10 Writing Errors AI Can Help You Avoid Today
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10 Common Writing Errors AI Can Help You Avoid: Tips for All Skill Levels

1800 Office SOlutions Team member - Elie Vigile
1800 Team

Writing is a delicate dance — one wrong move, and the entire work stumbles. Doesn’t matter if you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, muses do not spare a soul. Common writing mistakes have their mysterious ways of showing up in your writing years deep into your career. The good news? AI tools are here to save the day. With this writing service, you can spot and fix errors, refine your tone, and avoid potential pitfalls before they happen. Let’s see what frequent writing mistakes irritate readers and editors the most, from the obvious to the sneaky, and how AI can help you dodge them.

A stressed woman at her desk, talking on the phone, visibly upset after a written mistake caused by AI.

1. Grammar and Spelling Errors

We’ve all been there — a typo slips through, or grammar gets tangled. Mistakes like “their” vs. “there” are a signature plague of native speakers. Missing commas make your work look sloppy and can ruin the impression your story makes. Yes, even if all your characters are well-rounded and there are no plot holes around to be seen.

How AI Helps: AI writing tools analyze your text for grammar and spelling mistakes, offering instant suggestions for corrections. No more guessing where that pesky apostrophe goes!

2. Wordiness and Redundancy

Sometimes we use 20 words to say what could have been expressed in five. Is your prose choking on adjectives to the point it can’t breathe and looks a bit purple? Brevity is the soul of wit. Overwriting can dilute your message and exhaust your readers. “Raindrops slid down the glass in small trickles” is redundant because trickles are, by definition, a small flow of liquid. Compare to: “Raindrops trickled down the glass.” 

How AI Helps: AI can identify redundant phrases and suggest concise alternatives, helping you keep your content clear and impactful.

3. Lack of Structure

A poorly organized essay or article can confuse your readers. Without a logical flow, even the best ideas will get lost. Do you want to build an entire world and meticulously develop your characters just for the main themes of your work to get overlooked? Didn’t think so. 

How AI Helps: Tools like AI-powered essay writers can help you organize your thoughts into a coherent structure, outlining your content so it’s easier to follow.

4. Unclear Sentence Construction

Sentences that run on or have awkward phrasing will make your writing hard to read. Clarity is needed to keep your audience engaged. Take your finger off that semicolon, now! Don’t be afraid of the period button. There are other ways to show off your smarts than convoluted paragraph-long sentences. Writing simpler texts often requires more brain power. Just ask children’s authors!

How AI Helps: AI tools highlight unclear sentences and suggest rewrites that improve readability while preserving your voice.

5. Overuse of Jargon

Using too much technical language can alienate readers who aren’t familiar with your field. A good balance between professional writing and accessibility is crucial. This problem can pop up, for instance, when academic writers are asked to draft a piece for popular science journals. You can easily broaden your work’s reach by keeping the target audience in mind. And if that doesn’t come naturally to you, it’s okay to find some help!

How AI Helps: AI can flag overcomplicated language and recommend simpler alternatives, making sure your message is accessible to a wider audience.

6. Inconsistent Tone or Style

Switching between formal and conversational tones can confuse your readers. It’s as jarring as abruptly jumping from first to third person or changing narrative tenses. Consistency in tone builds trust and keeps readers on the wavelength the story intends. It’s okay to give different characters certain voices when it’s relevant to their background. But don’t just get all “urban” in academic texts willy-nilly or vice versa.

How AI Helps: AI writing tools can assess the tone of your content, helping you maintain a consistent voice throughout your work.

7. Improper Citation and Plagiarism

Have you ever copypasted a patchwork of text scraps for inspiration in one note doc to then promptly forget what bit is yours and what is a quote from Stephen King? Yeah. Plagiarism isn’t just copying and pasting — it can happen accidentally if you forget to properly credit your sources. So, what is plagiarism? It’s using someone else’s work without acknowledgment, and it’s a serious mistake in professional writing.

How AI Helps: Many AI tools include plagiarism checkers that scan your text against millions of sources to keep your work original and properly cited.

8. Repetitive Word Choice

Using the same words repeatedly will make your writing feel flat. It can be a stylistic choice, sure (“Hold the door!”), but is it, in your case? Is it, really? Variety in vocabulary adds color and creativity to your work. However, be careful and avoid the trap of “too many different pronouns.” It’s fine if you refer to a character who teaches as “teacher” throughout the scene. Pronouns melt away in readers’ eyes and become invisible. Using “teacher said”, “professor said”, “the educator said” in one paragraph will make your readers think there are three separate people in this conversation.

How AI Helps: AI can identify overused words and suggest synonyms, helping you keep your content fresh and engaging.

9. Ignoring the Audience

Writing without considering who will read your work can lead to mismatched tone, style, or content. Understanding your audience is the way to effective communication. It doesn’t pertain to just the vocabulary, either. Dahl, Carroll, and Travers never shied away from the bandersnatch and supercalifragilisticexpialidocious of it all, despite writing for kids. Knowing your readers means respecting them enough to believe they can get on your level and building a written bridge to let them in.

How AI Helps: AI tools can analyze the purpose of your content and provide suggestions to better align with your intended audience.

10. Forgetting to Proofread

Even with the best tools, skipping a final review can lead to overlooked errors. Proofreading is a must for a polished final result. Imagine doing all the work just for your efforts to be negated by a misplaced word or awkward grammar. That wouldn’t be fair to you, the writer, and your time. It would also deprive your readers of the opportunity to gain new knowledge and a glimpse into a unique, exciting world!

How AI Helps: AI acts as a second set of eyes, catching errors you might miss during a manual review. Plus, it can provide final tips to improve the overall flow of your work.

Non-Obvious Mistakes AI Can Catch

While most of us catch the glaring typos, some mistakes are even more sinister, slithering through the most vigilant eyes.

  • Misplaced modifiers: “Running to the bus, the rain soaked my shoes” sounds like the rain was the one running and soaked those shoes on the go as a side quest!
  • Subject-verb agreement: Even experienced writers sometimes miss when the subject and verb don’t match.
  • Overly complex phrasing: AI can simplify convoluted sentences without losing meaning.

How AI Tools Improve Writing Skills

AI tools don’t just fix mistakes — they help you grow as a writer. By analyzing common patterns in your work, these tools provide actionable feedback to refine your writing over time. Whether it’s learning how to improve writing skills or mastering creative expression, AI can be your virtual mentor. Benefit from incorporating AI in your process!

  • Save time by automating tedious tasks.
  • Get new perspectives on sentence structure and tone.
  • Receive professional-quality suggestions for essays, articles, or blog posts.

 

Embrace growth. Writing is as much about the process as the finished product. Mistakes are inevitable, but they’re also opportunities to learn and grow. Create something meaningful, one word at a time.