Last week’s post discussed the difference between active voice and passive voice. The steps below explain how to add passive voice to Microsoft Word’s grammar check and readability statistics.
The images below are from Word 2013; however, these steps will work for Word 2019, Word 2016, and Word 2010.
For images from Word 2016, visit “How to Use the Passive Voice Tool in Word 2016.”
1. Select the File tab.
2. Select Options on the left-hand side of the Backstage view.
3. Select Proofing in the Word Options window.
4. Select Show readability statistics in the When correcting spelling and grammar in Word section.
5. Select Settings.
6. Select Passive sentences in the Grammar Settings window.
7. Click OK.
8. Select Recheck Document in the Word Options window if the document is already in progress. (This step isn’t necessary for blank documents.)
9. Select OK.
When you’re ready to run a grammar check:
10. Select the Review tab.
11. Select Spelling & Grammar.
12. Change or ignore the results of your grammar check.
13. Review your passive sentence percentage in the Readability Statistics window. (This window won’t appear until you complete the grammar check.)
14. Select OK.
And now you know if your writing leans toward passivity or activity!
Trease L Carpenter says
October 18, 2015 at 7:19 pmHow do you the passive sentence percentage in the readability statistics for Word 2016 in the Office 365 Business software? I can’t find it anywhere and as a freelance writer I need this readability statistic. Thanks.
Erin Wright says
November 12, 2015 at 4:52 pmHello, Trease. I apologize for taking so long to approve your comment. Unfortunately, WordPress sent it to the spam folder so I didn’t see it until moments ago.
I have some bad news about Word 2016–it appears to have shipped without full grammar and style features, which would include the passive voice statistics. The thread linked below from the Microsoft Community suggests that these features will be added in the future, but I wasn’t able to find any information about when this will actually happen. I just upgraded to 2016, so I am upset about it, also.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2016-word/where-did-the-check-style-and-grammar-option-go-in/98a247a1-8ff9-4c2f-bb2d-1147573ca5fd
Diane Brenner says
August 19, 2016 at 9:45 amAs of late July, MS is reporting that Windows users will have an update sometime in late August, and Mac users sometime after that; that being said, if you are an Insider, you have the option already.
Erin Wright says
August 19, 2016 at 9:53 amThank you for the information, Diane. I will keep an eye out for this update!
Doug Woodard says
May 10, 2017 at 1:44 pmPassive voice check is now available in Word 2016.
Erin Wright says
May 10, 2017 at 3:05 pmHi, Doug. Thank you for stopping by. I just updated Word on my laptop and you are correct, passive voice is back! That is great news!
rbruntmyer says
July 6, 2018 at 10:50 amThank you for making this available. It has taken a few minor adjustments to the Word 10 settings, but it works. I don’t see a “Review” tab or a Readability Statistics ever. Regardless, this has been extremely helpful.
Erin Wright says
July 8, 2018 at 4:27 pmGreat, I’m glad you were able to modify this tutorial to help you with Word 2010!