How Many Times Should You Proofread Your Writing?

How many times should you proofread your writing? At least three times.

You are a writer, blogger, or author and love to write. Perhaps you are a student and writing essays, which is hard work.

But the expectations are very high from people who will read your writing, especially online readers.

They want well-written, accurate, and fresh new content that informs or adds value to their lives.

Be proud of your writing

Your blog is online and available to the world, so it deserves attention to detail when you write new content. That’s why proofreading is vital to your success.

Most bloggers work part-time, but as your traffic grows, so does the amount of work you need to put into it.

Having a blog is so much more rewarding than posting articles on free sites. It is about connecting with your audience and wanting them to come back. Building a relationship and developing trust with your readers is critical if you want to improve your blog.

You don’t want readers to forget about you after they come across one of your articles and notice errors and typos. Instead, you want them to bookmark your site and come back to check if you have anything new on your blog.

There are so many options available to bloggers to build a great site and find new readers.

But one of the most critical elements of an excellent blog is proofreading your articles.

It’s not enough to write a new article. You have to check that it is perfect every time.

Even if a text is highly informative, no one enjoys reading any text containing basic spelling and grammar errors.

This attention to detail and accuracy applies to all forms of writing, not only blogging and social media posts.

No matter what you write, how many times should you proofread a document, an essay, a short story, or an article?

Proofread your writing at least twice

After you write your first draft, put it away for a day or two if you have the time.

It lets you refresh your mind and look at your work later with a clear head.

All writers love their work, but rushing into proofreading can lead you to miss small mistakes that you could easily correct.

After you take a break, you can find errors much easier.

When you’re ready, start by reading your text line by line from top to bottom. Note and correct any errors you find.

Then read it from bottom to top.

When you read backward, you are not distracted by the flow of the article or story.

It helps you concentrate on each sentence, which makes it easier to spot errors.

When you read your writing backward, you tend to pay attention more to each individual sentence or word.

This is a useful technique for longer forms of writing such as essays, short stories, or even book manuscripts.

Another useful tip is to read it aloud. This method can help you concentrate at a word level.

After careful proofreading, you may want to write a second draft.

If this is the case, start your proofreading process anew after you complete your rewrite.

Once you have made all your corrections and you are happy with your text, it’s time for the next step.

Have someone else read your text

You might think that your article, essay, or story is excellent after you proofread it.

But now it’s time for another pair of eyes. Since you probably don’t have an editor, ask a friend or family member to read it.

Someone else will be completely unbiased because they have no attachment to the text they will read.

Ask them to check and note mistakes or typos and give you their thoughts, feedback, or suggestions.

Maybe they won’t like the way some of your sentences flow or your choice of vocabulary.

They might suggest you delete a sentence because it doesn’t fit or sound right, or they could have ideas about better word choices.

All of their suggestions will help you make improvements to your text.

You do not have to apply everything they suggest, but you might find something worth changing for the better.

Use online proofreading tools

You can’t afford professional proofreading, but you can get help.

Now that your text has been read at least three times, there is one more check to do.

It’s time to use an online spelling and grammar tool.

There are many helpful free grammar tools that you can use online.

When you find one you prefer, you’ll have a great tool to help you every time you write.

But whichever one you choose, it’s time to let it help you find the little things like missing commas, unclear pronouns, or capitalization errors.

Also, watch out for any passive sentences you might want to change to active voice.

You might see suggestions to change a sentence slightly or to change your tone.

It’s up to you to decide whether to apply these changes, but it’s worth considering them carefully.

One benefit of using a grammar checker is that it can help you learn from your mistakes and improve your writing.

Take pride in your writing

You should always take pride in your writing, even if thorough proofreading means it will take a little longer to publish.

It is far better to be patient and make sure your writing is error-free.

For a blogger, if you write and edit your articles well, it will pay off in the long run.

It will help you to increase your traffic and attract loyal readers.

But being proud of your writing applies to all forms of writing and every writer.

If you are a business writer or an essay or short story writer, meticulous proofreading is always a must.

Whatever text you write, it is always important because you want it to be read, understood, and appreciated.

Never try to rush. Take the time you need to make sure your writing is perfect.

Summary

At a minimum, you should proofread at least twice yourself, once by someone else, and complete a check with a reliable online grammar tool.

But the more times you proofread and check your work, the better.

You might use a checking tool while you write or shortly after you finish your text.

Sometimes it’s better to ask someone else to proofread before you do.

Then there are times when you’ll read your text many times before you are satisfied.

The correct answer to the question is that you need to proofread your writing as many times as it takes to get it right.

You can definitely proofread too little, but you can never proofread too much.

Related reading: 10 Very Common Writing Mistakes New Writers Can Make