Academic writing can be a challenge — you need to get the tone of your essays right, make sure all your arguments tie together and ensure your spelling and grammar is at an excellent level.
Luckily, you don’t have to do it all on your own — there are plenty of grammar apps you can use to improve your writing skills. Whether you’re searching for an app that checks for plagiarism, translates or offers spelling corrections, there’s an app out there that suits your needs.
To get you started, we’ve rounded up the best grammar apps available so you can start improving your English language skills right away.
Ginger
Ginger is a comprehensive grammar and language checker from Ginger Software. Available in an online, desktop and app-based format, this app not only checks your spelling and grammar but also provides contextual spelling correction. Additionally, it picks up on phonetic spelling mistakes and offers suggestions to make your writing sound smoother and more natural.
Ginger also provides English practice courses based on your mistakes, making it one of the best apps to improve writing skills as well as comprehension. Ginger can even translate to 40 languages.
To use it, start up the app and start typing. Any options for fixing your text will appear in a pop-up window at the top of your screen.
While Ginger is one of the most powerful grammar apps for international students, it comes with a large price tag. A premium subscription to Ginger is US$19.99/month on a monthly subscription or US$12.48/month on an annual subscription.
Pros: Highlights your errors in real-time; an easy-to-use app.
Cons: Expensive; no plagiarism check; the pop-ups can be annoying and distracting.
Whitesmoke
If you’re looking for grammar apps to improve your essay writing skills, look no further than Whitesmoke. Whitesmoke is a grammar-checking tool that can be used with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook to ensure your writing is always accurate.
Input your text into the main text box and click on any of the option buttons in the top menu. “Writer” will be your main tool. The grammar checker analyses your work. Identifies grammatical or punctuation errors, and offers alternatives. The spell checker points out instances of incorrect spelling and provides potential substitutions.
Whitesmoke’s language database is constantly updated, so your writing always evolves with the times. It also comes with a plagiarism checker and can translate into 55 languages.
At just US$10/month for web operation, and US$13.33/month for the premium software, Whitesmoke is a more affordable option for students.
Pros: Checks grammar in real-time; highlights errors so you can see exactly where they are; has Android keyboard integration so you can avoid typos on your phone; affordable.
Cons: Not 100% accurate.
Grammarly
Grammarly is probably the most well-known grammar checker app – and with good reason. With both an online and desktop-integrated option, you can choose a way to use Grammarly that suits you best.
Grammarly has the power to pick up on errors related to your use of tense, spelling, style, repetition and contextual spelling. It even lets you set your desired tone of voice before analysing your text and making suggestions to ensure your work aligns with your chosen tone. You can also select what level of expertise your audience has on the subject you’re writing about, from general to expert. Grammarly also has a built-in plagiarism checker, so you can make sure your text is original.
You can use basic Grammarly for free online. However, if you want access to all the available features, you’ll need to pay for a premium subscription, which costs a minimum of US$12/month.
Pros: You can use Grammarly across multiple platforms; you can set your writing tone; there is a free version; Grammarly provides detailed analysis as to why your grammar or spelling is wrong.
Cons: Not 100% accurate; can be a bit slow.
Hemingway
Hemingway is a web-based writing improvement tool named after Ernest Hemingway.
Hemingway analyses your writing to make it clear and easy to understand. It does so by highlighting hard-to-read sentences in yellow and extremely hard-to-read sentences in red. It also underlines the use of passive voice, prompts users to swap out complex words for simpler ones, and encourages the removal of filler words.
Simply input your text into the web-based text box or write in the desktop app, and let Hemingway do the rest. Your errors and suggestions will appear on the right side of your page. Hemingway also provides you with a grade-level readability score; the lower your score, the easier it is to read.
Available both for Apple and Windows, the web-based version is free; otherwise, it’s a one-off payment of US$19.99 for the desktop app. Hemingway is best used to check your final piece of work reads well rather than a sentence by sentence analysis, and for this, the free web-based version is more than sufficient.
Pros: The web-based version is free, it’s simple and easy to use, available for both Windows and Apple, a good student option.
Cons: Incorrectly spelled words are not given alternatives—you’ve got to do this work yourself, it isn’t 100% accurate, and the online version doesn’t save work.
CorrectEnglish
CorrectEnglish is an online tool that provides instant proofreading, so you realise your mistakes in real-time. One of the best apps to improve essay writing, it shows you not only where you’ve made mistakes, but where you can ameliorate your writing. CorrectEnglish provides alternative word options and feedback in nine different languages. You’ll even have access to a template list of commonly-used documents, so you’ll always know how to write what you need. CorrectEnglish also comes with an in-built plagiarism checker.
The platform is a bit pricey, costing a flat fee of US$99 for one year or US$24/month.
Pros: Easy to use; feedback provided in a range of languages.
Cons: Only available online, so the platform cannot be used without an internet connection; no undo button if you make accidental changes; expensive.
There you have it: five top-tier grammar apps to improve essay writing skills, master your assignments and even help you out in your day-to-day communication.
For further grammar help, don’t hesitate to reach out to your education provider. Many institutions have an online grammar guide that covers everything you’ll need to succeed in your course.
Read More: Academic English – Tools for International Students
