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proofreading

verb

Form of proofread , present participle of proofread.

Simple meaning

To check a written text for errors in spelling, grammar, syntax.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

proofreeding

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɹufɹidɪŋ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

verb

  1. present participle of proofreadtransitive and intransitive

    To check a written text for errors in spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation.

  2. present participle of proofread

    Read for errors

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: (transitive and intransitive) To check a written text for errors in spelling, grammar, syntax, and punctuation.

Used this way, proofreading is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a grammar or language-study use: it describes how language works, so it appears in teaching and reference writing.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Specialist/technical
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Specialized
Connotation
Clinical and technical
Usage feel
Technical and specialized

Where it naturally appears

  • Academic writing
  • Education/classroom
  • Technical/specialist writing

Usage note

In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

final proofreadingproofreading activityproofreading checklistproofreading functionproofreading task

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.