AbiWord is a free, open source word processing application that is supported by a variety of operating systems including Linux, Unix, Mac OSX and Microsoft Windows. As a spell checker, AbiWord can be used to proof text created in more than 30 languages, including Hebrew and Arabic. AbiWord also offers a thesaurus.
LanguageTool is open source software that can be used with a variety of languages including English, Romanian, French and German. It can be used to pick up mistakes in spelling and grammar that might not be caught by other programs. To install the program, users must have Java version 5.0 or later. LanguageTool can be installed either as an add-on to OpenOffice or as a stand-alone interface. In stand-alone mode, users can type text in or paste it from another program and run a spelling or grammar check.
RightWriter is a Windows-compatible program that can be used with a variety of applications, including Microsoft Word, WordPerfect and Internet Explorer. RightWriter checks for spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes and is designed for use with business, school and personal documents. Once installed, users can copy and paste text into RightWriter for analysis. After running a letter, paper or email through RightWriter, users receive a report that includes suggestions on how to improve sentence structure and readability.
Grammarly is a web-based program that checks for errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation. It proofreads text for grammatical problems such as run-on sentences and dangling modifiers, and it checks for plagiarism and creates references automatically. Grammarly provides explanations of errors and gives suggestions on how to best improve writing. Corrections can be made in Grammarly's text editor.