25 proofreading abbreviations and what they mean

What are the most common proofreading abbreviations?

Proofreaders use standard abbreviations to correct and highlight revisions in a text. These marks may be added on the margins, or directly on the text, to provide edits. Commonly used proofreading abbreviations include the following:

• “Sp” – Spelling: This abbreviation stands for spelling, indicating a spelling error that needs correction.
• “Gram” – Grammar: “Gram” stands for grammar, highlighting a grammatical mistake requiring revision.
• “Cap” – Capitalization: When “cap” is used as a proofreading mark, it denotes an incorrect or missing capital letter.
• “Punct” – Punctuation: This abbreviation refers to punctuation, identifying errors such as missing or misplaced commas, periods, or quotation marks.
• “Frag” – Fragment: “Frag” is short for fragment, which indicates a sentence needs to be revised or connected to the main clause.
• “R-o”– Run-on sentence: “R-o” stands for run on sentence, where there are two or more independent clauses that should be separated into different sentences.
• “Aw” – Awkward: “Aw” highlights awkward or unclear phrasing that needs to be restructured and clarified.
• “Ambig”– Ambiguous: “Ambig” points out ambiguous language or unclear meaning that needs to be revised.
• “Conc” – Conciseness: “Conc” indicates a sentence or clause needs to reduce wordiness or repetition for brevity.
• “Awk trn” – Awkward transition: “Awk trn” is used when there is an awkward transition between paragraphs or ideas.
• “Ref”– Reference: “Ref” suggests the need to verify or provide a citation for a statement or claim.
• “Logic” – Logical inconsistency: “Logic” highlights a logical flaw or contradiction in the argument or reasoning.
• “Cons” – Consistency: “Cons” denotes a lack of consistency in style, formatting, or terminology that should be revised.
• “Frag trn” – Fragment transition: “Frag trn” indicates a sentence fragment that disrupts the flow of the text or lacks coherence.
• “Rep” – Repetition: “Rep” highlights redundancies and unnecessary word, phrase, or idea repetition that can be omitted or changed.
• “T” – Tense inconsistency: “T” points out the inconsistency in verb tense usage within the text.
• “Dict” – Diction: “Dict” indicates there is faulty diction in the writing.
• “Par” – Paragraphing: “Par” suggests a need to reorganize paragraph structure for clarity, or coherence.
• “Agr” – Agreement: “Agr” indicates the need to revise subject-verb or pronoun agreement.
• “Spc” – Spacing: “Spc” identifies issues related to spacing, such as excessive or insufficient spacing between words or lines.
• “Syn” – Synonym: “Syn” suggests replacing a word with a synonym to improve variety or precision in language.
• “Cl” – Clarity: “Cl” highlights writing that is unclear or difficult to understand and needs clarification.
• “Om” – Omission: “Om” indicates a word or phrase that should be omitted for clarity, conciseness, or accuracy.
• “Inc” – Incomplete: “Inc” flags incomplete sentences or thoughts that need to be fleshed out or expanded.

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Proofreading plays a crucial role, whether you’re reviewing someone’s essay or analyzing feedback on your own writing. Utilize these twenty-four proofreading marks for swift revisions and enhance the quality of your writing. For more help with proofreading and editing, learn more writing tips.