Writing content is the art of expressing emotions, ideas, and imagination in the form of words. However, this is not the complete definition. The technical aspects, such as grammatical accuracy, precise word choice, readable sentence composition, etc., are also a part of this skill.
Such a skill can be honed over time with enough practice. However, in this modern age, the process of learning a skill can be sped up. Countless assistive technologies are there to help you in this regard. One such technological invention is online writing tools. Let’s learn a little more about them.
Introduction To Online Writing Tools
Online tools are tools that are accessible on a browser and don’t require downloading anything. This makes these tools accessible to everyone. But what are Writing Tools? These tools are just like all the other online utilities, but their function is related to assisting writers.
The function of these tools can range from pointing out errors in a passage to content idea generation. Such a variety of functions make these tools extremely useful.
How can Online Writing Tools Improve Writing Skills?
If these tools are used in a certain manner, they can be used as learning sources. For example, if you just use a writing tool to automate a process for you and don’t pay any attention to it, then you won’t learn anything.
However, if you observe this automation process closely, you might learn a thing or two about writing. So, if you utilize these tools at a maximum, you will be able to improve your writing skills in a relatively shorter period.
Best Free Tools to Improve Writing Skills
We have picked out a few costless online tools from which you can take assistance as a writer. In the following list, we will explain these tools and also discuss how they can be used.
1. Grammar Check
Grammar Check is an online tool that identifies grammatical flaws in a written sample. These flaws may include:
- Incorrect use of punctuation
- Tense errors
- Spelling mistakes
- Capitalization issues
All of these mistakes are uncovered with the help of this tool. And these mistakes can not only be detected but also fixed with the help of this tool. This is because Grammar Check also shows a few possible replacements. These replacements might make your sentence grammatically accurate.
Here is an example of how this tool shows results:
As you can see in the image, by clicking on the suggestion, the tool will replace the word with it.
Use Case
Now let’s discuss how this tool can be used to enhance your writing skills. Let’s suppose you have written a short article about a particular topic. Once you finish writing, you notice that there might be some incorrect word usage in the article.
Now, you insert your article in the Grammar Check tool. Once the tool performs its function, you come to know that there were quite a few grammar errors in your work. Now what you should do is,
- Study those mistakes
- Note them down
- Avoid them in the future
In this way, you can learn from the mistakes you made and gradually decrease the number of errors in your upcoming writing projects.
2. Hemingway
Hemingway Editor is an online text complexity analyzer. This tool scans a piece of text and then displays a report explaining the readability score of that text. It explains the readability score of text in the form of grades. These grades explain how qualified a reader should be in order to understand that text.
For example, if the readability score of a passage is Grade 7, then it can be understood by anyone that has the reading capability of a middle school student. Similarly, higher readability scores like 12 and onwards hint that reading the inserted text requires the reader to have high knowledge about the language.
Use Case
Just like the previous tool, this tool can also be used to improve a specific aspect of your writing. The last tool helped in improving grammar. Similarly, this tool can help you maintain the readability of your phrases.
When you create a written draft and enter it into Hemingway Editor, you can see exactly which sentences are hard to read. If you analyze these sentences carefully, you will be able to find a way to make them easier to read.
This will:
- Improve the flow of your writing
- Facilitate the reader in terms of understanding what’s written
- Convey a message clearly
After repeating this process a few times, you will be able to structure readable sentences subconsciously.
3. Thesaurus
Thesaurus is an online source to improve your expertise in English vocabulary. There are multiple methods that this tool uses to help writers enhance their writing proficiency in terms of lexicon.
For example, here are a few interesting sections of this site that contribute to writing improvement:
- Word of the day
- Synonym of the day
- Synonyms for overused words
Other than these sections, there are interesting games and learning opportunities available on this platform. These are also extremely useful.
Use Case
The use case of this tool is pretty self-explanatory. All you have to do in order to utilize this tool is visit the site every day. You can simply learn new words just by visiting this site. However, in order to actually memorize these words and make them a regular part of your writing, you should follow some exercises.
If you see a new word on the Thesaurus web page, you can,
- Write it down
- Try to use it in random sentences.
For example, if the word of the day is Anamnesis, you can make sentences out of it like,
- The old man went into a state of anamnesis when his late wife was mentioned.
- Having a session of anamnesis is often helpful in terms of freshening your mind.
This exercise will permanently engrave the meaning of a word into your mind.
4. Paraphraser
Paraphraser is an online tool that rephrases sentences to make them more readable or improve their quality in general.
Paraphrasing is a technique in which a phrase is revised without damaging its literal meaning. It can be done by implementing various methods. For example, you can:
- Replace words with matching words
- Restructure the sentence
Such techniques are used to paraphrase a sentence.
In the following image, you can see how this tool has altered the inserted text and converted it into a modified and refined version.
The changes are also highlighted, so you can decide which alterations to keep and which to remove.
Use Case
Most people don’t realize the true potential of online paraphrasing tools. They simply use it to elevate the quality of their work. However, just like a few previously discussed tools, if you actually review the changes this tool makes to your writing, you can learn a bunch of new things.
Like for example, in the previous section, an image is shown in which a sentence is rephrased using Paraphraser. In that image, you can clearly see that a number of edits have been made. If you study these modifications, you can learn new words. In this example, the words one might not have known previously are:
- Intellect
- Intrigue
In some cases, you can also learn the correct ways to compose a particular sentence. In this way, the number of mistakes in your writing decreases.
5. Coschedule
Coschedule is a diversified platform with multiple tools. However, we are going to discuss its headline analyzer. The headline and subheadings of written content are equally significant as the body.
This tool helps you polish the quality of your headlines. Especially if you are writing for an audience, the headlines play a very significant role. The headline analysis report of this tool looks like this:
The variety of different stats shown in this report is extremely helpful in crafting a compelling headline.
Use Case
This tool can also be used as a study source. There is a decent number of tips shown in the Coschedule headline analysis. If you try to understand these tips, you can implement them the next time you create a headline for written content.
Consequently, the standard of your content headlines will progressively ameliorate. To elaborate a little further, let’s suppose a situation:
- You entered your headline in the Coschedule tool to see a report. You notice that the tool recommends that you use a few uncommon words. As per suggestion, you incorporate a few high-quality words in the headline. This gives you a lesson.
In this way, the next time you create a headline, you will make sure that it has s few complex words. Similarly, any other recommendations by the tool can be utilized to make more persuasive headlines.
Final Thoughts
Writing is a commendable skill that can be learned with enough determination and dedication. This skill-acquiring period can be made more productive with the help of a few online tools, such as the ones discussed in the above post.
If you use these tools, you will be able to simultaneously improve the quality of your work and also learn new things. This is the most profitable and effective way of learning. Also, the use of all these tools is considered completely ethical, and no one can say that it is a petty shortcut to a proper learning process.