How to use the Word Difference Checker
- Paste the original text.
- Paste the edited text.
- Click Compare Words.
- Review insertions and deletions inline.
Example
| Input | “The quick fox” → “The fast brown fox” |
|---|---|
| Result | The ~~quick~~ fast brown fox |
How the comparison works
Paste the original text on the left and the changed text on the right, then click Compare. The tool shows one combined text where deleted words are marked in one colour and inserted words in another, so you can read the changes in context. A summary counts the insertions and deletions.
Words or characters
- Words (the default): treats each word as a unit. This is best for reading edits in articles, emails and contracts.
- Characters: compares letter by letter, which catches small changes such as a typo or a changed digit inside a word. It is limited to about 10,000 characters per text, so use Words for longer documents.
Reducing noise
- Ignore case: treats capital and small letters as the same.
- Ignore whitespace: ignores differences in spaces and line breaks.
- Swap: reverses the two texts, which turns insertions into deletions.
Good uses
- Seeing exactly what an editor changed in your draft.
- Comparing two versions of a contract, policy or terms of service.
- Checking whether a document was modified, or how much was reworded.
- Proofreading: spotting a changed number, name or date.
Other comparison tools
For a side-by-side line view use the Text Compare, and for a unified diff you can export use the Text Diff Checker. To get a single similarity percentage instead, try the Text Similarity Checker.
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from Text Compare?
Text Compare works line by line. This tool compares individual words, which is better for edited paragraphs where lines wrap differently.
What is the difference between this and Text Compare?
Text Compare works line by line and highlights changed words inside lines. This tool compares the whole text word by word, or letter by letter, in one flowing result.
Why does the character comparison say my text is too long?
Character-level comparison is limited to about 10,000 characters per text to keep the page fast. Switch to word comparison for longer texts.