Hemingway App helps writers clean clutter from their work
American novelist Ernst Hemingway revolutionized writing with his “blunt, descriptive, concise prose.” Today, however, clear and bold writing is hard to come by, replaced instead with verbose, over-saturated writing. Brothers Adam and Ben Long recognized society’s departure from clear, succinct prose, and decided to create a free web app to help writers simplify their work. Launched in late 2013, the Hemingway App allows users to enter a body of text into its processor and then analyzes the text, highlighting areas that can be simplified.
Hemingway App Features
In order to simplify writing, the Hemingway App addresses the issue of complex sentence structure. If the app deems a sentence too long, it highlights the sentence in yellow. If the Hemingway app sees the sentence as too complex for understanding, it highlights the passages in red — suggesting the sentence be seriously revised. The app also highlights in pink words it thinks can be replaced with simpler language. And, if writers hover their mouse over the selected word, the app offers less-complicated synonyms.
The Hemingway app also works to make sentences more powerful. For example, the app highlights adverbs in blue. Once these adverbs are identified, the app suggests that writers replace them with active, powerful verbs. Additionally, the app marks sentences written using passive voice with green highlighting.
After analyzing these features, Hemingway then assigns a numeric grade to the writing. A “readability” score under Grade 10 is considered clear, bold writing.
The Assessment
I decided to put the Hemingway App to test with this blog post, and submitted the first four paragraphs of this piece to the app. The result? I received a score of 12. Take a look at the screenshots below to see what the Hemingway App suggested as simplifying improvements for my writing:
I found the Hemingway App to be accurate in its assessment of my writing, and believe that if I were to make the changes it suggested, my writing would become more clear and easier to read. So, I think this app is one that is useful and essential to social media users — bloggers especially. I would definitely recommend the Hemingway App to digital media practitioners.
The Hemingway App Today
Explaining their motivation behind the app’s creation, the Long brothers said, “The worst part is we didn’t realize we were doing it [making their writing too complex.] Our text was more clear and persuasive when we kept it simple.” Now, thanks to their Hemingway App, all writers can now keep it clear and persuasive.
The Hemingway App Website: http://www.hemingwayapp.com
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