Carly Quellman, aka Carly Que, is a multimedia strategist and storyteller at the intersection of technology and the humanities, investigating how perspective can enhance, rather than overstimulate, the world. She can be found online and near the closest south-facing window in Los Angeles.
In today's professional landscape where tone is conveyed through digital threads and artificial intelligence now can write anything for us, it's easy to find that content -- AI-generated or not -- can sound nothing like how we actually interact with one another.
Perhaps not so ironically, Wordtune, an AI-powered writing companion, popped up on my Instagram ads and my interest was piqued, first by its simple yet modern typeface and graphics, secondly by its copy that states it can "enhance writing everywhere."
Wordtune was launched in 2017 and was derived from AI21Labs, an Israeli-based startup that primarily functions on natural language processing and large language models. Its goal is to assist the writing process beyond general grammar checks. Think rewriting sentences, changing tone and refining text to speak to a certain audience.
Other similar tools for written text include Grammarly, Canary Mail and Gemini, which all help with editing your copy to make it sound conversational, also without necessarily paying for a subscription. With Wordtune's free version, you can only access 10 rewrites a day in comparison to its paid plans, which offer unlimited rewrites for between $7 and $10 a month.
Since Wordtune can be accessed via its website or through an extension, this tool can be used across many writing platforms and websites.
Humanizing or personalizing your content, whether AI written or not, with Wordtune looks like this:
Step 1: Visit Wordtune and create an account using an email address or your Google account. Once complete, log in with your credentials.
Step 2: Choose which version of Wordtune you'd like to use: the Wordtune Online Editor, available through the website. Or the Wordtune Extension, which can be downloaded through Google Chrome Web Store or through the website. If you install it using this method, pin the extension to your toolbar for easy accessibility.
With the extension, you can access Wordtune through any website or application by clicking on its purple icon. You can also add Wordtune to Google Docs via the Google Workspace marketplace, or for Microsoft Word through the Add-ins store. This gives you direct access to all of Wordtune's features in these applications.
Step 3: If you're using the Wordtune Editor, type or paste your text into the text box. If you're using the Wordtune extension or add-on feature, highlight the sentence or phrase you want to edit. Here, you can access various rewriting modes, including:
Step 4: After that, you can review suggestions, make decisions and edit further if needed. Wordtune offers a pop-up on the sidebar with multiple options for your copy, depending on the rewriting mode chosen. Once chosen, Wordtune will replace your written text with the edited text. After that, feel free to make additional edits as needed or use another feature to get the text to feel as close to human interaction as possible.
Make sure to proofread the text and assess the tone and impression it will leave on your intended audience. Combining features is a great way to use multiple tools to get your content as close to sounding human as possible, even if you originally wrote it yourself.
This can also be a great tool for learning how you want to communicate while allowing AI to assist in maintaining your voice.
With many tools available to help rewrite copy and edit text to convey a different tone, I can't say Wordtune is doing much more than (attempting) to reinvent the wheel. While it does offer a slew of writing features, I don't see any that stand out from its competitors, even with its focus on creative writing and edits.
However, simplicity is key. With its ability to integrate with Google Docs, Google Mail and Facebook, Wordtune could be a great option for someone wanting fewer tools to access. Since it has the ability to access multiple features from a small icon that hovers over your text, it could be beneficial for someone who wants to quickly edit AI content or humanize text that's written from the perspective of a non-human entirety (looking at you, novelists).
Personality is often diluted from content, since it becomes a churnout game rather than one of creation and process. So the person who hasn't yet tried content editing tools before may find Wordtune to be their AI-powered editor of choice, but I don't know if those more comfortable with AI's capabilities will.
At 10 rewrites a day, you won't lose out on much from trying out Wordtune for a week, either on its own or in comparison to the various competitors offering similar tools at the same price point. If Wordtune helps you invite a cheeky comment or humorous personality back into content, please use this tool! Otherwise, navigate off this page and continue with your day. Both are valid options.
