It is common for people to use Google Search to check their spelling, as the tool will autocomplete searches and correct many typos. When it comes to grammar, though, it’s more common to use a browser extension like Grammarly to check sentence structure and semantics. It appears this will change, as Google seems set on becoming a one-stop shop for everything literacy related.
Google has recently rolled out a grammar-checking feature designed to help users find and fix grammatical errors in their sentences and phrases (via 9to5Google). The company is using AI for this tool and acknowledges that it may not be completely accurate. To help make this more efficient, there is a Feedback option next to the grammar checker that allows users to report inaccuracies.
To activate the grammar checker, users simply need to enter a sentence or phrase into the Google Search bar along with a modifier like “grammar check,” “check grammar,” or “grammar checker.” When the grammar check is complete and the text is considered error-free, a distinct Grammar Check section will appear in the search results, accompanied by a reassuring green checkmark. Otherwise, Google will fix any errors and underline the changes.
It’s important to keep in mind that this only works in English and will not help to correct sentences with the following:
- Dangerous content
- Harassing content
- Hateful content
- Medical content
- Sexually explicit content
- Terrorist content
- Violence and gore
- Vulgar language and profanity
So far, it seems like it works really well with one sentence but will normally not check grammar if you enter more than one. We were able to make it work with two very short sentences, but only after a few tries. After a single sentence, Google seems to jump straight to search results, even with “grammar check” written in the search engine.
It will be hard for Google to beat something like the Grammarly app, which is free to use and can check whole pages. This tool seems to be more about convenience than replacing your English teacher, but it’s yet another useful feature coming to Google Search. In the last week alone, the company has added inline sources to SGE, unveiled an improved search experience in Chrome, and even given us new privacy tools for controlling how we appear in Search results.
