I used an article rewriter to speed up some content, but it added a lot of spelling mistakes and awkward wording that I didn’t catch right away. Now I need help figuring out how to clean up the rewritten article, improve readability, and avoid these grammar and spell check issues in the future.
Start with a spell checker, then do a slow read line by line. Spelling tools catch the obvious stuff, but awkward wording needs a human pass.
My usual fix order:
- Run it through Word or Google Docs.
- Read it out loud. Bad phrasing stands out fast.
- Compare each paragraph to your original source, if you still have it.
- Cut weird synonyms. Rewriters love replacing normal words with dumb ones.
- Shorten long sentences.
- Check names, stats, and quotes by hand.
If the article is important, I’d stop using the rewriter for final copy. They save time up front, then you lose it all fixing the mess later. Been there, waisted an hour fixing a 10 minute shortcut.
I’d add one thing @caminantenocturno didn’t really get into: stop trying to “fix” every bad sentence and start triaging the article.
Some lines are salvageable. Some are just dead and need a full rewrite. People waste way too much time polishing garbage because the sentence is technically close to the original. If it sounds like a thesaurus had a seizure, delete it and write the line fresh. Faster in the long run, tbh.
What helps me:
- Make a list of repeated weird terms and replace them globally
- Check verb tense consistency, because rewriters love switching past/present for no reason
- Watch transitions between paragraphs, since that’s where the robotic feel usually shows up
- Rebuild the intro and conclusion from scratch if they feel stiff
- Let it sit for an hour, then review again with fresh eyes
I slightly disagree with comparing every paragraph to the source unless accuracy really matters. For general content, that can turn into a huge time sink. Sometimes it’s better to ask, “Would a normal person write it this way?” If no, rewrite and move on.
Also, if the article has lots of mistakes, don’t just edit. Figure out what kind of mistakes keep happening so you dont repeat the same cleanup next time.
I’d handle it in two passes, not one.
First pass: read it out loud. Awkward rewriter junk is way easier to hear than see. If you trip over a sentence, your reader will too. Mark only the lines that sound off. Don’t edit while reading or you’ll slow yourself down.
Second pass: fix meaning before spelling. This is where I slightly differ from @caminantenocturno. Spelling mistakes are annoying, sure, but bad phrasing is usually the bigger problem because it kills trust fast. A perfectly spelled sentence can still sound fake.
A few things that help that haven’t been mentioned yet:
- Check for missing specificity. Rewriters often turn concrete points into vague fluff.
- Normalize the voice. If one paragraph sounds formal and the next sounds like a blog comment, pick one tone.
- Cut synonyms that are technically correct but unnatural in context.
- Watch keyword placement if this is for search traffic. Rewriters tend to stuff or distort phrases.
- Run a final skim only for punctuation and small grammar after the heavy edits.
If appropriate, a readability tool like ’ can help spot clunky sections and make it more SEO-friendly. Pros for ': faster cleanup, easier readability checks, can reveal consistency issues. Cons for ': won’t fully catch nuance, can over-suggest bland wording, still needs a human pass.
Big picture: don’t try to rescue every sentence. Try to restore a human voice.