If you’re a writer who often uses tools like Grammarly or the Hemingway App to check your grammar and readability, but have wanted to do more, I started using a tool a while ago that’s got all that in it, plus much more. Not only does ProWritingAid check grammar and readability, it also checks other things like
- Repeats
- Structure
- Consistency
- Plagiarism (limited)
In this post, I’ll explain more about how to use it and the different things it checks in your writing.
Grammar
This is the most obvious one. Grammar is important in all types of writing because it helps the reader understand what you’re saying.
Readability
Most websites ask for a readability of grade 5 or 6. The Readability report provides not only the grade level the piece is at, but also readability scores on other scales, like Fleisch-Kincaid, Coleman-Liau, the Automated Readability Index, and the Dale-Chall Grade. The report also includes other information, like the percentage of glue words, readability by paragraph, overused words, sentence structure, the number of transitions and repeated phrases.
Consistency
The consistency check shows whether your spelling, hyphenation, quote mark usage, and ellipsis usage are all consistent. It shows you where the inconsistencies are so you can fix them.
Fiction
This report only applies to fiction writers. It highlights dialogue and dialogue tags. The pacing report shows you the slower parts of your story so you can spread them out.
House
This is a custom report you can create in the settings in ProWritingAid. It’s useful if you have a certain style you like to stick to for your work, or if you have a client who has a certain style they like you to use. You create it by going to Settings and defining different patterns to look for in the User Patterns section.
How to Use ProWritingAid
There are a few different ways you can use ProWritingAid. You can open the website and type directly into the editing tool. You can also install their browser extensions, and ProWritingAid will edit your writing in whatever website you’re using. However, if you also have the Grammarly extension installed, you may want to disable it – I’ve had problems with the two conflicting.
How I Use ProWritingAid
I start by typing my drafts in Draft. Once I’ve got my draft the way I like it, I’ll copy and paste it into the editing tool. Then I’ll run through the different reports and make changes, run it through Copyscape, and either copy and paste it onto the client’s website or format it and download it straight from ProWritingAid and email it or upload it, depending on the client.
These are just some of the features ProWritingAid has, there are many others. The best way to find out if ProWritingAid is worth it is to check it out for yourself, however. You can try it for free by going to the website, scrolling all the way to the bottom and clicking the “Try for Free” button. If you like ProWritingAid and decide to continue using it, it’s just $25 for a 1-year license – that’s a small investment to make sure your freelance writing articles and blog posts always read the way they should.
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