Nobody’s perfect, and mistakes happen despite all the time we spend typing emails, text messages, posting on social media and writing in word processors. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t work on improving your writing habits.
Perhaps the most critical time to double-check spelling and grammar is when working on your resume. Imagine having the qualifications for a great job but missing out due to careless errors. Tap or click here for five tips to help you avoid mistakes on your resume.
We’ve come a long way from simple spellcheck built into word processing software. Many apps now come with spellchecking tools, and you can always use free third-party software online. Keep reading for a few examples.
Microsoft’s answer
Microsoft’s Edge browser has come a long way, adding a password monitor and generator, new themes, more privacy controls, automatic coupon scans, dark mode and more. Tap or click here to see how Edge stacks up against Chrome.
Microsoft Editor is an extension you can add to Edge or Google Chrome that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide suggestions and corrections for spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Style tips for clarity, conciseness, formality and vocabulary are also included to help improve your writing skills. Editor works with social media, email and word-processing apps. Editor is free, but you’ll need a Microsoft Account.
Tap or click here to get Editor for Edge.
Tap or click here to get Editor for Chrome.
Here comes Google
Google has “assistive writing features” for Google Docs that aim to strengthen your writing style rather than just fix spelling and grammar.
You’ll get prompts to use an active voice, better choices of words, concise phrases, inclusive language and word warnings as you type. Tone and style suggestions are underlined in purple. Select the underline to get a suggestion that you can reject or accept.
Google began rolling out these features last year, but not all Workspace users will have access:
- Word choice, Active voice, Conciseness and Inclusive language will be available for Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus and Education Plus subscribers.
- Word Warnings will be available for Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Standard, Education Plus and Teaching and Learning Upgrade subscribers.
Other popular options
Grammarly offers spelling, grammar and punctuation suggestions at no cost. You can subscribe to the Premium and Business plans starting at $12 per month for more tools, including style, plagiarism detection, word choice, fluency and more. Click here for more details.
Hemingway Editor works right in your browser, with no download needed. You can copy and paste text in the dialogue box and the program checks your grammar, spelling, voice, sentence structure and more.
The color of the highlight indicates the error or suggestion. Check it out at hemingwayapp.com. There’s also an app you can purchase for $19.99 if you want to work offline.
Of course, ChatGPT has been all the rage since it was released in November 2022. The AI chatbot can help with most things, including writing, grammar and spell check. Tap or click here for everything you need to know about ChatGPT.