Tools
Grammar checker for academic writing
Academic writing has its own grammar rules — passive voice is often preferred, contractions are banned, and hedging language (may, might, suggests) matters. A general grammar checker built for marketing copy will flag half your best sentences. Here's what to actually look for.
What academic grammar checkers must handle
Passive voice in methods sections ('data were collected' is correct APA style, not a mistake). Long, syntactically complex sentences (academic writing tolerates 30+ words per sentence). Discipline vocabulary (medical, legal, engineering terms should not be flagged as spelling errors). Citation-adjacent syntax (parenthetical author-year should not break sentence flow scoring). Hedging language (may, might, appears to, suggests — these are features, not weaknesses).
Grammarly for academic writing
Set the domain to 'Academic' in settings — this suppresses the anti-passive-voice flag and loosens sentence-length penalties. Grammarly Premium adds 'formality' scoring that catches contractions and colloquialisms. Weak on discipline vocabulary.
ProWritingAid
Better than Grammarly for long-form academic writing (dissertations, theses). Reports on sticky sentences, transitions, and pacing that Grammarly misses. Slower — plan for a 30-second wait per chapter. Discipline vocabulary is still weak.
LanguageTool (free / $5/mo)
Open-source, privacy-first (your text isn't used for training). Weakest of the three on style, strongest on non-English proper nouns and technical terms. Free tier is enough for most undergrads.
Our /tools/grammar-checker
Free, no signup, tuned for US college writing. Catches grammar, passive voice, wordiness, and APA 7 basic style violations (contractions, second-person 'you', undefined acronyms). Best used as a first pass before Grammarly.
What no grammar checker will catch
Weak thesis. Unsupported claims. Missing citations. Wrong citation style. Circular arguments. For these, you need an editor — see /services/essay-editing-help.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grammarly enough for academic writing?
For grammar, spelling, and clarity — yes. For structure, citations, and evidence — no. Pair Grammarly with our essay checker for structural feedback.
Will a grammar checker fix APA 7 formatting?
Some catch surface issues (contractions, second-person, unspaced em dashes). None format your reference list, title page, or running head. Format those manually against the APA 7 manual.
Free or paid?
For undergrads: LanguageTool free + our grammar checker + our essay checker. Total cost: $0. For grad students writing daily: Grammarly Premium ($12/mo student rate) is worth it.
Need a professional edit?
Our US editors return a fully marked-up draft with tracked changes in 24-72 hours. Order at https://tutorsgallery.org/orders/stud/new, choose "Editing."