Fix Grammar and Spelling Problems with a Single Click

I am indebted to Paul Robichaux for pointing out a notable example of where Copilot for Word could help authors rewrite text to be clearer and more concise. The offending article is in the Microsoft Graph documentation for a topic called “enhanced personalization control overview.” It’s part of a set of controls for Microsoft 365 features such as name pronunciation and user pronouns in an area that’s been under development for several years. The text is turgid, unclear, and difficult to understand (Figure 1).

The Copilot Rewrite

I asked Copilot for Word to make the original text more consise and understandable. Copilot produced this text:

Microsoft 365 Copilot customizes itself for each user, assisting with daily tasks based on their work knowledge. Both tenant administrators and users can manage this personalization using advanced control features.

Discover how Microsoft 365 Copilot enhances personalization, ensures privacy, and provides control through improved settings.

The corrected text is still not good. Human intervention is necessary to explain how Copilot “can become personalized to each user” (original text) or how Copilot “customizes itself for each user” (revision), and so on. It is a stark warning of the danger of accepting AI-generated text without question. Not only can customer communications end up with absolute rubbish, but the danger also exists that AI-generated incorrect and misleading text ends up being stored in a file and reused ad nauseum by Copilot when it generates responses to future user prompts.

You might wonder why the Microsoft writers did not ask Copilot to refine their text. Well, I do not know if they did or not, but it could be that because the text is about a new feature that does not exist, Copilot could not find anything better to say in the Graph or in its LLMs. Remember, generative text depends on what has gone before. Copilot can rehash material it knows about, but it cannot write material about a new topic from scratch.

The Copilot Promise to Fix Grammar and Spelling Errors

Which brings me neatly to message center notification MC1060868 (23 April 2025, Microsoft 365 roadmap item 483954), which promises a new Copilot “fix grammar and spellings” feature that will address all grammar and spelling problems found in text with a single click. General availability of the feature is due in late April 2025 with deployment scheduled to complete worldwide by mid-June 2025.

Microsoft doesn’t say what languages are supported, but I assume that the feature will appear in all the languages supported by Copilot. MC1060868 contains no detail about which Copilot apps will benefit. Copilot for Word is an obvious target, and I assume that Copilot for Outlook will also receive help to tidy up email communications. As to the other apps, I guess we will see after the feature arrives.

It is a logical progression to have a single-pass process to find and remedy common errors in documents. Word has options to check for spelling and grammar errors as user type text into documents. The difference here is that Word suggests and nudges people when it detects potential errors whereas Copilot will go ahead and rewrite text to remove errors. It is then up to the user to decide whether to keep or discard the Copilot rewrite. Overall, Copilot’s one-click solution is a more proactive approach to helping people generate better text.

But is it Possible to Fix Grammar and Spelling with One Click?

That is, if everything works. The history of software designed to help people write better text is littered with dead ends. Does anyone pay much attention to the recommendations of Microsoft Editor? Why do people continue to subscribe to services like Grammarly when Microsoft offers spell and grammar checking in its products. Perhaps we are heading to a new golden age of beautiful text created by humans and enhanced by AI. Maybe, and I am sure the prospect will be welcomed by those who write the Graph documentation. But I am not holding my breath.

Make sure that you’re not surprised about changes that appear inside Microsoft 365 applications by subscribing to the Office 365 for IT Pros eBook. Our monthly updates make sure that our subscribers stay informed.