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How to Find Your Document's Readability Score in Microsoft Word

Is your writing smarter than a fifth grader's? Your report, manual, or any other kind of document should match the reading level of your intended audience. You don't want to compose an article for graduate students that is written at an elementary school level. In a couple of clicks, you can find the readability score in Microsoft Word  and make sure the reading level is on point.

Microsoft Word can display the readability score for both the Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaide Grade Level formulas, two of the most commonly used and accurate measures of readability. The higher the Flesch Reading Ease score, the easier it is for most people to understand the document. The Flesch-Kincaide Grade Level score represents the number of years of education generally required to understand the text.

To quickly see the reading level of your Word document or selection of text:

1. Go to File > Options.

2. In the Proofing tab, check the following options:

• Check grammar with spelling
• Show readability statistics

3. Click OK.

4. Click to Review > Spelling & Grammar to check your document for spelling or grammatical errors and also see the readability level of your document.

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With these settings changes, you'll see more readability statistics for your Word document every time you check the document's spelling and grammar.

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#9: A Strategy for Grading Essays in Microsoft Word Efficiently

by Dr. Bethanie Hansen | Jun 10, 2020 | Best practices , Grading and Evaluation , Podcast , Teaching Online , Time Management

If this is your question, you’ve come to the right place! Using Microsoft Word for grading is easy with several specific tools, all built into the software. Enjoy the latest podcast for suggestions, tips, and strategies for using Microsoft Word to grade essays.

Autotext is an excellent tool for inserting chunks of feedback you might regularly use. Furthermore, in the Autotext feature, you can add entire rubrics and insert them on the document you’re grading with only one click.

Two images are included here. These images illustrate the process for using Autotext as a grading tool. And for more details, visit Teaching Music Appreciation Online, chapter 12.

Autocorrect is another great tool for inserting paragraphs of frequently used commentary by typing a few letters.

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Psa: don't get duped into downloading "new" switch games, how to organize your life using the project management app trello, quick links, how to enable readability statistics, how to view readability statistics.

Microsoft Word and Outlook have long featured the ability to view "readability" statistics for what you're writing, so you know how simple or complex you're writing is. This can help ensure your writing is readable enough for your intended audience.

In older versions of Word, the feature was just a click away on your status bar. In versions starting with 2013, you have to enable the feature first, and then access it by running a spell and grammar check.

Checking spelling and grammar in Word and Outlook happen in the Proofing Panel , and offer a fairly solid way of proofing documents. There are some better grammar-checking add-ins for Office out there, but even if you have those enabled, you'll still need to enable the built-in grammar checking to be able to use the readability statistics. Whether that's worth it is really up to you. And if you don't mind having grammar checking active, but just prefer not to be distracted by the squiggly underlines while you work, you can always turn off spelling and grammar checking while you type .

Related: How to Turn Off Spell Check as You Type in Microsoft Office

To access readability statistics in Word, you'll first need to turn the feature on. In Word, click the File tab and then click Options. In the Options window, select the Proofing tab. Enable both the "Check grammar with spelling" and "Show readability statistics" check boxes. Click OK when you're finished.

The process is similar in Outlook. Click the File tab and then click Options. In the Options window, select the Mail tab and then click the "Spelling and Autocorrect" button.

In the Editor Options window, select the Proofing tab. Enable both the "Check grammar with spelling" and "Show readability statistics" check boxes and then click OK.

Note that in both Word and Outlook, you can deselect the options for checking spelling and grammar errors as you type if you find that distracting.

Now that you've enabled reading statistics, checking the readability score of a document or a selection of text is simple. All you have to do is run a spell and grammar check. You can select specific text to check, or make sure nothing is selected to check the whole document. Initiate a spelling and grammar check by hitting F7 or by clicking the Proofing button in the status bar at the bottom of the window.

Run through the spell and grammar check and, when you're done, the Readability Statistics window will pop up.

The window shows you some basic statistics like word and character counts, along with some averages like sentences per paragraph. In the Readability section, you'll see two scores: Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Both scores are based on formulas that account for average sentence length (ASL) and average syllables per word (ASW).

• Flesch Reading Ease . This score rates the readability of your text on a 100-point scale, with higher scores being easier to read. Scores from 0-60 are typically regarded as college or college graduate level and fairly difficult to read. Scores from 60-80 are regarded as reasonably easy to read and written in plain English. Most professional documents fall into this range. Higher scores than 80 are regarded as easy to read for kids.
• Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level . This scores rates the readability of text based on U.S. school grade levels. A score of 4.0, for example, means writing that can be understood by a fourth grader. Most professional documents fall somewhere in the range of 7.0-11.0.

And if you like knowing the math behind things, the formula used for determining the Flesch Reading Ease score is:

206.835 -- (1.015 x ASL) -- (84.6 x ASW)

The formula used in determining the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level score is:

(.39 x ASL) + (11.8 x ASW) -- 15.59

And that's it! It's a simple feature to enable and use and, while you may not want to base everything you write on readability scores, they can still be a handy tool for making sure you're hitting the right audience with your writing.

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Erin Wright Writing

Writing-Related Software Tutorials

Understanding Readability Scores

By Erin Wright

Do you want to skip to the instructions for accessing Microsoft Word’s readability statistics? Click here.

The Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formulas

Readability tests tell us how difficult or easy a text is to read. In the United States, our primary readability tests are the Flesch Reading Ease formula and the Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level formula. Flesch Reading Ease was created by reading expert Rudolf Flesch and popularized in his 1949 book The Art of Readable Writing .  The formula uses average sentence lengths and average syllable counts to produce a score between 0 and 100, with higher scores having lower levels of complexity. Notice that the scores differ for children and adults: 1

In 1975, scientist J. Peter Kincaid created the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula for the U.S. Navy. It converts Flesch Reading Ease scores into grade-based scores. 2 Here are a few examples:

• 0 to 1 equals preschool to first grade.
• 6 to 7 equals sixth to seventh grade.
• 11 to 12 equals the junior to senior year in high school.
• 13 and above equals the collegiate level and beyond.

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula has since become a standard for the United States Department of Defense and other government agencies. 3

Do you want to skip to the conclusion? Click here.

Accessing Readability Statistics in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word has a built-in function that provides Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level scores. The following instructions apply to Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2013 . However, the steps are similar for Word 2010 and 2007.

Turn on the readability statistics function:

1. Select File in the toolbar.

2. Select Options on the left-hand side of the Backstage view.

3. Select Proofing in the Word Options window.

4. Check Show readability statistics .

5. Select Recheck document if the document is already in progress. (This step isn’t necessary for blank documents.)

6. Select OK to save your changes.

Access the readability statistics:

1. Select Review in the toolbar.

2. Select Spelling & Grammar . (Note that Word for Office 365 and Word 2019 say Check Document instead of Spelling & Grammar.)

3. Complete the Grammar Check if it has not already been completed.

4. Review your scores at the bottom of the Readability Statistics window. (This window won’t appear until the Grammar Check has been completed.)

Applying Readability Scores to Your Content

How should we apply readability scores to our own content? Truth be told, there is no right or wrong answer because everyone’s audience is different. Microsoft Word recommends keeping general content between the seventh and eighth-grade level. 4 Oregon’s Department of Administrative Services requires that most of its material be written at the tenth-grade level. 3 And, consumer insurance forms in Texas must have a Flesch Reading Ease of 40 or higher, which is appropriate for high school graduates. 5

But comprehension is based on more than sentence length and syllable counts. Subject matter, content structure, and our own cultural knowledge all influence our understanding of what we read. So, instead of sticking to one specific number, consider using readability scores as guideposts that can help you create clear content that meets your audience’s unique needs.

I’d love to hear if your business has a readability policy based on a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Flesch Reading Ease, or another formula.

(In case you’re wondering, this post’s Flesch Reading Ease score is 53.5 and its Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is 9.0.) _________________

1. Rudolf Flesch, The Art of Readable Writing (New York: Harper & Row, 1949), 149-50.

2. “Flesch–Kincaid readability tests,” Wikipedia , last modified February 28, 2014, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch%E2%80%93Kincaid_readability_tests .

3. “Readability – Frequently Asked Questions,” Oregon.gov , accessed March 13, 2014, http://www.oregon.gov/DAS/pages/readability.aspx.

4. “Test your document’s readability,” Office.com , accessed March 13, 2014, http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word-help/test-your-document-s-readability-HP010354286.aspx .

5. “Adoption of Flesch Reading Ease Test,” TDI.Texas.gov , accessed March 13, 2014, http://www.tdi.texas.gov/pubs/pc/pccpfaq.html .

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Write great papers

Write great papers with microsoft word.

You may already use Microsoft Word to write papers, but you can also use for many other tasks, such as collecting research, co-writing with other students, recording notes on-the-fly, and even building a better bibliography!

Explore new ways to use Microsoft Word below.

Getting started

Let’s get started by opening Microsoft Word and choosing a template to create a new document. You can either:

Select Blank document to create a document from scratch.

Select a structured template.

Select Take a tour for Word tips.

Next, let’s look at creating and formatting copy. You can do so by clicking onto the page and beginning to type your content. The status bar at the bottom of the document shows your current page number and how many words you've typed, in case you’re trying to stay maintain a specific word count.

To format text and change how it looks, select the text and select an option on the Home tab: Bold, Italic, Bullets, Numbering , etc.

To add pictures, shapes, or other media, simply navigate to the Insert tab, then select any of the options to add media to your document.

Word automatically saves your content as you work, so you don’t have to stress about losing your progress if you forget to press  Save .

Here are some of the advanced tools you can try out while using Microsoft Word.

Type with your voice

Have you ever wanted to speak, not write, your ideas? Believe it or not, there’s a button for that! All you have to do is navigate to the Home tab, select the Dictate button, and start talking to “type” with your voice. You’ll know Dictate is listening when the red recording icon appears.

Tips for using Dictate

Speak clearly and conversationally.

Add punctuation by pausing or saying the name of the punctuation mark.

If you make a mistake, all you have to do is go back and re-type your text.

Finding and citing sources

Get a head start on collecting sources and ideas for a big paper by searching key words in  Researcher in the References tab of your document.

Researcher uses Bing to search the web and deliver high-quality research sources to the side of your page. Search for people, places, or ideas and then sort by journal articles and websites. Add a source to your page by selecting the plus sign.

As you write, Researcher saves a record of your searches. Just select My Research to see the complete list.

Keep track of all your sources by using Word's built-in bibliography maker. Simply navigate to the References tab.

First, choose the style you want your citations to be in. In this example, we’ve selected APA style.

Select Insert Citation and Add New Source .

In the next window, choose what kind of work you’re citing—an article, book, etc.—and fill in the required details. Then select  OK to cite your source.

Keep writing. At the ends of sentences that need sources, select Insert Citation to keep adding new sources, or pick one you already entered from the list.

As you write, Word will keep track of all the citations you’ve entered. When you’re finished, select Bibliography and choose a format style. Your bibliography will appear at the end of your paper, just like that.

Make things look nice

Make your report or project look extra professional in the Design tab! Browse different themes, colors, fonts, and borders to create work you're proud of!

Illustrate a concept with a chart or a model by navigating to the  Insert tab and choosing  SmartArt . In this example, we chose Cycle and filled in text from the writing process to make a simple graphic. Choose other graphic types to represent hierarchies, flow charts, and more.

To insert a 3D model, select  Insert > 3D Models to choose from a library of illustrated dioramas from different course subjects and 3D shapes.

Invite someone to write with you

If you’re working on a group project, you can work on a document at the same time without emailing the file back and forth. Select Share at the top of your page and create a link you can send to other students.

Now, everybody can open the same file and work together.

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HOW TO – Format papers in standard academic format (using Microsoft Word)

This guide explains how to format your documents in Microsoft Word so that they follow the standard rules for formatting academic papers as described in most MLA and APA style books for undergraduate writing. These rules apply to most of the papers you will submit in your college classes, but in some cases your professors will want you to follow specific guidelines that may differ from those below. Always clarify with your professor which set of guidelines he or she wants you to follow before you submit a paper.

Using standard formatting for academic papers shows that you understand the customs of the university community and therefore helps to boost your own credibility. Using unusual or highly distinctive formatting, on the other hand, suggests that your previous schooling did not adequately prepare you for university work. Consider the impact of unusual formatting: not only does it call attention to your paper in a way that might not be positive, professors might also see it as a sign that you’re trying to artificially inflate page length.

Note: These instructions apply to all versions of Word for Mac and for the 2003 version of Word for Windows. I haven’t yet updated them to include instructions for the 2007 version of Word for Windows, but the tools should nevertheless be easy to find if you look around on the toolbar at the top.

• 2 DOCUMENT MARGINS
• 3 INDENTATION
• 5 ALIGNMENT
• 6.1 Heading
• 6.3 Sample First Page
• 7 PAGE NUMBERS
• 8.1 Document Spacing
• 8.2 Paragraph Spacing
• 9 CREATE NEW PAGE
• 10 BLOCKED QUOTATIONS
• 11 RESOURCES

DOCUMENT MARGINS

Rule : Papers submitted for review or grading should have 1” margins all around. This should be the default for Word, but if your default setting is to have left and right margins of 1.25”, change your default. Page length requirements are based on 1” margins.

Instructions : Go to the Format menu, drag down to Document, change the margins, and the click on the Default button and accept the change to the Normal template. Make sure you leave the gutter set to 0” or you’ll mess up your document formatting.

INDENTATION

Rule : The first line of each paragraph should be automatically indented.

Instructions : This should be the default for Word, but if not, you might want to change your Normal style, as described above. To change the indentation format for a document, choose Select All from the Edit menu. Then go to the Format menu, drag down to Paragraph, look under the “Special” drop-down menu in the Indentation section, and select “First Line.” This setting automatically indents the first line of a new paragraph so that you don’t have to do it manually.

Rule : College papers should be in a standard academic font: either Times New Roman or Cambria, in 12pt size. (If you submit a paper in another font, I will change it on the file I download.)

Instructions : Times New Roman or Cambria 12pt should be the default for Word, but if yours is different then change your default. Go to the Format menu, drag down to Style, make sure “Normal” is selected from the list of styles, and click “modify.” Choose the correct font and size from the Formatting menu. Click “OK” to make the change to your default settings.

Rule : The text of your paper should be left aligned, NOT justified, as justified text is hard to read if it hasn’t been professionally typeset. The default in Word is left alignment, so don’t change it.

FIRST PAGE FORMAT

Rule : In the upper left corner of the first page of your document, type your name, the date, the course number and section (or topic), and the version of the paper (such as Paper 1 Second Draft), each on a separate line. Be sure to change the date and paper version when you submit revisions and final versions. See the sample below.

DO NOT use the “headers” feature from the header/footer menu to create this full heading as that will make it appear on every page, which is not customary in academic writing. Also do NOT use a title page unless the assignment specifically asks for one.

Rule : Skip a line after the heading and center an original title that conveys the topic of your paper. Do not use underlining or italics in the heading (unless you’re referring to the title of a book or periodical). Do not use bold text or ALL CAPS.

Sample First Page

Page numbers.

Rule : All papers should have automatically inserted page numbers that show in the upper right corner on all pages except the first. Do not insert these page numbers by hand. Instead, use Word’s Header/Footer tool.

For documents following MLA format, put your last name and page number in the upper right corner. For documents following APA format, put a short version of your title (instead of your last name) and the page number in the upper right corner.

Instructions : Go to the View menu and choose “Header and Footer.” You’ll see a header box appear at the top and a footer box at the bottom. Click in the header box, type your last name (or title), make it align to the right, and then select Page Numbers from the Insert menu.

When you’re finished, click on the “Close” tab under the Header view. Each page of your document should now display a page number at the upper right that updates automatically when you make changes to the document. It will appear as grayed out text unless you active the Header and Footer tool to make changes.

To change the setting so that page numbers do not display on the first page, go to the Format men, drag down to Document, and click on the Layout button. Then check the box next to “Different First Page.” Click OK. If necessary, remove the header that appears on the first page and insert a header on the second page, which will automatically appear on all subsequent pages as well.

Document Spacing

Rule : The entire paper should be double-spaced, including the heading and bibliography.

Instructions : Choose “Select All” from the Edit menu, go to the Format menu and drag down to Paragraph, and choose “double” from the “line spacing” menu in the Spacing section. Or you can use these keyboard shortcuts. On a Mac, use Cmd-A to select all and Cmd-2 to double-space. On a PC, use Ctrl-A to select all and Ctrl-2 to double space.

Paragraph Spacing

Rule : Papers should have no extra spacing after paragraphs. This should be the default for Word, but if your default setting is to have 10pt spacing after paragraphs, change your default.

Instructions : Go to the Format menu, drag down to Style, make sure “Normal” is selected from the list of styles, and click “modify.” In the lower left corner, select the dropdown menu that starts with “Format” and drag down to Paragraph. In the paragraph settings menu that pops up, change the settings for Spacing After to 0pt.

CREATE NEW PAGE

Instead of using a lot of returns before starting your bibliography, create a new page for it following these instructions.

Go to the Insert menu, drag down to Break, and then drag over to Page Break.

BLOCKED QUOTATIONS

Rule : If a quotation will exceed four lines within a paragraph, you should separate it out by blocking and indenting it. As with any quotation, a blocked quotation should be clearly introduced by the sentence that leads up to it and it should also be properly cited, but the rules for blocked quotations are somewhat different. The blocking take the place of quotation marks, and unlike in a regular in-paragraph quotation, the parenthetical citation goes outside of the final period instead of inside of it (given that the blocked quote might contain several sentences.)

Instructions : Type the quotation in its own paragraph, without quotation marks, and remove the indent from the first line. Type the source in parentheses after the last period of the last sentence. With your cursor, select the quotation, from the first word to the end of the parenthetical citation, and click the Increase Indent button from the Paragraph Formatting menu.

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eMarking Assistant

Helping teachers assess, grade, & provide feedback on student assignments using microsoft word, emarking assistant helps you grade papers.

• easily create detailed comment banks containing text, images, links, and tables
• quickly insert these comments in an assignment or paper  ( see demo ) using a floating toolbar so you don’t need to retype the feedback
• share comment banks with other teachers  ( see demo ) to improve consistency and reduce moderation
• easily record and insert audio feedback  ( see demo ) in Word
• use professional colour coded marking rubrics which automatically add, rescale, and convert marks to grades ( see demo )
• select a phrase in the assignment and  press a button to do a Google web or scholar search ( see demo )
• highlight every occurrence of a misused phrase throughout the assignment
• provide quick access to other marking or grading tools in Word

Download 30 day trial of eMarking Assistant The eMarking Assistant online essay grader will help you do all these things and save you time when grading papers online. And it works in any version of Word for Windows so you don’t need to learn another software package.

Download the 30 day trial of the eMarking Assistant online essay grader

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Microsoft Copilot can boost your writing in Word, Outlook, and OneNote — here’s how

Copilot integration in microsoft 365 apps makes it a snap to generate first drafts, revise text, and get instant summaries for long docs or email threads. here’s how to use copilot for writing assistance in word, outlook, and onenote..

One of the most enticing uses for generative AI is to help you write. Anyone can get writing help from Microsoft’s Copilot genAI tool via the free Copilot web or mobile app. But Copilot becomes especially useful when it’s integrated with various Microsoft 365 apps.

As you compose, edit, or view a document in Word, for example, you can summon Copilot to assist you in several ways: It can generate rough drafts, polish or change the tone of your writing, and summarize long passages of text. Copilot can also help you compose or summarize emails in Outlook and help you rewrite or summarize notes in OneNote.

This guide will get you started on the basics of using Copilot for your writing in Microsoft 365 apps. But you’ll have to pay for a Copilot subscription in addition to your current Microsoft 365 plan.

In this article:

How to use copilot in microsoft 365 apps, generate a rough draft in word or outlook.

• Get email draft coaching in Outlook

Rewrite text in Word or OneNote

Summarize long documents, notes, emails, or threads.

Individuals with a free Microsoft account or a Microsoft 365 Family or Personal subscription can purchase a Copilot Pro subscription for $20 per month. (A one-month free trial is available.) Each person who wants to use Copilot Pro must have their own subscription.

If you have a free Microsoft account, the Copilot Pro subscription lets you use Copilot in certain Microsoft 365 apps on the web only. If you have a paid Microsoft 365 plan, you’ll be able to use Copilot in the desktop and mobile versions of those M365 apps as well. Once you’ve signed up, you may need to refresh your Microsoft 365 license before Copilot becomes available in the apps.

If you’re on a Microsoft 365 business plan (such as through a company you work for), a Copilot for Microsoft 365 subscription costs $30 per user per month. This must be paid annually at $360 up front, and there’s no trial period. (Apparently, Microsoft presumes that your company will foot this hefty tab.) A Copilot Pro subscription cannot be used with a Microsoft 365 business account.

This guide goes over how to use Copilot in Word, Outlook, and OneNote to help you compose and revise text. I’ll demonstrate using Copilot Pro with an individual Microsoft 365 account, but the descriptions also apply to Copilot for Microsoft 365 used with a Microsoft 365 business plan. Most of the steps and user interfaces are alike. I’ll also note additional features that are available under the business versions of Copilot and Microsoft 365.

Note: Microsoft 365 apps aren’t completely consistent on different platforms — for instance, a menu choice in Word for Windows might be named differently from the same option in the web version of Word. In these cases, I’ve tried to include both names. You may still find instances where a button or menu item doesn’t match, but it’s generally obvious what to do.

Copilot can help you compose text drafts in Word and Outlook. In Outlook, you use Copilot through a panel that appears over the main area of the app. In Word, you can use Copilot from a similar panel that overlays the document, or from a sidebar that opens along the right of the page.

Using the “Draft with Copilot” panel in Word and Outlook

Word: Start with a new, blank document or open an existing document that you’d like to add more writing to. (Set the cursor where you want the generated text to be inserted.) Click the Copilot icon that appears in the left margin.

To get started with Copilot in Word, click the Copilot icon in the left margin or press Alt-I on your keyboard.

Howard Wen / IDG

The “Draft with Copilot” panel appears over the document. In the text entry box, you’ll type in a prompt that describes the text you want Copilot to write. (More on that in a moment.)

Type your prompt into the “Draft with Copilot” panel.

In the desktop version of Word for Windows, there’s a Reference a file button at the bottom of the Draft with Copilot panel. Clicking this may let you select a document in your OneDrive or SharePoint for Copilot to base its generated text on, including content, writing style, and formatting. (Business users can select up to three files for Copilot to reference.) You can also type your prompt followed by a / (forward slash) and a document’s file name to trigger Copilot to reference it.

But know that this function may not work for you – it apparently depends on whether Copilot itself thinks you have documents that it can reference for you.

Outlook: With the cursor in the message body of a new email, click the Copilot button on the Home tab of the ribbon toolbar. On the drop-down menu that opens, click Draft with Copilot .

To get started with Copilot in Outlook, click the Copilot button in the ribbon toolbar.

On the “Draft with Copilot” panel that opens, type your prompt inside the text entry box. The panel is similar to what you see in Word, but with an additional option: a button with two sliders on it that may say Adjust or Generate options , depending on your version of Outlook. When you click it, a drop-down menu opens that lists options for tone of voice and word length for the generated email draft.

In Outlook, you can designate tone of voice and general length for Copilot’s output.

Crafting your prompts

Prompts are sentences that you enter to instruct Copilot (or other AI assistants) how to compose the text you want created. Your prompt should minimally include the subject and a few specifics about the writing you want it to generate.

To get started, describe the kind of text you want Copilot to generate and add a detail or two about it. These prompts can be simple or a little more complex. For example:

• “Create a brief business pitch for a new vegan restaurant that will be located in downtown Atlanta, Georgia.”
• “Write an opening paragraph describing my interest in a technical support job opening at Microsoft.”
• “Write a few sentences that inquire if there are any job openings in technical support at Microsoft.”
• “Compose a polite follow-up with the recipient about a video call we had last week.”

The more specifics you include in your prompt, the more likely you are to get good results. For instance, if you have notes that contain specific data points that you want to include in the generated text, copy and paste those notes into your prompt. If you have an outline for the topics you want to cover in the draft, paste that in as well.

But frankly, there are no hard rules about writing prompts — just use your imagination and see how Copilot responds. Expect that the AI may not generate results that you like (if it generates any at all). Keep experimenting with the descriptions in your prompts until you coax Copilot to produce a useful response.

Once you’ve entered your prompt (and optionally selected a tone and length in Outlook), click the Generate button or press Enter on your keyboard and wait for Copilot to work its AI magic.

The results are in – actions you can take

When Copilot has generated a draft, it appears in the document or email with a toolbar below it.

In Word, use the toolbar below the generated draft to keep, retry, discard, or refine the text.

You can use the toolbar to perform the following functions:

• Click the Keep it button to keep the newly minted words in your document or email. You can then edit the generated text in the doc or email as you see fit.
• Click the Regenerate button (two circular arrows) if you’re not satisfied with the result and want Copilot to generate a whole new one.
• Click the Discard button (a trashcan) to discard the result.
• Refine the result by typing more prompts in the text entry box (e.g., “add more details,” “make this sound more professional,” or “make it shorter”) and clicking the arrow. Copilot will generate an updated writing result using your additional commands and descriptions.
• Optionally click the thumbs up or down icon in the upper-right corner of the toolbar to rate the quality of the result that Copilot generated. Presumably, this helps train the Copilot to produce better results in the future.

In Outlook, the buttons and text entry box are arranged differently in the toolbar, but they perform the same actions on an email draft that Copilot generates for you. You can also use the Adjust or Generate options button to change the tone or length.

The toolbar that appears with generated text in Outlook offers the same functions as in Word.

Important: All AI-generated content can contain errors or outright fabrications, known as hallucinations. When you insert text that Copilot has generated into a document or email, be sure to fact-check it carefully.

AI-generated content also tends to be generic and a bit boring, so you’ll likely want to edit it to inject your own personality or writing style.

Using the Copilot sidebar in Word

On the Home tab in Word’s ribbon toolbar, click the Copilot button. This will open the Copilot sidebar to the right. At the bottom of the sidebar, type your prompt inside the text entry box and click the arrow button (or press Enter). Copilot will generate text and display it inside the sidebar.

Generated text in the Copilot sidebar in Word.

Click the Copy button to copy the writing to your PC clipboard. You can then paste it into a document, note, email, or elsewhere.

Unlike the Draft with Copilot panel, the Copilot sidebar doesn’t include tools for refining text it generates from scratch. What’s more, Copilot’s behavior in the sidebar feels a little unreliable, producing inconsistent results. The sidebar seems better used for summarizing your document or asking the AI questions about it than for generating text.

Get coaching on an email draft in Outlook

If you’d rather compose emails yourself but would like some suggestions for improvement, there’s a nifty Copilot feature in Outlook called email coaching. After you’ve written your email draft, click the Copilot button on the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar. On the menu that appears, choose Coaching by Copilot .

Copilot will review your draft and offer specific suggestions for improving it in terms of tone, reader engagement, and clarity.

Copilot can critique your email draft and offer suggestions for improvement.

You can rewrite passages of text in a Word document or a OneNote page. This can be useful if you feel that your writing could use a little more detail, or if a paragraph sounds too wordy.

In Word, you can use either the Copilot panel or sidebar (as described earlier in this guide) to command Copilot to rewrite. In OneNote, you can use the sidebar or a right-click menu option.

Note: As of this writing, Copilot is available for OneNote only in the Windows desktop app.

Using the “Rewrite with Copilot” panel in Word

Highlight the passage of text that you want Copilot to rewrite. The Copilot button will appear in the margin to the left of the text that you highlighted. Click it, and on the menu that opens, select Auto rewrite or Rewrite with Copilot . Alternatively, you can right-click on your highlighted text, and on the menu that opens, select Copilot > Rewrite with Copilot .

In Word, select the text you want to rewrite, click the Copilot icon in the left margin, and select Auto rewrite .

Either way, the “Rewrite with Copilot” panel appears below your highlighted text. Copilot will generate and present up to three rewritten versions in the panel. Click the arrows at the top of the panel to cycle through the rewrites.

Reviewing and refining Copilot’s suggested rewrite for the highlighted text.

Below the rewritten text, you can click the following buttons:

• Replace will replace the original text that you highlighted with the currently visible rewritten version.
• Insert below will insert the rewritten version below the original text you highlighted (so that you can decide later if you want to keep it).
• The Regenerate button (two circular arrows) will generate another result.
• In the Word desktop app for Windows, there’s an Adjust tone button (an icon with two sliders); it opens a menu that lets you select another writing style. Copilot will then adjust its result with the style you select.
• In the Word web app, there’s a text entry box where you can refine the result by typing more prompts.

Note: Users with Copilot and M365 business subscriptions can also have Copilot rewrite messages in Teams . This feature works similarly to the Rewrite with Copilot panel in Word.

Using the Copilot sidebar in Word or OneNote

On the Home tab in the ribbon toolbar, click the Copilot button to open the Copilot sidebar to the right. To have Copilot rewrite the whole document or note, type rewrite inside the sidebar’s text entry box. To have it rewrite a specific paragraph, supply the paragraph number. You can also describe how you want the text to be rewritten, such as rewrite first paragraph to be shorter or rewrite paragraph 3 to sound more professional .

Copilot’s rewritten text appears in the sidebar. Below this result you’ll see the Copy button to copy the rewritten text to your clipboard.

A rewritten paragraph in the sidebar.

If you want to adjust Copilot’s rewriting result, you can click one of the suggested prompts that appear in the sidebar below the generated text and above the text entry box. To see different prompt suggestions, click the circular arrow icon.

In the text entry box, you can refine the result by typing more prompts.

Although the Copilot sidebar offers more options for refining its rewritten text than it does for text it generates from scratch, it’s still underpowered compared to the Rewrite with Copilot panel. The best way to rewrite text with Copilot in Word is to use the Rewrite with Copilot panel.

Using the right-click menu in OneNote

Alternatively, in OneNote, you can right-click the top bar of a text field on a page. On the menu that opens, select Copilot and on the next menu, Rewrite .

In OneNote, you can use a text field’s right-click menu to trigger a Copilot rewrite.

This action will trigger Copilot to rewrite everything inside this text field. The rewrite will then be set inside the top of the text field.

The rewritten text appears in the text field above the original text.

You can have Copilot generate a brief summary of a long document in Word or a page in OneNote. For this to work well, Microsoft says the document or page should contain at least 300 words but no more than 20,000.

In Outlook, Copilot can summarize a long email and, even more useful, the conversation within an entire email thread.

Using the Copilot sidebar in Word and OneNote

With the document opened in Word or page opened in OneNote, highlight the text that you want summarized. (If you want a summary of the entire document or page, skip this step.)

Click the Copilot button on the Home tab of the ribbon toolbar to open the Copilot sidebar. Inside the text entry box, type summarize and click the arrow button.

Copilot will generate a summary and display it inside the sidebar.

Copilot’s summary of a long document appears in the sidebar.

Below the summary, there’s the familiar Copy button to copy the summary to your PC clipboard.

Below that, you can click References to see a list of citations within the document that Copilot used to generate this summary. Clicking a snippet of the cited text will show in the main window of the app where in the document or page these words are. Clicking the down arrow to the right of a citation will show the passage that Copilot used as a citation.

Click References to view citations from the document that Copilot used for its summary.

Between the results field and the text entry box, you’ll see suggested prompts that you can click to revise the summary. Click the circular arrow icon to refresh these prompts with new suggestions.

Right-click the top bar of a text field. On the menu that opens, select Copilot > Summarize . This action will trigger Copilot to summarize everything inside this text field. The summary will then be set inside the top of the text field.

Copilot summaries created via OneNote’s right-click menu appear at the top of the text field being summarized.

Summarizing emails and threads in Outlook

Open the email or conversation that you want to summarize. Click Summarize or Summary by Copilot at the top of the email thread. Copilot will generate a summary of the email or thread.

A Copilot-generated summary of an email.

This summary will be posted at the top of the email or thread. Thread summaries may include citations that Copilot used in generating the summary.  Clicking a citation (denoted by a number) will scroll down the thread to the cited email for you to view.

This Copilot-generated summary of an email thread includes citations you can click to go to the source email.

Getting a summary when sharing a Word doc (business plans only)

If you have Copilot with a Microsoft 365 business plan, you can use Copilot to generate a summary of a Word document when you share it with your co-workers. This summary is inserted as a passage of text inside the message that your co-workers receive inviting them to collaborate on the document.

With the document open in Word, click the Share button toward the upper right. On the Share panel that opens, click the Copilot icon inside the lower right of the “Add a message” composition box. The AI will generate and insert the summary. You can edit the summary before you send out the invite.

• Copilot for Microsoft 365 deep dive: Productivity at a steep price
• Is Copilot for Microsoft 365 a lying liar?
• Microsoft cheat sheets: Dive into Windows and Office apps

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Microsoft to archive unlicensed onedrive business accounts, charge reactivation fee, office 365: a guide to the updates, microsoft warns of serious vulnerability in office, microsoft loop cheat sheet, from our editors straight to your inbox.

Howard Wen ( www.howardwen.com ) is a longtime contributor to Computerworld . He specializes in explainer guides, how-tos, and reviews of office applications and productivity tools.

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Practice Projects for Microsoft Word

Word 9 Table Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with a title and table. The table has two columns that have different font alignment and incluces various fonts. …

Word 8 Formatting Text Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document using a different size and color font for the title than the rest of the paragraph. …

Word 7 Bullets Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with two different types of bullets showing points and subpoints. …

Word 6 Letter Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a letter. Included in the letter is a heading on the right, indented paragraphs, and the closing and signiture near the middle of the document. …

Word 5 Text And Outline Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document that contains several paragraphs of text and also includes an outline with key points and subpoints. …

Word 4 Modified Text Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with the heading on the right, a boldfaced, centered title, and indented paragraphs. The document is double-spaced. …

Word 3 Basic Text Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with the heading on the right, a boldfaced title that is centered, and several paragraphs that are indented. …

Word 22 Preset Headings Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document using the preset headings to create a title bar. The document has different alignment and font, blanks, and a short outline. …

Word 21 Formatting Options Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document that shows some different effects that can be used with the same font. …

Word 20 Numbered List Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document that includes a centered title followed by a numbered list. …

Word 2 Heading 2 Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document that has a centered title, a heading in the upper right corner, and indented paragraphs. …

Word 19 Advanced Table Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with a table showing a school schedule. The blocks in the table are different sizes and will take individual work within the blocks to …

Word 18 Columns Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with a header and two colomns. The columns include boldfaced and italic font and different alignment. …

Word 17 Columns Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with two identical columns in landscape orientation. Included in each are indented lines and different alignment and font. …

Word 16 Lesson Notes Handout Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document like a student handout. This includes an outline with several levels, blanks for students to write on, and different font. …

Word 15 Lesson Notes Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with a header and two outlines. Students are asked to use the automatic numbering and outlining features in Word. They must use different …

Word 14 Table Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a scoresheet using a table. Students must use different sizes, colors and styles of font, including different alignment. …

Word 13 Outline Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create an outline using the automatic outline in Word, including many levels of subpoints. …

Word 12 Formatting Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document with a centered title in all capitals, the first letter of each word slightly larger than the rest. Throughout the document the font is …

Word 11 Formatting Practice Document

In this practice project for Word, students create a document similar to a test or quiz. They must include points and subpoints, blanks, boldfaced text, tabs, and spacing. …

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• Government Exam Articles

An Introduction to MS Word

One of the most widely used programs of Microsoft Office suite, MS Word is a word processor developed by Microsoft. 

An introduction to MS Word, its features and its uses, have all been discussed in detail, in this article. Also, a few sample questions based on this MS Office program have been given further below for the reference of candidates preparing for competitive exams. 

To know further about the MS Office suite and the various programs included in it, visit the linked article. 

Since MS Word is one of the most used programs of the Office Suite, some basic information regarding its creation and development has been given below:

• Charles Simonyi, a developer and Richard Brodie, a software engineer, were the two creators of MS Word
• This program was initially named “Multi-Tool Word” but later, was renamed as MS Word
• It was introduced in 1983
• Word for Windows is available standalone or as a part of MS Office suite
• MS Word for Mac was introduced by Microsoft as Word 1.0 in 1985
• The extension for any word file is “.doc or .docx.”

Moving forward, details about the features and applications of Word have been discussed. To read more about the other Computer Knowledge topics, check the links given below:

Basics of MS Word

Let us first understand some basic aspects of Microsoft Word.

What is MS Word?

Used to make professional-quality documents, letters, reports, etc., MS Word is a word processor developed by Microsoft. It has advanced features which allow you to format and edit your files and documents in the best possible way. 

Where to find MS Word on your personal computer?

Follow these simple steps to open MS Word on your personal computer:

Start → All Programs → MS Office → MS Word.

What are the uses of MS Word?

MS Word enables users to do write-ups, create documents, resumes, contracts, etc. This is one of the most commonly used programs under the Office suite. 

How to create an MS Word document?

To create an MS Word doc, follow the steps mentioned above to open Microsoft Word. Then once the program is open, click on “File” followed by “New”. This opens a new doc where something new can be created.

Since it is used by people of all age groups, in schools, in colleges and for official purposes, having proper knowledge of Microsoft Word is a must. The preview of the MS Doc file once it is opened is given below:

Also, from a competitive exam perspective, one must be well aware of this topic. To get the list of all major Government exams conducted in the country, aspirants can visit the linked article. 

For a better understanding of how MS Word works and the features that are included in it, you can refer to the video given below and analyse its functioning easily.

Features of MS Word

Now let us read more about the features and components of an MS Word doc file in detail.

The image given below shows the different elements and categories which are available in MS Word doc:

This has options like font colour, font size, font style, alignment, bullets, line spacing, etc. All the basic elements which one may need to edit their document is available under the Home option.

Tables, shapes, images, charts, graphs, header, footer, page number, etc. can all be entered in the document. They are included in the “Insert” category.

The template or the design in which you want your document to be created can be selected under the Design tab. Choosing an appropriate tab will enhance the appearance of your document.

• Page Layout

Under the Page Layout tab comes options like margins, orientation, columns, lines, indentation, spacing, etc. 

This tab is the most useful for those who are creating a thesis or writing books or lengthy documents. Options like citation, footnote, table of contents, caption, bibliography, etc. can be found under this tab.

Spell check, grammar, Thesaurus, word count, language, translation, comments, etc. can all be tracked under the review tab. This acts as an advantage for those who get their documents reviewed on MS Word.

Apart from all the above-mentioned features, the page can be set in different views and layouts, which can be added and optimised using the View tab on the Word document. Margins and scales are also available for the benefit of the users. 

When compared with MS PowerPoint , MS Word is more of reading while PPT is more of visual and graphical representation of data. 

To know more about Microsoft Windows , visit the linked article.

For Govt exam aspirants, given below are links to the other subjects which are a part of the competitive exam syllabus:

Uses of MS Word

Given below are the different fields in which MS Word is used and simplifies the work of an individual:

• In Education: It is considered as one of the simplest tools which can be used by both teachers and students. Creating notes is easier using MS Word as they can be made more interactive by adding shapes and images. It is also convenient to make assignments on MS Word and submitting them online
• In Workplace: Submitting letters, bills, creating reports, letterheads, sample documents, can all easily be done using MS Word
• Creating & Updating Resume: One of the best tools to create your resumes and is easy to edit and make changes in it as per your experience
• For Authors: Since separate options are available for bibliography, table of contents, etc., it is the best tool which can be used by authors for writing books and adjusting it as per the layout and alignment of your choice

Also, creating a Doc file and converting it into PDF is a more suitable option, so it is highly recommended. 

For competitive exam aspirants, given below are links which may help you prepare yourself for the upcoming exams:

Sample MS Word Question and Answers

Some sample questions and answers with the competitive exam perspective have been given below. Refer to these for assistance. 

Q 1. How can you open the column dialogue box?

Answer: (1) Alt+O+C

Q 2. Which is the default alignment in MS Word?

• None of the Above

Answer: (3) Left

Q 3. “Ctrl + =” is used for _________

• Change Alignment
• Superscript
• Change font to Bold
• None of the above

Answer: (2) Subscript

Q 4. A combination of which shortcut keys to use to split a table?

• Ctrl+shift+enter
• Shift+enter

Answer: (1) Ctrl+shift+enter

Furthermore, to get the best tips to ace the upcoming Government exams, candidates can check the Preparation Strategy for Competitive Exams at the linked article. 

Get the best study material and the latest exam information at BYJU’S. 

Frequently Asked Questions on Microsoft Word

Q 1. which formatting features can be added to the ms word document.

Ans. The common formatting features which are available on MS Word include:

• Font Style, Size and Colour</li
• Header and Footer
• Insert Images
• Add tables and bulleted lists
• Set a page layout
• Add Word Art

The basic feature of why people choose MS Word over any other text editor is that it makes the document more visually interactive and appealing.

Q 2. What is Microsoft Word used for??

Q 3. what are the basic functions of ms word.

Ans. Given below are the basic functions of Microsoft Word:

• Creating text documents
• Editing and Formatting the existing documents
• Making a text document interactive with different features and tools
• Graphical documents, comprising images
• Used by Authors and Researchers
• Detect grammatical errors in a text document

Q 4. What is the extension of an MS Word file?

Q 5. what are the five basic fields of application for ms word.

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On the search for college templates ? We can help you with that. We have here an array of essay templates for you to choose from. For some, essay writing can be a stressful endeavor, but that should not be the case. Writing is a positive and professional way of channeling your deepest thoughts and sentiments.

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Microsoft Word Short Informative Essay Template

Relevance of Essay Templates

• As a marketing strategy in the business world . Behind every successful and famous product is a great writer. Advertisers also used essays as a tool for making quality content in their ads, particularly on websites.
• As an academic requirement . Inevitably, a student will not encounter essay writing in school regardless of the level. From your elementary to your college years, essays are mostly required by your professors as a partial requirement for the fulfillment of your course or program .
• As a means of career elevation . For those institutions that are sponsoring great minds and letting them proceed with their post-graduate courses, essays are usually one of the requirements before a scholarship grant is given. Part of the evaluation process is the quality of your writing, which will give them an idea of your degree of expertise.

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Important Factors to Note about Different Types of Essays

• Argumentative essay . This type of essay requires you to present and explain your stand on a certain issue. This is tricky because you’re not just arguing for the argument’s sake but is also a requirement to provide substantial evidence.
• Descriptive essay . Here, you are required to layout and write about the salient characteristics and dynamics of a certain issue, person, or event, depending on the topic. This will channel your capability to express your observations in an organized manner.
• Narrative essay . This refers to the ones that tell a story whether fictional or based on real-life events.

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