As a freelance writer, you know how important it is to remove grammar errors and punctuation mistakes from your articles. Having poor grammar can lower your value as a freelance writer. You might not even get a project at all.
Proofreading your work is one of the ways to get rid of mistakes, but it can be time-consuming. Hurray, for there are many free online grammar checker and punctuation corrector tools that are available now.
Use them to catch most of your mistakes before you submit your content to your editor or proofreader.
Here are free tools that you can use for your writing projects.
Grammarly
A favorite among freelance writers and the most popular free grammar and punctuation checker tool.
You can choose between a free and paid version, but for basic corrections on grammar and punctuations, the free version does the job well. For more advanced issues like style and plagiarism, the paid version is the one for you.
Grammarly can help you detect 250 writing errors. It has a browser extension for all popular web browsers. A useful tool for checking the content that you type on the web. Your Facebook posts, emails, and all other platforms will now be grammar and error free.
Ginger
Another popular checker for punctuation is Ginger. Some freelance writers prefer to use Ginger over Grammarly which shows that the difference is not that far off.
You can use the tool as a comma checker, sentence rephraser, and writing coach.
You can add Ginger as a browser extension or download programs for Windows and Mac. There is an Android keyboard that helps mobile users type correctly on their device.
After The Deadline
This tool is from Automattic, the same company who made WordPress.
This tool was designed mainly for use with WordPress, but it has a standalone service that you can use.
You don’t need to register an account to use this tool, go directly to the Polish My Writing site and paste your text to check all errors.
WhiteSmoke
This is a powerful tool for checking grammar, style, punctuation, and plagiarism.
It is a paid service, but it offers a free trial for a time. A useful solution if you need a checker right now.
Virtual Writing Tutor
This tool may not be as powerful as Ginger or Grammarly, but as a basic checker for punctuation and grammar, it can do the work for you.
If you keep on making errors with commas, this tool can help you make the needed corrections.
You don’t need to sign up for an account to use the service. You can have up to 500 words checked as an unknown visitor. For more words up to 3,000 max, you need to register an account.
Gregory’s Writing Site Punctuation Checker
For a basic scan for punctuation use, this tool can do the job for you. It does not scan for errors but analyzes your punctuation usage.
The free tool allows up to 10,000 words for checking without having an account.
Hemingway Editor
This tool focuses more on style checking than correcting punctuation errors. Using it as a secondary checker can make your writing better.
Hemingway can be enjoyed for free without having to register for an account.
All of the tools above are helpful in catching basic punctuation errors.
For 100% error free checking, there is no replacement for human proofreading.
The best tool among those shown is Grammarly, its free and does a great job of detecting errors. You can add it to your browser as an extension.
You can also use multiple tools for a more thorough check of your work.