English Writing Checklist: 10 Things to Check Before You Publish
Before you hit publish on that blog post, email, or essay — take five minutes to run through this checklist. Each item uses a free tool to catch common issues and improve your writing.
Bookmark this page and use it as your pre-publish routine. Over time, these checks will become habits.
1. Count Your Words
Tool: Word Counter
Know your length. Is this a short email (100-200 words), a blog post (500-1500 words), or an essay (1500+ words)? The Word Counter gives you instant word count, character count, sentence count, and paragraph count.
2. Check Readability
Tool: Readability Checker
Is your writing easy to read? The Readability Checker scores your text on the Flesch Reading Ease scale. Aim for 60-70 for general audiences. Below 50 means your writing may be hard to follow.
Quick fix: Shorten long sentences. Replace complex words with simpler alternatives.
3. Analyze Your Word Frequency
Tool: Word Frequency Counter
Are you overusing certain words? The Word Frequency Counter shows your most common words. If "good," "very," or "important" appear too often, replace some with synonyms.
4. Check Word Complexity
Tool: Syllable Counter
The Syllable Counter shows how complex your words are. If your average syllable per word is above 1.5, your text may feel academic and difficult. Mix short and long words for better flow.
5. Paraphrase Awkward Sentences
Tool: Paraphrasing Tool
If a sentence does not sound natural, run it through the Paraphrasing Tool. Choose Standard mode for clear rewrites or Formal mode for professional tone. Compare the tool's version with yours and learn from the differences.
6. Find Grammar Issues
Tool: Grammar Checker
Common issues like incorrect prepositions, subject-verb agreement, and missing articles can make writing sound unnatural. The Grammar Checker catches these problems and helps you fix them.
7. Check Case Consistency
Tool: Case Converter
Are your headings in title case? Is "English" always capitalized? Use the Case Converter to quickly normalize capitalization across your document.
8. Compare Before and After
Tool: Text Diff Checker
Save a draft, revise it, and then paste both versions into the Text Diff Checker. Seeing your changes highlighted helps you understand what you changed and why it improved.
9. Read It Aloud
No tool needed — just your voice.
Reading aloud is one of the best editing techniques. You will catch awkward phrasing, missing words, and run-on sentences that your eyes miss when reading silently. If a sentence makes you pause for breath, it is too long.
10. Get a Second Opinion
Tool: Paraphrasing Tool (AI Rewrite)
Run your final draft through the AI Rewrite feature of our Paraphrasing Tool. The AI version is not always better — but comparing your version with the AI version will show you alternative approaches you may not have considered.
Print This Checklist
- Word Counter — check length
- Readability Checker — score 60+
- Word Frequency — check overused words
- Syllable Counter — check complexity
- Paraphrasing Tool — fix awkward sentences
- Grammar Checker — fix errors
- Case Converter — check capitalization
- Text Diff Checker — compare versions
- Read aloud — catch flow issues
- AI Rewrite — get a second version
Bookmark ClearWrite Tools — all these tools are free, no sign-up required. Use them before every publication, and your writing will improve noticeably over time.