Adverbs and passive voice are not errors. A well-placed adverb can carry a tone that a verb cannot, and the passive is the right choice when the person acting is unknown or unimportant. The trouble starts when a draft uses them by habit. An adverb that props up a vague verb, such as walked slowly, usually hides a better verb, such as trudged or crept. A passive sentence that buries the person who acts, such as the door was opened, drains energy from a scene that wants a character at the centre.
Free tool · Adverb Passive Voice Checker
Adverb Passive Voice Checker that shows where your prose leans on adverbs and passive phrases
The adverb passive voice checker highlights every -ly adverb and every likely passive construction in the text you paste, and reports how many of each you use per 1,000 words, so you can see at a glance where a draft leans on weak verbs. It runs in your browser, keeps your text on your device and is free for authors, bloggers and students alike.
Use the free tool
The adverb passive voice checker is free to use, with no account and nothing uploaded.
- Highlights adverbs and passives
- Counts per 1,000 words
- Runs in your browser
Key facts
- FreeNo cost, no account and no usage limit on the adverb passive voice checker
- In your browserNothing that you type or paste into the adverb passive voice checker is uploaded
- SecondsTypical time from opening the adverb passive voice checker to a result
Free tool
Adverb and passive voice checker
Paste your writing to highlight -ly adverbs and passive constructions, and see how often each appears per 1,000 words.
The adverb and passive voice checker needs JavaScript, and it works in your browser without sending anything that you enter to a server.
Overview
What the adverb passive voice checker does and why it helps
This checker finds both patterns so that you can judge each one. Words that end in -ly are marked as adverbs, apart from a list of common exceptions such as family, early, only, reply and friendly, which end in -ly but are not adverbs. Passive constructions are found by looking for a form of the verb to be, such as was, were or been, followed by a past participle, with an optional adverb in between. Each match is highlighted in the text, and the totals are shown per 1,000 words so that a short chapter and a long chapter can be compared fairly.
The numbers are a mirror and not a verdict. A romance or a memoir may sit comfortably at a higher adverb rate than a thriller, and technical or scientific writing often uses the passive on purpose. Use the highlights to ask a simple question of each marked phrase: is there a stronger verb, or is there a character who should be acting? If the answer is no, leave the phrase alone.
This is a free adverb passive voice checker that runs in your browser, so you can use the adverb passive voice checker online without installing anything. It is built as a adverb passive voice checker for authors who want a quick answer before they spend money, and it works as a adverb passive voice checker for self-published books of any genre. Paste a chapter and it counts -ly adverbs and passive constructions, shows density per 1,000 words and highlights each one in context.
People often ask how a adverb passive voice checker works: you paste a chapter, press the button and read the counts and highlighted sentences, and the result updates straight away on the page. If you are wondering how to use a adverb passive voice checker for the first time, start with a short sample and read the notes under the result. We think it is the best adverb passive voice checker you can try for free, because it explains each number instead of just showing it.
How to use it
How to use the adverb passive voice checker, step by step
Paste your text
Copy a chapter, a scene or an article into the box. A few hundred words gives a useful result, and a full chapter shows your habits more clearly than a single page.
Press the button
The tool counts your words, then finds every -ly adverb and every likely passive construction, and reports each total as a rate per 1,000 words so that short and long samples can be compared fairly.
Read the totals first
Look at the two rates before the highlights. A rate that is far above the rest of your manuscript points to a chapter worth revising, while a similar rate everywhere points to a habit.
Work through the highlights
Adverbs appear in one colour and passive phrases in another, each in its own sentence. Read each one aloud and ask whether a stronger verb or a named actor would say the same thing better.
Decide on each mark
Replace an adverb with a stronger verb, name the person acting in a passive sentence or leave the phrase alone when it works. The checker finds patterns, and you decide which ones are faults.
Paste the revision and compare
Run the new text through the tool and compare the two sets of rates. A fall in both, with the voice still yours, tells you the revision tightened the prose without flattening it.
How the adverb passive voice checker works
A pattern check that you can trust and still question
The tool scans your text for words that end in -ly, skips common words that are not adverbs, such as family and early, and highlights the rest. It then looks for a form of the verb to be followed by a past participle, which is the usual shape of a passive phrase, and highlights those in a second colour.
Because the check is built on patterns, it can miss a passive that uses an irregular form and it can flag a phrase that is perfectly fine. That is why it shows each match in context, so that you decide. It also counts matches per 1,000 words, which lets you compare a chapter with a whole book.
Passive voice is not an error, and adverbs are not banned. They are useful when the doer does not matter or when the manner is the point. The aim is to notice habits, so that every adverb and every passive sentence in your book is there on purpose.
- Two colours for two kinds of match
- Counts per 1,000 words for easy comparison
- Your text never leaves your browser
Method
How the adverb passive voice checker works out its answer
How adverbs are found
The checker marks every word of four or more letters that ends in -ly, and then skips a list of common words that end in -ly without being adverbs, including family, early, lonely, friendly, only, reply, supply and holy. Because English has other exceptions, a few marks will be false positives, and you decide each one.
How passive voice is found
The checker looks for am, is, are, was, were, be, been or being followed, with or without an adverb between, by a word that ends in -ed or is a common irregular past participle such as made, written, taken or given. This catches most passive sentences and a few phrases that look passive but are not, so read each highlight in context.
Counts per 1,000 words
The totals for adverbs and passive phrases are divided by the word count and multiplied by 1,000. This lets you compare a 600-word scene with a 5,000-word chapter on the same scale, and track whether your rate falls as you revise.
What the tool cannot judge
The checker cannot tell whether an adverb is doing useful work, whether a passive is deliberate or whether a sentence reads well aloud. It only points. Your ear and your editor make the decisions.
Tips
Getting the most from the adverb passive voice checker
Check one chapter at a time
Smaller samples make the highlights easier to act on, and you can see the effect of each edit straight away. A whole manuscript pasted at once produces a wall of colour that is hard to use.
Start with the highest rates
Fix the chapters with the most highlights first, since they give the biggest improvement for the least work. Return to the quieter chapters after that, if time allows.
Read the revision aloud
Reading aloud catches a replaced adverb that now sounds forced or a rewritten passive that has lost its rhythm. The tool counts patterns, but your ear decides whether the sentence works.
Need it done for you?
When the adverb passive voice checker is not enough
The checker helps you polish the prose. When the words are final and you want a finished book, these are the services that take a clean manuscript to print and ebook files.
Fiction Book Formatting
When the prose is where you want it, a fiction formatter turns the manuscript into a print and ebook interior with designed chapter openers, clean scene breaks and files that platforms accept.
See the service →Professional Book Formatting
A clean manuscript deserves a professional interior, and our formatters build the print PDF and the matching ebook from your finished text at a fixed price.
See the service →eBook Formatting Services
Once the edits are done, an ebook specialist builds one validated EPUB that reads well on Kindle, Apple Books, Kobo and every other store.
See the service →Before and after
Before and after using the adverb and passive voice checker
The same chapter, first as a draft that leans on adverbs and passive phrases and then as a revision that you checked highlight by highlight.
123Before
- 1Adverbs propping up vague verbs
- 2Passive sentences that hide the person acting
- 3No idea how your habits compare from chapter to chapter
123After
- 1Stronger verbs doing the work
- 2Characters at the centre of each action
- 3Rates you can compare and bring down chapter by chapter
- 3problems found in the first review
- 3fixes checked in the final review
- 1named specialist owning every fix
- Fixedprice confirmed in the calculator before you order
Stronger verbs
Walked slowly becomes crept and said angrily becomes snapped, so each sentence says more in fewer words and the pace improves.
Clearer action
A passive sentence such as the letter was read becomes she read the letter, and the reader knows who is acting and why it matters.
A measurable edit
The totals per 1,000 words give you a number to bring down, and the highlights show exactly which sentences to change next.
Client reviews
What authors say about our adverb and passive edit service
Verified reviews from authors who asked a specialist to handle the adverb and passive edit after using the adverb passive voice checker.
Good publishing support overall. The KDP metadata setup was thorough. One category selection needed updating after initial launch but it was corrected promptly. The book is performing well in its target categories.
Navigating IngramSpark's requirements for the first time felt overwhelming. The upload assistance handled everything — metadata, pricing setup, distribution channels. My children's book reached bookstores within two weeks.
My KDP file was rejected with a technical error message I could not understand. Book Formatting Experts diagnosed the problem immediately — a bleed issue on three pages — and corrected it the same day. Approved first time.
My YA novel needed to reach both English-language and Japanese readers. The multi-region distribution setup was handled correctly across all required platforms. International sales have exceeded my expectations.
My cookbook needed to be set up across multiple platforms simultaneously. The publishing support team handled every submission — KDP, IngramSpark, and Apple Books — with different requirements for each. Flawlessly executed.
Good support throughout the KDP upload process. The metadata setup and category selection were explained clearly. One pricing setting needed adjustment after initial setup but it was corrected quickly.
As a first-time author, the technical side of self-publishing was genuinely daunting. The consultation covered every decision — platform choice, pricing strategy, metadata, and distribution. I launched with genuine confidence.
Getting historical fiction placed in the right categories on Amazon and IngramSpark required strategic metadata. The team understood the genre classification and the book reached the right readers from the first week.
The formatting error fix service saved my launch. My original formatter had made margin errors causing repeated rejection. Book Formatting Experts identified and fixed every issue within 48 hours. My launch was back on schedule.
The publishing readiness review identified four issues in my manuscript that would have caused rejection. Each was clearly explained and quickly resolved. My book launched without any technical complications.
The website reflects the quality of my coaching work and the seriousness of my brand. The blog setup is easy to manage and the book landing page converts well. I am proud to share it with everyone I meet.
The website positions me as an authority in my field without feeling stiff or corporate. The testimonials section, media page, and book overview all build credibility effectively. Exactly what a nonfiction author needs.
The dark, atmospheric design matches the tone of my crime novels without feeling clichéd. New readers understand the genre and mood of my work immediately from the homepage. My ebook sales from website referrals increased by 60%.
Good website design overall. The mobile experience is excellent. I requested a few content changes after delivery which were handled efficiently. My reader newsletter opt-ins have increased noticeably since launch.
The cover honours the cultural themes of my book while appealing to an international readership. The imagery, colour palette, and typography choices were all discussed through a genuinely collaborative process.
Literary fiction covers require a completely different approach from genre fiction. The design is elegant, restrained, and communicates the literary quality of the book. I am genuinely proud to show it to readers.
My thriller needed a cover that was unsettling without being gratuitous. The designer found exactly the right tone. The typography treatment adds to the unease in a subtle, effective way.
Really good cover design. The atmospheric quality matched my book's tone well. I requested one colour adjustment in revisions which was done quickly. The final cover looks exactly like a major publisher's release.
More free tools
More free tools to use with the adverb passive voice checker
Each of these tools is free, runs in your browser and works well alongside the adverb passive voice checker.
Filler Word Finder
Free filler word finder that works in your browser, plus a done-for-you filler word edit service.
Open the tool →Readability Score Checker
Free readability score checker that works in your browser, plus a done-for-you readability edit service.
Open the tool →Dialogue Ratio Calculator
Free dialogue ratio calculator that works in your browser, plus a done-for-you dialogue balance review service.
Open the tool →Word Frequency Analyzer
Free word frequency analyzer that works in your browser, plus a done-for-you repetition edit service.
Open the tool →Word Count Tool
Free word count tool that works in your browser, plus a done-for-you manuscript length check service.
Open the tool →Chapter Length Analyzer
Free chapter length analyzer that works in your browser, plus a done-for-you chapter structure review service.
Open the tool →FAQ
Adverb Passive Voice Checker: questions answered
These are the questions authors ask most about the adverb passive voice checker, including accuracy, privacy and what to do next. If your question about the adverb and passive edit is missing, request a quote and a specialist will reply.
What is an adverb and passive voice checker?
It is a tool that finds -ly adverbs and passive constructions in your text, highlights them and shows how often you use them per 1,000 words, so that you can decide which to keep and which to rewrite.
Should I remove all adverbs from my writing?
No. Adverbs are part of the language, and a well-chosen one adds tone. Remove an adverb when a stronger verb would say the same thing, and keep it when it adds something the verb cannot.
Is passive voice always wrong?
No. The passive is the right choice when the person acting is unknown, unimportant or best left out, and it is common in scientific and technical writing. It weakens fiction when it hides a character who should be acting.
How does the checker find passive voice?
It looks for a form of the verb to be followed by a past participle, with an optional adverb in between. This finds most passive sentences, and it can flag a few phrases that only look passive, so read each one.
Which words does it ignore as adverbs?
It skips common words that end in -ly without being adverbs, such as family, early, lonely, friendly, only, reply and supply. The list cannot cover every case, so a few false marks may remain.
What is a good adverb rate?
There is no single right number. Many editors look more closely when a chapter sits well above your own average, and the best use of the rate is to compare your chapters with each other as you revise.
Does it work for fiction and nonfiction?
Yes. Fiction writers use it to strengthen verbs and scenes, and nonfiction writers use it to make explanations clearer. The right rate differs, so judge against your own genre.
Does the adverb passive voice checker keep anything that I enter?
No. The adverb passive voice checker works in your browser, so what you enter stays on your device and is never saved.
Can I check a whole manuscript?
Yes, if your browser can handle the text, but you will learn more by checking a chapter at a time, since the highlights are easier to work through and compare.
Does the adverb passive voice checker keep anything that I enter?
No. The adverb passive voice checker works in your browser, so what you enter stays on your device and is never saved.
How is this different from the filler word finder?
This tool looks at adverbs and passive constructions, while the filler word finder looks for words and phrases such as just, really and began to that thin out a sentence. Authors often run both on the same chapter.
Is the adverb and passive voice checker free?
Yes, the checker costs nothing, needs no account and puts no limit on how many chapters you check.
Are adverbs actually bad writing?
No. They are a tool, and a well-placed adverb can carry a sentence that no single verb would. The problem is habitual use, where a modifier gets bolted onto a vague verb again and again. Look at your ranked list: if one adverb appears fifteen times, that is a tic worth fixing, and the rest can stay.
Is my manuscript safe here?
Yes. Every calculation runs locally in your own browser, there is no upload step, and no copy of your text is retained. Close the tab and the text is gone. You can even disconnect from the internet before pasting and the tool will still work.
How does a adverb passive voice checker work?
It reads what you enter and calculates the result in your browser, so it is a adverb passive voice checker free online with nothing to download. It is also a adverb passive voice checker no sign up tool: there is no email wall and nothing is sent to us.
Is this adverb passive voice checker useful for KDP?
Yes. It is a adverb passive voice checker for KDP authors as well as for IngramSpark and other printers. Run each chapter through it before you export your manuscript for upload.
Can I see a adverb passive voice checker with examples?
The page includes a adverb passive voice checker with examples so you can see how a good result looks before you enter your own. Try the sample text to see how highlights look. It is a adverb passive voice checker tool for writers, so no design background is needed.
Work with a specialist
Turn what you learn from the adverb passive voice checker into a finished book
The adverb passive voice checker costs nothing, and so does asking what a specialist would do with your book. When the adverb passive voice checker has done its part and you want finished files, a fixed price and one named person who owns the job, we are ready to start.