Content editing and proofreading tools are the content marketer’s best friends. No matter how skilled you are with words and how much attention you pay to details, you are still human. You get tired, you get distracted, and boom! A typing or grammar mistake slips in your text. Once some of your readers notice it, they lose confidence in you and the essence of your marketing texts.
This is why you should always pass your articles through content editing and proofreading tools before your publish them. Even if you have to use a premium version of the tools we will present to you below, it’s a good investment. You cannot afford to lose your customers’ trust with shoddy blog writing.
What Are the Features You Should Look for in Content Editing and Proofreading Tools?
The most desirable feature of such tools would be one-click fixes. While this is a good option for grammar mistakes, it is not so when it comes to writing style. Many content editing and proofreading tools are calibrated to measure writing style in terms of simplicity and ease to understand by the average person.
If you are writing for a very large audience, then you can go ahead and follow the recommendations. However, if you are writing on a highly specialized topic for a specific audience, trust your own know-how on the topic. Also, another feature you should look for in your content editing and proofreading tools of choice is the ability to integrate with other software and apps you are using.
Without other explanations, here are our top picks for you:
1. Grammarly
Grammarly remains the top choice for proofreading in English. It works on AI (still on the learning path) and offers several integrations: with Microsoft Word, with your browser as an extension, with Google Docs and it also offers a desktop app.
Grammarly is to be trusted when it comes to grammar (as it name states) and punctuation. One of the strong points of this app is the ability to spot erroneous use of spacing (double spacing, space before a comma or a full stop, etc.) In terms of writing style, however, you should probably use another app or a human editor.
2. Ludwig
While Ludwig is mainly dedicated to non-native English writers, it is one of the most useful content editing and proofreading tools. Some of its features are:
- Getting definitions, examples and synonyms of complex terms;
- Discovering missing words you are looking for;
- Paraphrasing a sentence to make it more intelligible;
- Comparing the frequency of words in a phrase to find the one most people use and understand.
The contextualised examples you get while using Ludwig will help you become a better content writer and wordsmith.
3. Hemingway
Simple and helpful, Hemingway app is one of the best tools for identifying:
- Grammar errors
- Simpler synonyms for words and phrases
- Sentences that are too long and difficult to read
- Writing style errors, such as too many verbs in the passive voice.
The premium version of the Hemingway app offers a desktop app, as well. This desktop app does not require internet connection and also helps you to format your content. Another useful feature is the one-click button to publish the edited text to WordPress and Medium.
4. Headline Analyzer
We included Headline Analyzer on our list of content editing and proofreading tools because we believe in the importance of a great headline. Developed by the Advanced Marketing Institute and offered for free, Headline Analyzer will calculate an Emotional Marketing Value score for your headline and indicate whether its tone falls into one of the three categories: Intellectual, Empathetic, and Spiritual.
5. Thesaurus and Dictionary
Last but not least, we believe our list of content editing and proofreading tools wouldn’t be complete without a tool that helps you find the right word. Especially because Thesaurus has recently introduced its own writing tool that helps you check grammar and find better synonyms as you type.
Thesaurus is also your trusted source for word definitions and meanings. It also has a Word Games section where you can continually enlarge your vocabulary while having fun with quizzes and crossword puzzles.