What is passive voice?

A construction where the subject receives the action: 'The ball was kicked' instead of 'She kicked the ball.' It pairs a form of 'to be' with a past participle.

Is passive voice always bad?

No. Use it when the actor is unknown, obvious or unimportant. The problem is overuse, not existence.

How accurate is the check?

It reliably catches standard 'be + past participle' patterns. Very unusual constructions may slip through, so treat it as a strong first pass, not a final judge.

What percentage of passive sentences is acceptable?

Most style advice suggests keeping it under about 10–25% of sentences, depending on the genre.

Does it work for languages other than English?

No — the pattern matching is built for English grammar.

No. The analysis runs locally in your browser tab.

Passive Voice Checker

Find passive-voice sentences and rewrite them for punch.

Reading time:: 3 min
Last updated:: 5 August 2026
Price:: Free, no signup

Your text

Results (live)

Type or paste text to see the result.

What the Passive Voice Checker does

Paste your writing and every passive sentence gets flagged: 'The report was submitted by the manager' is highlighted so you can decide whether 'The manager submitted the report' says it better. The check runs as you type, so you can watch passive constructions disappear as you revise.

Each flag explains what was matched — a form of 'to be' plus a past participle — so you learn the pattern while you edit.

Why the Passive Voice Checker is useful

Passive voice isn't wrong, but it hides who did what and makes sentences longer and flatter. Reports, essays and business writing full of 'it was decided' and 'mistakes were made' read as evasive. Most style guides suggest keeping passive sentences well under a quarter of your text.

Spotting passive constructions in your own draft is genuinely hard — you wrote them, so they sound fine to you. A checker catches what your eye skips.

Also known as: passive voice checker, passive voice, free passive voice checker, online passive voice checker, passive voice checker online free, passive voice checker tool, best passive voice checker tool.

How to use the Passive Voice Checker

1
Paste your text
Add a paragraph, an essay or a full report.
2
Review the highlighted sentences
Each passive construction is marked in place, with the matched words shown.
3
Rewrite the ones that matter
Convert to active voice where the actor matters; keep passive where it genuinely fits.

Key features

Real-time highlighting as you type
Shows the exact words that triggered each flag
Counts passive sentences vs. total sentences
No text leaves your browser

Benefits

Make reports and essays more direct
Learn to recognize the pattern yourself
Edit faster than reading the draft aloud

Real-life use cases

Polishing a university essay

A student finds 9 of 40 sentences are passive, rewrites six of them, and the argument reads noticeably more confident.

Editing a company announcement

A manager rewrites 'a decision has been made to restructure' as 'we decided to restructure' — owning the message instead of hiding it.

Checking a cover letter

A job seeker converts 'three projects were led by me' to 'I led three projects' before sending.

Tips for the best results

Keep passive where the actor is unknown or irrelevant: 'The window was broken' is fine if you don't know who did it.
Scientific writing often accepts passive in methods sections — check your style guide before purging everything.
Fix the flagged sentences that hide responsibility first; those are the ones readers notice.

Conclusion

Paste your draft, see every passive sentence, and decide which ones earn their place.

Frequently asked questions

What is passive voice?: A construction where the subject receives the action: 'The ball was kicked' instead of 'She kicked the ball.' It pairs a form of 'to be' with a past participle.
Is passive voice always bad?: No. Use it when the actor is unknown, obvious or unimportant. The problem is overuse, not existence.
How accurate is the check?: It reliably catches standard 'be + past participle' patterns. Very unusual constructions may slip through, so treat it as a strong first pass, not a final judge.
What percentage of passive sentences is acceptable?: Most style advice suggests keeping it under about 10–25% of sentences, depending on the genre.
Does it work for languages other than English?: No — the pattern matching is built for English grammar.
Is my text stored?: No. The analysis runs locally in your browser tab.

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