How do you currently proofread what you type on your computer? Type it in Google? Paste it into Word? Or do you use a proofreading website that you paste your text into? I am definitely guilty of copying and pasting (or just typing) a word into Google Search to double check my spelling.

But there's a better way – a tool that integrates into your browser and almost all websites across the Internet. It’s called Grammarly Lite, a free browser extension that integrates proofreading tools directly into websites. In addition, we've featured on our Best Of Chrome Extensions Page.

Why Even Bother Correcting Typos?

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Alright – deep breath, Aaron. Don’t freak out on them for asking this. First, there’s a difference between honest typos and intentional typos. Honest typos happen to all of us. I've found them in published articles of mine, which drives me crazy since I’m pretty keen on proofreading. Intentional typos, however are different.

For you to even see the value in Grammarly Lite, you first must see the value in wanting to correct what you type. I recommend reading Dave’s opinion about why typos matter.

Initial Setup For Grammarly Lite

At the time of writing this article, Grammarly is currently available for Firefox, Chrome and Safari, although they’re planning on releasing an extension for Internet Explorer.

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After you visit the download and install it, you’ll be asked for your email address, which they use to maintain your personal dictionary. You won’t ever need to sign in to use Grammarly Lite.

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Next you will be prompted to go through a short tour, which I feel is always a good idea.

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What Grammarly Lite Does For You

Grammarly Lite isn’t just a spell checker – it’s your all-in-one proofreading solution. In addition to checking your spelling, it features a grammar checker, thesaurus and dictionary, all accessible in almost all popular websites that you visit.

Common Spelling & Grammatical Error Checking

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Grammarly Lite can catch the majority of the common spelling and grammar errors that you might make. Above is an image of Grammarly Lite detecting a spelling error in a Dropbox folder sharing window and below is an image of it catching a grammar error in a Buffer window on Facebook.

grammarly grammar check

Look Up Synonyms For Words While You Type

There are numerous times where you might want to find a similar word, but can’t think of one. You could go to Thesaurus.com, which is a good website, but you have to navigate away from your writing, which could potentially cause you to lose your train of thought. It’d be nice to have a tool to look up related words right from where you’re writing.

grammarly grammar check

Thankfully, Grammarly Lite allows you to do this. When in a text field, you can double click on any word and a popup will display synonyms.

Grab The Definition Of Any Word

Have you ever been reading an article and come across a word that you don’t know how to pronounce or know the meaning of? Me too. Also, I’m sometimes just curious about where a word was derived from or would like to know more about it. Sure, you could paste it into Google or Dictionary.com, but wouldn't it be better to stay on the same page the article is on? Grammarly thought so too, which is why the allow you to look up any word simply by double clicking it.

Supported Websites

Grammarly Lite works on the majority of popular websites, and you are probably not going to run into any that it doesn’t work with. However, if you do, you can quickly and easily suggest it to them. Below is a list of some popular websites that it’s compatible with.

Grammarly Lite Vs. Grammarly Pro

You may notice once downloading and using Grammarly Lite that there is a pro version as well. So what are you missing out on? There are some pretty helpful features that come with the pro version.

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These are word choice, which will detect if you’re using a word in the wrong way, subject-verb agreement, pronoun use, run-ons and comma splice. Everyone is different, so you may want to do the 7-day free trial of Grammarly Pro and see how much it impacts you. After that week is over, you’ll probably find out pretty quickly whether you’re having grammar withdraws or not.

Download Grammarly Lite

If you have an questions about Grammarly Lite or suggestions for them, you can contact them, view the Knowledge Base or submit your question/suggestion on their UserVoice page.

If you’re a currently Grammarly Lite user, what were your spell and grammar checking methods before you integrated this gem into your workflow? If you aren’t currently a Grammarly Lite user what are you using now and do you see Grammarly Lite replacing your existing methods?

Image Credit: No Idea What I'm Doing - Hedgehog