What Schreibly checks
Nine checks, grouped into two levels. This page shows what each one finds and what it leaves alone, with a real example in English and in German.
Two levels
Basic is on for everyone, on every plan, and there is no switch for it — it is what the product does. Plus is what a paid plan adds, and there is no switch for it either. Without it those checks are genuinely not run: they are never described to the model, so they cost you no time and no allowance. That is the difference between a level and a filter.
Basic checking In every plan
The five tests that answer one question: is this wrong? Included in every plan, free ones too.
Every one of these asks the same question: is this wrong?
Plus checking Paid plans
The four tests that answer a harder question: every word is spelt right, but is it the right word, and can the sentence be read another way? Plus also rewrites a clause when the fix needs more than a word.
Sentence structure — When the fix spans a whole clause — a subordinate clause that has to be reordered, a tense that has to change across several words — Schreibly rewrites it instead of underlining one word. Basic corrects the words; this rebuilds the sentence.
These ask a harder question. The spelling is right, but is it the right word, and can the sentence be read another way?
A note on the name. Plus checking is the deeper checking level, and it comes with the Plus plan. The level and the plan share a word on purpose.
The five Basic checks
Spelling Basic checking
Catches misspelt words.
You wrote Please confirm that you recieve the attachment.
Schreibly offers Please confirm that you receive the attachment.
You wrote Bitte bestätigen Sie, dass Sie die Unterlagen erhallten haben.
Schreibly offers Bitte bestätigen Sie, dass Sie die Unterlagen erhalten haben.
Grammar Basic checking
Agreement, tense and structural errors.
You wrote The reports was sent to the client yesterday.
Schreibly offers The reports were sent to the client yesterday.
You wrote Der Verein versucht, das Heimspiel wegen des Sturms zu absagen.
Schreibly offers Der Verein versucht, das Heimspiel wegen des Sturms abzusagen.
Article Basic checking
a/an/the corrections (English) and der/die/das (German).
You wrote She brought a umbrella to the meeting.
Schreibly offers She brought an umbrella to the meeting.
You wrote Für die Transport der Waren brauchen wir einen Termin.
Schreibly offers Für den Transport der Waren brauchen wir einen Termin.
Punctuation Basic checking
Missing or misplaced punctuation. In German that includes the comma before a subordinate clause, which is a rule and not a matter of taste.
You wrote I spoke to the managers assistant yesterday.
Schreibly offers I spoke to the manager's assistant yesterday.
You wrote Bitte beachten Sie dass die Frist am Freitag endet.
Schreibly offers Bitte beachten Sie, dass die Frist am Freitag endet.
Capitalisation Basic checking
Sentence-start capitalisation and proper nouns.
You wrote I met john at the conference in berlin.
Schreibly offers I met John at the conference in Berlin.
You wrote Die neuen mitarbeiter beginnen am Montag.
Schreibly offers Die neuen Mitarbeiter beginnen am Montag.
The four Plus checks
Casing Plus checking
ALL-CAPS usage and inconsistent mid-word casing.
You wrote We migrated the database to PostGreSQL last week.
Schreibly offers We migrated the database to PostgreSQL last week.
You wrote Wir haben die Datenbank auf PostGreSQL umgestellt.
Schreibly offers Wir haben die Datenbank auf PostgreSQL umgestellt.
Context Plus checking
Wrong-but-real-word errors and word-choice issues.
You wrote The new policy will effect every team in the company.
Schreibly offers The new policy will affect every team in the company.
You wrote Seid dem Update läuft der Server wieder stabil.
Schreibly offers Seit dem Update läuft der Server wieder stabil.
Style Plus checking
A genuinely redundant word, or a broken construction. Never your tone, your register or your sentence length — rewording is the separate improve feature.
You wrote The two servers are in close proximity to each other.
Schreibly offers The two servers are in proximity to each other.
You wrote Wir müssen die beiden Datensätze zusammen kombinieren.
Schreibly offers Wir müssen die beiden Datensätze kombinieren.
Clarity Plus checking
A correct sentence that could be read two ways, or drifts from what the text is about — with the reason.
You wrote The reduced fee applies to old men and women.
Schreibly offers The reduced fee applies to men and women who are old.
You wrote Der ermäßigte Beitrag gilt für alte Männer und Frauen.
Schreibly offers Der ermäßigte Beitrag gilt für Männer und Frauen, die alt sind.
What changes without Plus
One sentence can carry both kinds of problem. On Basic alone the second one is not missed, it is not looked for.
You wroteThe reports was written in close proximity to the deadline.
Basic checkingThe reports were written in close proximity to the deadline.
Basic and PlusThe reports were written in proximity to the deadline.
You wroteDie Berichte wurde erstellt und wir müssen sie zusammen kombinieren.
Basic checkingDie Berichte wurden erstellt und wir müssen sie zusammen kombinieren.
Basic and PlusDie Berichte wurden erstellt und wir müssen sie kombinieren.
Nothing about Basic gets worse without Plus. You keep every spelling, grammar, article, punctuation and capitalisation correction, and the round is faster because the request is smaller.
How we keep this page honest
A documentation page is a promise about what the product does, so this one is wired to the thing that measures it.
- Every sentence above is an item in our checking test set, not an illustration someone wrote for this page.
- The test set runs against the same model and the same instructions that check your writing, one call per sentence, and scores each result against the expected correction.
- The page and the test set are pinned to each other by our build, so an example can never drift away from the sentence that was measured.
What this does not promise: no checker finds everything. Style in particular is deliberately narrow here. It flags a genuinely redundant word or a broken construction, and it never rewrites your tone, your register or your sentence length. If you want text reworded, that is the separate improve feature, and it only ever runs when you ask for it.