How to Use Grammarly Effectively: 15 Tips for Better Writing

Most people use Grammarly as a basic spell checker. But it’s capable of dramatically improving your writing quality when used correctly. Here are 15 tips to get maximum value.

Basic Setup (5 Minutes)

1. Install the Chrome extension — works in Gmail, Google Docs, LinkedIn, and 500+ other apps
2. Download the desktop app — for Word integration on Windows/Mac
3. Set your goals — In Settings, set your audience, formality level, and intent for tailored suggestions

15 Pro Tips to Write Better with Grammarly

Tips for Free Users

1. Paste before sending any important email. Before hitting send on client emails, investor updates, or job applications, paste the text into the Grammarly editor for a final check.

2. Use the “Goals” feature every time. Set Audience (general/expert), Formality (casual/formal), and Tone Intent for each document. This tailors suggestions to your actual communication goals.

3. Read the explanations. Don’t just click “Accept.” Understanding WHY something is wrong teaches you to write better naturally over time.

4. Use the score as a benchmark. A score above 90 means your document is polished. Aim for 85+ for professional communications.

5. Check the Tone Detector on emails. Grammarly’s free plan includes tone detection. An email that reads as “disappointed” when you meant “concerned” can damage relationships.

Tips for Premium Users

6. Use the Rewrite feature liberally. Highlight a weak sentence and click “Rewrite” to see 5 alternatives. Often one of the options is exactly what you needed to say.

7. Enable Word Choice suggestions. Premium shows you when a word is overused or when a more precise word exists. Over time, this expands your vocabulary naturally.

8. Turn on Conciseness checks. Grammarly identifies wordy phrases like “due to the fact that” (→ “because”). These cuts make writing 20-30% more readable.

9. Use the Plagiarism Checker before publishing. Check any AI-generated content or heavily researched articles before posting.

10. Customize the personal dictionary. Add industry jargon, client names, and brand terms to stop false positives on legitimate terminology.

11. Use Grammarly for performance reviews. Performance reviews need to be direct but fair. Grammarly’s Premium suggestions help remove unintentional bias and sharpen clarity.

Advanced Techniques

12. Combine with Claude AI for best results. Use Claude to draft → paste into Grammarly to polish. Claude produces better first drafts than Grammarly Go, and Grammarly catches remaining errors.

13. Use the API for bulk content. Grammarly has an API (Business plan) for integrating grammar checking into your content workflows, CMS, or customer support tools.

14. Check your most common mistakes. Grammarly’s Insights (Premium) shows your most frequent error patterns. Focus on fixing your top 3 recurring mistakes to improve quickly.

15. Use in Slack and Teams. The browser extension works in Slack web app. Enable it specifically for channels where external clients or executives can see your messages.

Grammarly Keyboard Shortcuts

• Alt + Shift + G: Open/close Grammarly sidebar (Windows)
• Option + Shift + G: Open/close Grammarly sidebar (Mac)
• Enter: Accept suggestion when in sidebar

Try Grammarly Premium Free →