Edit for clarity, the way editors do
Paste a draft and the Clarity Checker colours the things that most often make writing hard to follow:
- Hard sentences (yellow background) and very hard sentences (red): long sentences, or ones with many long words, measured with the Flesch–Kincaid grade for each sentence.
- Passive voice: “The report was written by the team” hides who acted. “The team wrote the report” is shorter and clearer.
- -ly adverbs: often a sign the verb is too weak (“ran quickly” → “sprinted”).
- Wordy phrases with concise replacements you can apply in one click.
The approach will be familiar if you have used the Hemingway Editor: it is a free alternative that runs in your browser, works offline and never uploads your text.
How to use the highlights
You don’t need zero highlights. A few passive sentences are fine when the actor is unknown or unimportant (“The museum was founded in 1902”), and some adverbs are exactly right. Aim for fewer very hard sentences than paragraphs and trim the rest where it helps.
Click any highlight in the list to jump to it; click the legend chips to show or hide a category. Your text is saved in this browser so you can come back to it, and you can send it to the Desk to keep writing with these checks switched on.
Worked example
Here is what the Clarity Checker returns for its built-in example. Click Try an example in the tool above to load it, then change it as you like.
In order to succeed, the report was written by the team in a timely manner. It is important to note that the results were very, very good.
Basically, at the end of the day, we really need to think outside the box and leverage our synergy. Their is a lot of work to do, and the the deadline is close.
The chairman said that you guys should of known better. Its a fact that the data was analysed carefully and the color of the charts was chosen for clarity.| Found | Type | Suggestion |
|---|---|---|
| “was written” | Passive voice | — |
| “was analysed” | Passive voice | — |
| “was chosen” | Passive voice | — |
| “Basically” | -ly adverb | — |
| “really” | -ly adverb | — |
| “carefully” | -ly adverb | — |
| “In order to” | Wordy phrase | To |
| “in a timely manner” | Wordy phrase | promptly |
Questions
Is this a free Hemingway Editor alternative?
Yes. It highlights hard sentences, passive voice, adverbs and wordy phrases, works offline, and runs entirely in your browser.
How is a “hard” sentence decided?
Each sentence of 8+ words gets a Flesch–Kincaid grade. Grade 10 or 25+ words is “hard”; grade 14 or 35+ words is “very hard”.
Should I remove all passive voice?
No. Passive voice is useful when the actor is unknown or unimportant. Remove it where it hides responsibility or makes a sentence longer than it needs to be.
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