Detect passive voice constructions in your writing and get suggestions to make your prose more direct and powerful.
Passive Voice Checker is a free online text utility that lets you detect passive voice constructions in your writing and get suggestions to make your prose more direct and powerful instantly in your browser. Writers, editors, students, and content creators use this tool daily to save time on repetitive text manipulation tasks. No data is sent to any server — everything is processed locally on your device.
Passive voice occurs when the grammatical subject of a sentence is the recipient of the action rather than the one performing it. It typically uses a "to be" verb (is, are, was, were, been, being) followed by a past participle. Example: "The email was sent by Maria" (passive) vs. "Maria sent the email" (active). Active voice is generally clearer, more direct, and easier to read.
Passive voice is appropriate in several cases: (1) when the actor is unknown — "The artifact was discovered in 1923"; (2) in scientific writing where the method matters more than who did it — "The samples were heated to 200°C"; (3) when you deliberately want to de-emphasize the actor — "Mistakes were made" in political or diplomatic contexts; (4) to vary sentence rhythm and avoid repetition. Most style guides recommend keeping passive voice below 15-20% of sentences.
The formula is straightforward: identify the actor (usually after "by"), move it to the front, and restructure the verb. Steps: (1) Find the "to be" verb + past participle (e.g., "was written"). (2) Identify who performed the action. (3) Make that person/thing the subject. Example: "The law was passed by Congress" → "Congress passed the law." If no actor is mentioned, you may need to add one or restructure the idea entirely.