysis is available to help you with this.
You are attempting to write a great new story, but you need to be sure that you aren’t using a lot of clichés. The report on redundancy and cliches will catch them all.
You are unsure whether you have used the correct spelling here or there? The homonym search can help you find the right words, and also correct any errors.
With all these tools you are guaranteed to use the right words at the appropriate time every time.
Robust Reports on Your Writing
So far, so good. So far I’ll admit that I felt pretty confident in my abilities as an editor in order to enhance ProWritingAid.
It provided an analysis that I couldn’t have gathered without ProWritingAid.
I mentioned several of ProWritingAid’s reports, dictionaries and checkers in the previous post. These are just the beginning of all the tools ProWritingAid makes available.
There are over twenty reports you can utilize to evaluate your writing. While I can’t go into detail about them all, I will list my top ones.
The Writing Style Report
This report is the most effective for quickly and easily cleaning up your prose after the grammar and spelling tools. Writing Style Report evaluates the quality of your writing and makes suggestions for improvement. It identifies elements that are part of the writing style, such as:
Passive voice
Hidden verbs
Overuse of adverbs
Repetition of sentence starting points
It can help you identify where you can make small changes to your writing that can enhance the quality of your writing and create an enjoyable experience for your readers.
The Word Count Report and Sentence Length Report
Although word counters are common in writing tools, Sentence Length reporting is far more effective.
Yes, it can determine the number of letters and words in your document. It will calculate every word in each sentence and show the count in a dazzling visual. You’ll be able to see your typical sentence length and how much your sentence length is different and will also warn you of any particularly long sentences.
Being aware of what you’re explaining can cause it to be difficult for readers to comprehend the meaning of your words. Your readers may not be able to grasp it. Sentence Length will help you determine areas that are unclear, so you can cut them off.
Three Reports that beat Repetition
ProWritingAid comes with not just one but three reports that will help you identify repetitive words.
The Overused Words report will mark any words that are overused, or which are so frequently used that they’ll cause readers to pause. Plus, it will tell the number of instances you need to remove so they aren’t frequently used. It will also compare your writing with other writing published to help you understand how your style compares to others.
The All Repeats report can mark words and phrases that contain up to four words you have used multiple times in your text. It doesn’t mean that they must be used in excess, but it’s useful to be aware of any repetitions.
Echoes will notify you of any repeated words or phrases. It will also allow you to find alternatives to break up repetitions.
The Sentence Structure Report
I find the Sentence Structure reports fascinating. It reviews all the ways you organize your sentences so that you’ll be able to see where you’re repeating certain syntax.
For example 37, of my sentences start with a subject. However, none of them start with the gerund. This isn’t a problem, but I find it useful to be aware of ways to increase variety in my writing.
The Pacing Report
This is the kind of report I was not expecting but was so pleased to find. The Pacing Report is a great tool for writers who are creative.
You should have some backstory. Too much and you will bore your reader. This tool allows you to identify the slowest sections in your writing and will let you know in a single glance if the content is too much or too little.
The Plagiarism Report
Plagiarism, a big issue for writers is the Plagiarism Report. ProWritingAid can scan millions of articles and academic papers. It will then analyze your writing and identify any lines from other documents.
The Plagiarism checker, unlike other ProWritingAid report types, is not included in the Premium package. Premium Plus lets you purchase fifty Plagiarism Checks per year.
The House Report
Are you employed by an organization that uses an internal stylebook house? ProWritingAid can search for specific patterns or rules within your writing.
The House report is a blank document you can customize to make it your personal. ProWritingAid will generate reports once you’ve told it what to analyze.
Analyze Your Heart’s Content
I’ve mentioned nine of ProWritingAid’s reports above, but that’s not even the half of what this program can do. It’s worth looking at the entire list or sign up for an initial trial for free to play with the program.
Through these reports, you can be as precise as you want in your writing analysis. Explore the depths of readability using the Readability report, and then nitpick each inconsistency with the Consistency report, or just correct grammar mistakes and move on with the Grammar report.
No matter what genre of writing, there are reports that can aid you in improving and refining your work.
Where can I use ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid’s editor is available on the ProWritingAid web site. You can either create your writing in the editor, or copy it from another document.
However, you are not restricted to ProWritingAid’s website. If you compose in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener, you can download a plug-in to add ProWritingAid’s analysis of your writing to the word processor you prefer.
Plus, download the Chrome extension and your own writing checker will follow you around the internet. Don’t worry about typos in your status updates on Facebook!
ProWritingAid vs. Premium
What’s in the box? What do you get when you sign-up for ProWritingAid?
Here’s the breakdown between the premium versions and the free ones.
ProWritingAid Premium – ProWritingAid free
Online Version-Only Access to Desktop Application
Can analyse up to 500 words at once. Can analyze complete length documents at the same time
25 Writing reports 25 Writing reports
Limited results for Word Explorer tool Full Range of Word Explorer tool Results
Integration for MS Word. Google Docs. Chrome. Scrivener
Real Time Grammar and Style Score
Sign up now for ProWritingAid.
The free version of ProWritingAid is a good starting point. Personally, I like the versatility and capacity that comes with the premium version.
What is the price of a premium membership? ProWritingAid is a subscription-based program. You can choose how many years of membership you want, or go all-in for lifetime access.
60dollars for 1
2 Year $90
3 year $120
$210 per year
Register to get ProWritingAid today.
ProWritingAid comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee. You can end your subscription within two weeks if you aren’t satisfied with the service. ProWritingAid can only provide one refund per customer.
The Editor’s Caveat
I’ll add one caveat here that I think is important to mention in any discussion of grammar checking tools and writing tools.
Grammar checkers can assist you to identify problems in your writing and suggest possible solutions. ProWritingAid is exceptionally adept at understanding the context and use and recommending the best solutions. That said, like other grammar checkers, it’s still important that when you use it, you take every suggestion with care and be sure to refuse any suggestions that aren’t helpful.
No matter which grammar-checker you choose to use, if you take all suggestions seriously, you will be prone to mistakes when writing. Grammar checkers can’t replace an experienced editor.
However, they’ll bring you a lot closer to a perfectly edited piece of writing. ProWritingAid’s features go far more than just grammar checkers that I believe it’s an invaluable tool for all writers.
The conclusion is: Would you recommend this editor ProWritingAid to you?
In truth I was skeptical when I first started. I believe that an experienced editor is vital. I’m not convinced that ProWritingAid can replace the human element.
ProWritingAid offers a variety of amazing features. I’ll tell you that ProWritingAid is a great tool for writers at all levels.
You are willing to give ProWritingAida test and see if it improves your writing.
ProWritingAid’s grammar checkers will help you identify and correct errors in writing and teach you how to avoid them.
ProWritingAid’s powerful style and word selection tools can help you improve your writing style.
If you’re like me, you believe you’ve surpassed what a basic writing tool can teach. I urge you to take a look. I love watching my writing break down sentence by sentence and word for word. ProWritingAid can identify patterns I didn’t notice in my writing, so that I can better comprehend and modify my style.
ProWritingAid provides the right feedback to provide you with the assistance you require.
Are you willing to give it another try?