Introduction

Code and copy are very much alike. In the same way that code rarely works first try, text usually has mistakes first time around - I think it's wise to accept that you may have to iterate on it a bit to get it right. Spelling and grammar checkers are a bit like a complier in that they are necessary to flag the equivalent of syntax errors but a human element is necessary to pick up the less obvious errors.

Motivation

I'm extremely bad at spelling and typing so I'm constantly looking for errors in my own work. Over time, this behavior has leaked, so I'm subconsciously proofreading everything. I find that personal websites, project readmes, and blog posts tend to be particularly full of spelling mistakes, grammar mistakes and sometimes just copy that's hard to understand. I think it's really sad because they're usually really good in other ways, so I wanted to offer some tips that I've found help me.

Tip 1 - Get a spell checker for your code editor

I write almost everything in my code editor, so I find having a spell checker there makes a big difference to the quality of the text I write. Errors are being flagged as I write, so even if I forget to proofread it properly, or don't have time, at least the spelling mistakes are gone. The best spell checking Visual Studio Code extension I've found is the Code Spell Checker from Street Side Software

Tip 2 - Run text through a grammar checker

Grammar checkers, at least in the sense of human language grammar, aren't really a thing on the Visual Studio Code extension marketplace and I doubt they are in other extension marketplaces. So, I tend to take longer pieces of text into a word processor for grammar checking. This acts as a second line of automated checking and will tend to remove a slew of smaller errors a human can easily miss.

Tip 3 - Reread after a few hours or days away

When I have something important, I try to let it sit for a while and reread it, if I've got time. I find that coming back to a piece after you've had a long break can help to pickup slightly sneakier errors that you and the spelling and grammar checkers missed. This should serve to mop up most of the remaining errors.

Tip 4 - Get somebody else to read it over

This one is really good to do if it's a longer piece of text for something really important like a portfolio website or project readme, but may not always be worth the fuss if it isn't. Basically, the idea here is that somebody else who has no idea what the text is supposed to say won't skim over errors subconsciously, and may be able to pick up on errors you missed. This tends to be particularly good for finding text that doesn't flow well or doesn't mean what you thought it meant.

I hope you've found this useful. Feel free to comment below with any criticisms or comments. My first attempt at writing this sort of content, so please be forgiving :)