Microsoft Word offers many useful features, but one that stands out for improving your writing is “Rewrite Suggestions.” This tool helps you quickly update your text by suggesting better ways to phrase sentences or words. In this post, I’ll walk you through how to effectively use rewrite suggestions in Word to refine your writing.
If you’ve ever wondered how to make your writing clearer or more concise in Word, this tool is for you. You’ll save time while improving the quality of your work. Whether you’re tweaking a sentence or just fixing a word, the process is super simple.
Here’s a quick video tutorial to help you along the way:
What Are Rewrite Suggestions?
Rewrite suggestions are exactly what they sound like. When you’re typing in Microsoft Word, there’s an option to get suggestions for rewording certain parts of your text. Whether you want to improve clarity, use more engaging language, or make your sentence shorter, this feature gives you several alternatives to choose from.
Word will scan your document and highlight a sentence or word that it thinks could be improved. Once it does that, you can see the replacement options by using the “Rewrite Suggestions” feature. This can be especially useful if you’re not sure whether your current wording is the best way to phrase something.
How to Use Rewrite Suggestions in Word
Follow these steps to use this feature effectively:
Step 1: Highlight the Text
To use rewrite suggestions, start by selecting the words or sentence you would like to improve. For example, if you’ve typed “effective way,” and feel it could be written differently, highlight the phrase.
Step 2: Right-click and Select “Rewrite Suggestions”
Once you’ve highlighted the text, right-click on the selected words. You’ll see a list of options. Choose Rewrite Suggestions to bring up a list of suggested phrases.
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Step 3: Choose a Suggestion
After you’ve clicked Rewrite Suggestions, you’ll see a few different ways Word recommends phrasing your text. For instance, if you’ve highlighted “effective way,” Word might suggest replacements like “an efficient method,” “a powerful way,” or other alternatives. Click the one you prefer. The highlighted text will immediately be replaced with your chosen suggestion.
Step 4: Use Rewrite Suggestions for a Single Word
You’re not limited to phrases—you can also use rewrite suggestions for individual words. Just highlight the word, right-click, and choose Rewrite Suggestions as you would for a phrase. Word will offer several synonyms or ways to rephrase the word in the current context. Pick one, and it will replace the original word immediately in your document.
Step 5: See Instant Changes
As soon as you click your selected suggestion, Word makes the change directly in your text. No extra confirmation steps, no fuss. This makes it a seamless way to edit your document without breaking your workflow.
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Why Should You Use Rewrite Suggestions?
There are several benefits to using rewrite suggestions in Word:
- Saves Time: Instead of manually coming up with alternatives, you can quickly see options that might be a better fit.
- Improves Clarity: This feature can help you simplify sentences or use more fitting language.
- Encourages Stronger Writing: Using suggested phrases can help you avoid redundant or weak words.
For example, Word might suggest replacing “a number of” with “several,” cutting out unnecessary words. This instantly tightens up your text, making it more concise.
Practical Examples
In practice, rewrite suggestions come in handy for various types of writing:
- Formal Letters: Simplify or strengthen your language to craft a more polished letter.
- Reports: Make technical writing clearer.
- Essays: Improve flow by replacing awkward or repetitive phrases.
- Emails: Rewrite sentences to be more direct or compelling.
Say you’ve written: “A number of people applied for the job.” With the help of rewrite suggestions, you could easily change it to: “Several people applied for the job,” which gets the same message across in a cleaner way.
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Conclusion
The rewrite suggestions in Word are a fantastic tool for anyone looking to uplevel their writing. By following these simple steps, you’ll be able to quickly improve your writing fluency, tone, and clarity.
Try this feature out the next time you’re drafting a document or editing your writing. It’s a small trick that can have a big impact on how your work reads—and it’s so easy to use that there’s no reason not to! If you found this post helpful, don’t forget to let me know in the comments.
Happy editing!
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