Are Spell Checkers Effective?

Modern writers often use automatic spell checkers. They help save time and find many typos and errors. However, these programs and applications have several disadvantages. Read about the pros and cons of spell checking services.

Benefits

Automatic Check

Most programs check incorrectly spelled words automatically. This means that you may not care whether the word was spelled correctly or not.

Word Order in Sentences

Sometimes people can completely involuntarily confuse words. For some writers, this is a real problem, which has even received a scientific name – dyslexia. Programs for spell checking suggest in which order it is better to arrange the words in a sentence.

Tautology Detection

Some spell checkers may indicate frequently repeated words. In this case, they will offer you variants of thesaurus synonyms. This is quite a useful option because tautologies or even simply frequently used words divert attention from the essence of the text. In addition, the reader may get the impression that you have a limited vocabulary, which means that you are not a professional writer. Therefore, if you notice that you have encountered a similar problem, select a program that will help you avoid it.

Improving Writing Skills

If you do not just accept corrections, but also pay attention to the words highlighted by the spell-checker, you will be able to remember your typical mistakes and avoid them in the future. Of course, this process will require additional concentration and time, but your written speech will become much more literate.

Disadvantages

Search for the Most Common Mistakes

These programs are not able to recognize non-standard errors. In addition, they can mark the word that is not in their database as an incorrect one (for example, some kind of archaism or a specific term). That is why users often have to add certain words and grammatical structures to the so-called “personal dictionary.”

Literacy Deterioration

This is perhaps one of the main problems of the generation that is used to writing texts online and checking them with special programs. Previously, people wrote much more attentively, because it was unacceptable to make a mistake using a typewriter or in handwritten text. Otherwise, one would have to start from scratch every time. In its own way, it disciplined writers and provided a kind of guarantee that they knew grammar and spelling well.

With the advent of computers, when it is very easy to erase the incorrectly typed text, people pay less attention to their writing skills. Therefore, if you have suddenly understood that you rely only on online or any other editors, try to get rid of this habit.

Obviously, the spell checkers have both advantages and disadvantages. In fact, they are more beneficial than harmful. However, do not forget that this is just an auxiliary tool that does not guarantee the perfect result. Therefore, you must edit your texts very attentively.