AI Essay Checker

Find out if your essay looks AI-written before you hand it in. Get a clear answer, free.

Check my essay

Free with an account.

When should I check my essay?

Check the essay when the final draft is done, and before the deadline.

• Early enough to act. If the result is a surprise, there is still time to talk to the teacher or to revise.
• After a grammar or AI tool. If a tool changed some sentences, check the version that will be handed in.
• Before an application goes out. A personal statement or an application essay goes to people who cannot be asked later. Check each text in the package: the personal statement and every essay the application asks for.

Teacher feedback often changes an essay. Run the check again on the new version.

How do I check my essay?

Paste your essay into the box and run the check.

1. Create a free account and log in.
2. Copy the version you plan to hand in and paste it into the box.
3. An essay over 1,000 words? Paste one section at a time and check each section. Write down the verdict for each section.
4. Run the check.
5. Read the verdict first. It covers the whole text.
6. Then read the sentences marked "Likely AI". They show which parts to look at first.

What does my result mean for my essay?

The verdict covers the whole essay, and the next step depends on it.

The score from 0 to 100% shows the same result as a number on a Human, Mixed and AI scale.

Next step for each verdict:

• "Most likely human-written." The essay looks like human writing. Hand it in as planned.
• "Human text, edited with AI." The text is human, and a tool edited some of it. Check the sentences marked "Likely AI": did a grammar tool or an AI assistant change them? If so, read the section on using a tool for part of the essay.
• "Most likely AI-generated." If AI wrote the essay, check the course rules before handing it in. If you wrote it yourself, email support@owlmark.app and we will review it.
• "Hard to tell." Owlmark could not decide for this text, so there is no score and no marked sentences. Check a different section of the essay.

Why do other checkers flag honest essays?

Many AI detectors flag formal writing and writers of English as a second language.

How often it happens depends on how a detector was trained, so a flag from another tool can be wrong about an essay that a person wrote.

One study tested seven detectors on 91 TOEFL essays by non-native English writers. The detectors flagged over half of them as AI-generated. (Liang et al., 2023)

We built Owlmark to fix this. Human writing is almost never flagged as AI. We keep working on the model and retraining it.

If another checker flagged an essay, run it in Owlmark too for a second result. Want the full explanation? Read How do AI detectors work?

I used AI or a grammar tool for part of it. Will it show?

It can show. When a tool changed part of the essay, the verdict can be Mixed.

A grammar tool that fixes a few mistakes changes little. An AI tool that rewrites whole paragraphs changes much more. The more a tool rewrote, the more likely the verdict is Mixed or AI.

Before the essay goes in, do two things:

1. Ask the teacher if the tool is allowed. For example: "Hi Ms. Lee, I used a grammar tool to fix mistakes in my essay. Is that allowed in this course?"
2. Note which tool you used and what it changed.

Can my teacher tell if I used ChatGPT?

Often, yes: a teacher with a good AI detector can tell, even if some words were changed.

AI text often has typical words and constructions, for example "delve", "tapestry", "It's not X, it's Y" phrasing and the rule of three.

Removing all of them is not enough. The text keeps a statistical signature: the order of words and how they are spread differ between people and AI.

A detector learns these patterns from many examples of human writing and AI writing. A detector measures that pattern, so a text can look human to a reader and still be AI-generated.

Curious what a detector finds in your essay? Paste it into Owlmark and read the verdict.

My teacher says my essay is AI. What do I do?

Ask what the claim is based on, then send the drafts, the notes and the sources.

1. Email the teacher and ask what the claim is based on. Ask for the reply in writing.

   For example: "Hi Mr. Cole, I wrote this essay myself. Which tool and which result is the claim based on? I can send you my drafts, notes and sources."

2. Send the version history. In Google Docs, go to File → Version history → See version history. In Word, use the version history of a file saved in OneDrive. It shows the dates and the edits as the essay grew.

3. Send the notes, the outline and the sources.

4. Offer a short meeting. Bring the drafts and explain the argument: why it was chosen and which sources support it.

5. Send everything in one email, and keep all files until the question is closed.

6. Ask the school how the process works and who decides.

How do I keep my drafts?

Start keeping drafts on the first day of writing.

With dated drafts, one email can answer a claim.

• Write in a tool that keeps version history. Google Docs saves versions as you type.
• Cornell advises numbering each draft and saving it as a separate file.
• Put the notes and the outline in the same folder as the drafts.
• Write down each source when you use it: the book, the page or the link.

For teachers: did my student use AI?

Did the student write this essay? Owlmark gives one verdict for the whole essay.

1. Create a free account and paste the essay into the box. Use the version the student handed in.
2. Read the verdict: Human, Mixed or AI.
3. Read the sentences marked "Likely AI".

The next step depends on the verdict:

• "Most likely human-written." Read the essay as usual.
• "Human text, edited with AI." A tool edited text that the student wrote. Ask which tool, and whether the course allows it. Then look at the marked sentences: are they small grammar fixes or whole rewritten paragraphs?
• "Most likely AI-generated." Talk with the student. The questions are listed below.
• "Hard to tell." Check another part of the essay that has at least 75 words.

To talk with the student:

• Start with a question: "I would like to understand how you wrote this essay. Can you explain it to me?"
• Ask for the version history of the file, the notes and the sources.
• Ask about the essay itself: "How did you start? Which sources did you use? Why did you choose this argument?"
• Compare the marked sentences with a text the student wrote in class.
• Write down the date and the verdict before the talk.

School rules decide what happens after the talk. Checking something other than an essay? Use the free AI detector.

What AI score is too high?

No single score is too high for every school. The school and the teacher set the rule.

To find the rule:

1. Open the course syllabus and look for the word "AI".
2. Open the school's policy on academic integrity and look for rules about AI tools.
3. Read the assignment page for notes about tools. If nothing is there, ask the teacher before handing the essay in.

Detectors are trained on different examples and draw the line in different places, so the same essay can get different numbers from different tools. Owlmark is built so that the same text gets the same result.

Is it free?

Yes, an essay check is free with an account.

A free account has 10,000 words a month and checks up to 1,000 words at a time. That covers about ten essays of 1,000 words each month.

Paid plans check up to 5,000 words at a time. Prices are on the Pricing page.

Check my essay

FAQ

How many words does my essay need?

At least 75 words. Anything shorter cannot be checked.

Can I paste my essay from Word or Google Docs?

Yes. Copy the text in your document and paste it into the box.

Which languages can I check?

English now. Korean is coming soon.

Can my school or company use Owlmark?

Yes. Tell us what you need through the Enterprise form.