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What LanguageTool does

LanguageTool checks spelling, grammar, punctuation and style, with a separate sentence-paraphrasing feature. Its multilingual checker has broader language coverage than its advanced Premium checks or paraphraser. Free web tools and the current Premium browser extension also have different access rules. This profile uses official product and support documentation rather than reporting a correction-accuracy, upload-fidelity or learning test.

Where it fits, and where it falls short

Useful strengths

The checker supports many languages and regional variants, with documented differences in coverage.
Personal Dictionary entries can reduce spelling alerts for terminology you have independently checked.
Word add-in, browser and online-editor routes support different ways of reviewing an existing draft.

Limits to consider

Checker, advanced checks and paraphrasing do not support identical sets of languages.
The paraphraser operates independently of the Personal Dictionary and Style Guide.
A corrected or downloaded passage still needs checking for meaning, source support and document integrity.

A suggested LanguageTool workflow

LanguageTool: an illustrated workflow for checking sources and reviewing your work — An editorial illustration of the workflow.

1
Save the draft, select its actual language and regional variety, and identify the sentence-level issue to check.
2
Choose a web, Word or browser route whose current access and file requirements fit the task.
3
Review grammar suggestions separately from paraphrases; keep uncertainty, technical meaning and attribution intact.
4
Inspect the resulting document, retain justified terminology entries and record edits you actually accepted.

Choose the language and regional variety before checking

LanguageTool’s support page lists more than 30 languages and regional variants for its checker. That does not establish identical spelling, grammar and style coverage in each one. The same page excludes spellchecking for Chinese, Japanese, Persian and Tamil, while identifying additional Premium checks for English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese.

For a multilingual assignment, identify the language of the passage you are checking and the variety required by the course. A recognized English regional spelling is not automatically an error. Keep quotations and source titles separate from changes to your own prose, and inspect any language detection before applying suggestions across a document.

Supporting documentation: [1] [2]

Separate language checking from sentence paraphrasing

The paraphrasing guide lists English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese. A language appearing in the checker or advanced-check list does not establish paraphrasing support: Polish, for example, appears in the documented advanced checks but not in that six-language paraphrasing list. Choose around the operation you need, not only the product’s headline language count.

LanguageTool describes formal, fluent and shorter alternatives, and says paraphrasing works independently of the spelling checker, Style Guide and Personal Dictionary. An original spelling error can therefore remain in a rewritten sentence. Review a paraphrase for grammar and meaning instead of treating a generated alternative as a completed proofread.

Supporting documentation: [2] [3]

Free web access does not establish a free browser extension

Current feature-specific support says the browser extension is exclusively for Premium subscribers. Free users can still use the Grammar Checker and Paraphrasing Tool on the web. Older pages describing an extension as free should not override that explicit access statement. Installing an extension and having an ongoing entitlement to its checks are different steps.

The plan page lists Free checking up to 2,000 characters per text field and three rephrases per day, with larger checking allowances and unlimited rephrasing advertised for Premium. These are public plan descriptions, not a universal quota across every editor, account or institution. Confirm the allowance where you will actually work before planning a long editing session.

Supporting documentation: [4] [11]

Choose a supported document integration

The dedicated Word guide supports Word 2016 or later on Windows, Mac and Word online through a Word add-in. This is a different route from browser checking. If the add-in is greyed out, support identifies older DOC or ODT files as a possible cause and recommends converting to DOCX. Keep the original before converting and inspect the resulting file.

The documented Google Docs route uses the browser extension, so its current Premium access rule matters. Do not infer a separate permanently free Docs integration from an older landing page. Preview the available suggestions in your actual document and account, especially when text is mixed with comments or citation fields.

For Overleaf, the support answer names Source (legacy) and Rich Text modes. That is not a guarantee for every current Overleaf editing mode. If the selected host view is unsupported, choose another permitted checking route instead of assuming that no visible suggestions mean the text contains no issues.

Supporting documentation: [4] [5] [6] [7] [15]

Use a dictionary for verified terms, not as a rewrite lock

The Personal Dictionary lets account holders retain custom terminology without repeated spelling alerts. Check an unfamiliar term against an approved source before adding it. A dictionary entry suppresses a flag; it does not establish that the term is correct for the argument, and the separate paraphraser does not have to preserve it.

Dictionary import has a replacement consequence. The support guide says existing words absent from the imported file are deleted. Export the current list first, combine it with the intended additions and inspect the merged file before importing. That is different from assuming an import simply appends new terminology. Retain the export if the list matters to your work.

Supporting documentation: [3] [9] [10]

Inspect the downloaded Word file, not only the editor text

For an older Word installation, support describes an online route: choose Check Word Document, upload, review suggestions and download the corrected file. The editor does not display the formatting; the provider says it is restored when downloading. This description is not an export-fidelity test performed for this profile.

Keep the original and compare a representative output with it. Inspect equations, references, links, comments and any tracked changes that matter to the submission. The absence of formatting in the editing view and the presence of a downloaded file answer different questions; neither alone confirms that every document element remains usable. The DOCX advice for the add-in also does not establish support for every upload format.

Supporting documentation: [7] [8]

Correct agreement without strengthening the claim

Original teaching sentence: “The results suggests that the method may help some learners.” A minimal grammatical revision is “The results suggest that the method may help some learners.” The plural subject takes “suggest.” This constructed example demonstrates an agreement decision; it is not a statement from a real study or an output obtained from LanguageTool.

Compare that correction with “The method helps every learner.” The latter removes uncertainty and broadens the group. A spelling or grammar improvement cannot supply evidence for that stronger statement. Even a sentence that reads smoothly must remain faithful to the source you are actually using.

For your own draft, keep the original, identify the exact problem and record the accepted change. If the issue is whether the evidence supports the claim, return to the source before another paraphrasing pass. The linked paragraph-revision exercise supplies a complete fictional source and lets you inspect that decision without an account.

Distinguish cloud processing from a basic local server

The dedicated macOS product FAQ requires an internet connection for its checking service. A desktop app is therefore not a basis for promising local-only processing or universal offline checking. LanguageTool’s current privacy policy says inputs from LanguageTool Individual and Team users are not used to train its language algorithms or models by default. That does not mean no processing or storage occurs; saved editor content and other features have their own handling.

The developer documentation provides a separate basic local HTTP server for advanced users. It explicitly lacks cloud-only AI rules and synonyms, and the Windows desktop app does not work with that approach. A self-hosted checker is not equivalent to the hosted Premium feature set. Choose it only around an actual technical requirement rather than transferring its properties to the ordinary web or desktop product.

Supporting documentation: [12] [13] [14]

Pricing, free access and plan checks

Free Grammar Checker and Paraphrasing Tool access on the web is distinct from the browser extension, which current dedicated support describes as Premium-only. The public plan page lists different per-text checking and rephrasing allowances for Free and Premium; do not apply those figures to every integration. Confirm the required language feature, account, billing interval and renewal charge before subscribing. No universal price or extension trial is promised here.

Confirm billing period, renewal terms, limits and regional availability on the provider’s current plan page before paying.

Questions about LanguageTool

Is LanguageTool free?

There are free web Grammar Checker and Paraphrasing Tool routes with plan limits. Current dedicated support describes the browser extension as Premium-only. Free web access does not establish permanent free checking on every website or inside Google Docs.

Does every supported language have the same features?

No. The checker has broad coverage with documented exceptions, advanced Premium checks cover a narrower set, and paraphrasing lists six languages. Confirm the specific operation and regional variety you need.

Will the Personal Dictionary protect a term during paraphrasing?

Do not assume so. The dictionary suppresses spelling alerts, while LanguageTool says paraphrasing works independently of the dictionary and Style Guide. Inspect the resulting wording and its meaning.

Can I use LanguageTool in Microsoft Word?

The Word add-in supports Word 2016 or later on Windows, Mac and Word online. File format can affect add-in availability; support recommends DOCX when an older DOC or ODT causes the icon to be greyed out. Inspect any converted document.

Does uploading a Word document preserve every feature?

The online editor does not display formatting and the provider says formatting is restored on download. This profile has not tested equations, citation fields, comments or tracked changes. Retain the original and inspect the downloaded document.

Is the desktop app an offline version of Premium?

Do not generalize that. The dedicated macOS FAQ requires internet. A basic self-hosted HTTP server is a separate route with fewer features, including no cloud-only AI rules; it is not a hosted Premium replacement.

Will importing a dictionary only add new terms?

No. The import guide says entries missing from the imported file are removed. Export the existing list, merge the intended additions and inspect the result before reimporting.

Sources and research notes

This guide synthesizes official product information with our editorial assessment of academic use. Suggested exercises are examples you can repeat; they are not results of tests we performed. We do not infer accuracy from a provider’s marketing claims.

Found a changed feature or a factual error? Send the exact page and an official source to info@ai-essay.com. Read our editorial policy for how we handle corrections.

LanguageTool: Grammar Checking, Languages & Free Access