How to Fix Your English When It Isn't Your First Language

If English is not your first language, the best tool fixes your mistakes without replacing your voice. It should also tell you why something was wrong, or you will make the same mistake next week.

English is not my first language either, so I know the goal: send the email without asking anyone to check it, and still sound like yourself.

Catch mistakes while you write

Proofread as you type underlines mistakes in the app you are using, on Windows or Mac. It also catches real words used in the wrong place, like "loose" for "lose" or "their" for "there", which a basic spell checker misses. Hover the underline to see the fix and a short reason.

This part is free and does not use your actions.

Fix a sentence and keep your words

Select the sentence and press Ctrl+Shift+C to run Rewrite. It fixes spelling, grammar and punctuation, and it keeps your words. Your meaning stays yours, which is what you want in a message to your manager.

When the grammar is right but the sentence still sounds strange, press Ctrl+Shift+L to run Alternatives. It shows a few versions, and reading them is a good way to hear how the same idea can sound more natural.

Find out why

Press Ctrl+Shift+H to run Proofread on a selection. It marks each mistake and says why, without rewriting your sentence.

For a word or phrase you do not understand, press Ctrl+Shift+X to run Explain. It gives you a plain explanation, and you can ask for it in your own language.

When you think in another language

Sometimes it is easier to write the message in your own language first. Select it, press Ctrl+Shift+T, and translate it to English. Then adjust the result in plain words.

A fair warning

No tool will make you sound like a native speaker on its own, and you should still read what you send. Edyt can miss things, and it does not know your workplace or how formal your team is. Your own prompts help here, because you can tell it how you like to write.

The free plan has 30 actions a week. Pro is $8 a month or $60 a year, with no limit on actions. If you want to try it without installing anything, Edyt Web runs in your browser.

Try it on the next email you would normally ask someone to check.