Free paraphrasing tool (+ 5 tips for rephrasing sentences)

The feeling of finding great quotes to use in your article is unmatched. All your research has paid off, and your argument is taking shape!

Quotes matter when writing—they back up the claims you make and add credibility to your piece. But if used too much, word-for-word quotes can break up the flow of reading and minimize your expertise.

That’s when you need to paraphrase—put the quoted text in your own words. 

In addition to rewording quotes, there are many other reasons you might want to paraphrase. There may be a passage you need to reference, but you only want to focus on specific details in it. Or you might want to repurpose content across channels.

Use our free paraphrasing tool—along with a few best practices—to avoid repeating sentences verbatim.

Copy.ai’s paraphrasing tool

An online paraphrasing tool is great for rewriting text into different sentence lengths and tones. To see how our free AI paraphrasing tool works, scroll to the top of this page to try it.

First, type or paste text you want to rephrase in the first input box. Then enter the tone you’d like the new content to take. Click on the “Create Copy” button to see the tool in action.

The free sentence rephraser will give you a list of high-quality sentences based on your input. If you like any of the suggestions, click the “Copy” button beside the idea to save it to your clipboard.

Want a different set of rephrased sentences? Change the tone you input earlier to something else—like friendly or basic—then tap “Create Copy” again. The sentence rephrasing tool will instantly show you a new list of sentences to choose from.

5 tips for paraphrasing sentences in your own words

To successfully paraphrase, you’re not just changing words. You’re rewriting existing text in a way that captures the content’s original meaning and context.

Along with using an AI paraphrase sentence generator, explore these 5 paraphrasing best practices to write unique content that captures the original text’s ideas. 

1. Understand the meaning of the original text

You can’t paraphrase if you don’t fully grasp the meaning of the initial text. Read the text thoroughly and understand what it means so you can rewrite it accurately.

If any terms confuse you, run a quick Google search or ask an industry expert to explain them. 

You can also use the Feynman Technique to check your understanding of the text. Try and explain the text’s meaning to a 12-year-old—reflect on your explanation, refine, and then simplify it.

2. Know your reader

When you know who you’re writing for, you’ll be able to decide which ideas in the original text are relevant to your audience and worth paraphrasing.

Say you need to paraphrase an academic sentence like “Economics is the scientific study of human behavior as a connection between purchasing power and demand” into everyday language for children. You’ll need to get rid of formal terms like “scientific study,” “human behavior,” “purchasing power,” and “demand.”

The final sentence should be something like this: Economics is about understanding how and why people buy or sell. This sentence is simple enough for a child but detailed enough to impart the same message.

3. Replace a word or phrase with contextual synonyms

To quickly paraphrase, swap original words with synonyms to create a fresh new draft while still retaining the original content’s meaning.

Imagine you want to reference Lionel Robbin’s definition of economics without using it word-for-word. His original quote, “Economics is the science which studies human behaviour as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses'' could become any of these:

• Economics is the scientific study of how people make choices about trade-offs among their limited resources.
• Economics is a science that examines how resources are allocated among unlimited wants and desires.
• Economics is the study of how people make decisions and trade-offs in the face of scarcity.

While replacing words with synonyms is a good start, it’s not enough. Create text that flows differently than the original content by adjusting the sentence structure.

4. Tweak the sentence structure

To turn text into your own words, adjust the structure in a way that boosts readability—and communicates ideas clearly and correctly. A few tips include:

• Use a variety of sentence lengths.
• Add in transition words like “even if,” “in case,” and “although.”
• Break up run-on sentences.

Once you’ve structured your paraphrased text, read it out loud to make sure the pauses sound natural.

5. Proofread the final text

Before hitting publish, proofread your final sentence(s) for typos, punctuation, and plagiarism. A grammar checker like Grammarly works perfectly for these final steps as it also doubles as a plagiarism checker.

Don’t forget to format the now plagiarism-free content based on your style guide—if you have one. Your guidelines might include using lower or upper case where necessary, placing the em dash correctly, and confirming whether you’ll be using UK or US English.

Switch things up with a paraphrasing tool

Copy.ai’s Paraphrasing Tool is one of the best paraphrasing tools for amateur and professional writers and bloggers who want to:

• Get past writer’s block.
• Avoid plagiarism.
• Improve their writing skills. 
• Create quality content.

Our free tool uses artificial intelligence and advanced algorithms to create fresh content in a matter of seconds. Try it today!

And feel free to check out our other free AI writing tools and functionalities here:

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