Passive Voice Checker – Detect Passive Voice Free Online
Detect passive voice sentences in your text. Highlights passive constructions and shows the percentage of passive sentences. Free, browser-based.
Paste text above to detect passive voice sentences.
Frequently Asked Questions
Passive voice occurs when the subject of a sentence receives the action rather than performing it. Example: 'The letter was written by John' (passive) vs 'John wrote the letter' (active).
It looks for patterns like 'was/were/is/are/been + a past participle verb' (words ending in -ed or common irregular forms) within sentences.
Not necessarily. Passive voice is appropriate in scientific writing, when the agent is unknown, or when the object of the action is more important. Aim for under 20% passive sentences.
No. All analysis runs in your browser. Your text is never sent to any server.
What is Passive Voice Checker – Detect Passive Voice in Text?
A passive voice checker scans text and identifies sentences written in passive voice — constructions where the subject receives the action rather than performs it (e.g., 'The report was written by John' instead of 'John wrote the report'). While passive voice is not always wrong, overuse makes writing harder to read and less direct. Our tool highlights every passive sentence and shows the passive voice percentage so you know how much to revise.
How to Use Passive Voice Checker – Detect Passive Voice in Text
- 1Paste your text into the input area.
- 2Click Check Passive Voice to run the analysis.
- 3Review highlighted passive voice sentences.
- 4Check the passive voice percentage — aim for under 10% for most writing styles.
- 5Rewrite flagged sentences in active voice for clearer, more direct prose.
Key Features
- ✓Highlights passive voice sentences in the text
- ✓Passive voice percentage score
- ✓Total passive sentence count
- ✓Works with any text length
- ✓Runs in your browser — no upload
Benefits
- →Make writing more direct and engaging
- →Reduce passive voice for SEO content and blog posts
- →Meet academic style guide requirements (APA recommends active voice)
- →Identify patterns in your writing that weaken clarity
Why Use Irreva for Passive Voice Checker – Detect Passive Voice in Text?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is passive voice?
Passive voice occurs when the subject of a sentence receives the action rather than performing it. Example: 'The letter was written by John' (passive) vs 'John wrote the letter' (active).
How does the detector work?
It looks for patterns like 'was/were/is/are/been + a past participle verb' (words ending in -ed or common irregular forms) within sentences.
Should I eliminate all passive voice?
Not necessarily. Passive voice is appropriate in scientific writing, when the agent is unknown, or when the object of the action is more important. Aim for under 20% passive sentences.
Is my text stored anywhere?
No. All analysis runs in your browser. Your text is never sent to any server.
Is passive voice always bad?
No. Passive voice is appropriate in scientific writing, when the actor is unknown, or when you want to emphasize the object over the subject. The goal is intentional use, not elimination. A rate under 10% is generally considered acceptable.
How does the tool detect passive voice?
It looks for patterns of 'to be' verbs (is, are, was, were, been, being) followed by past participles (-ed or irregular forms). This catches the majority of passive constructions in English.
Is my text sent to a server?
No. All analysis runs in your browser. Your text never leaves your device.
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