Mistakes in your written work simply don’t look good. Whether you are writing a college paper, marketing material for your work or simply a private social media post, your written content will always reflect on you. But what does it say? Does it say ‘this is a person who is in control of their communication?’, or does it say ‘this is someone who is careless with their words?’
Whatever the reason for a typo, the truth is it promotes a bad reputation. And it’s an easy situation to resolve if you know how to do it. Here are ten easy and effective tips for getting rid of written mistakes forever.
Proofread your work
This may sound obvious, because it is, but the vast majority of mistakes come about simply because people do not take the time to actually re-read what they have written. A good number of mistakes can be identified and corrected just by proofreading. There’s no excuse.
Get someone else to proofread your work (a second pair of eyes)
Sometimes you can just benefit from another person reading through your work. Obviously if you trust this person to be competent and thorough then even better. It’s amazing what a second pair of eyes can spot in terms of grammar mistakes, spelling errors, punctuation faux pas and general readability.
Come back to it a little later
Rushing is usually the reason for many of the typical mistakes made. Often the best approach is to write something, leave it aside for a little while, and then come back to it and read it with a fresh focus.
Read your work aloud
It might sound right in your head, but the real test is whether it sounds right when you read it aloud. Let those words hang in the air and use your ears to decide if you have truly conveyed what you wanted to say. Those errors will pop out at you too.
Read it in a different format (device or print it)
Take the words off the screen by printing your writing out and making corrections that way. Or even read it on a different device or even in a different font. Change it up to really spot those deep-down errors
Proofread separately for different kinds of mistakes
Take the time to proofread several times for a different style of mistake or error each time. The first time concentrate on the general readability of your content. The second time start paying attention to spelling. The third time consider punctuation, and so on. By categorizing the mistakes and proofreading separately each time you greatly increase the chance of cutting out all those errors.
Make a list of your common errors (and so know what to look for)
This should be a continual learning process. If you do this right, and you pay attention, then it should be easier for you to write written content that contains less mistakes in the future than it is now. If it isn’t, then you are simply not learning. And saying that you don’t have the right tool is beside the point – it’s your writing.
The first thing to do is identify and categorize the types of mistakes you are making. So, for example, once you have noticed (or someone has pointed out) that you are using ‘their’ when you should be used ‘there’, then this automatically becomes a mistake that you check for when you are proofreading. Awareness of the problem is the first step to success in the future.
Use a reliable spellchecker
There are some incredible tools out there that can automatically check your spelling, grammar and even style (in terms of whether it’s suitable to your chosen audience). A smart, intuitive tool such as Linguix allows you to pre-set parameters in terms of the style and tone you want to achieve, and then evaluates mistakes in that context. That’s far more than a spellchecker.
Check definitions
Are you completely comfortable with the actual words that you are using? Do you know the definitions of those words? Having easy access to definitions not only allows you to cherry-pick the perfect word for the occasion but allows a level of learning as you write, making you a better wordsmith for the future. It’s not just about producing error-free content but growing into the task. The Linguix definitions tool, which allows you to access definitions simply by hovering over the word in question, can facilitate your growth as a writer.
Learn and use synonyms
Another aspect to writing well is not repeating yourself. Having access to synonyms means you can add variety to your writing and again cherry-pick the most suitable word for the occasion. With Linguix you get access to a large bank of synonyms for any given word, once again facilitating your growth as a writer through widening your own vocabulary bank.
Did you know that the last three tips offered here – using a reliable spelling or grammar checker, checking definitions, and learning and using synonyms, can all be solved by utilizing one convenient tool. Linguix is an AI-driven writing assistant that goes far beyond a grammar and spellchecking service (which it also does to a great standard).
Easily get definitions and synonyms of every word that you click on and even avail of a readability score for your written content. A host of other statistics will let you know, among other things, the average length of your sentences, the time it will take to read your content and the suitability of your content to a pre-defined audience.
You can also download the Linguix extension for Chrome, Firefox or Edge and then avail of the grammar and spellchecking tool on millions of your favorite websites and apps – corrections are offered as you type directly on the web.
The solution to your writing mistakes is at hand.
