5 mistakes on this page
Original pages written for this game. Any resemblance to real books is accidental.
Spotless page
A daily proofreading game · 2–3 minutes
The Red PenFive mistakes. One page. Eight drops of ink.
A new manuscript page every day, the same page for everyone. Circle the mistakes, pick the right fix, and see how sharp your editor’s eye is.
8 dropsof ink
Found 0 of 5
What should it say?
The editor’s notes
Your grade
Share your page
1 page in a row
Your blind spot
Next page
The real thing
Your own pages deserve this pass
Paste your opening and get an instant editorial read: what works, what trips a reader up, and the three fixes that would sharpen it. It’s our free First 10 Pages Review, and a human editor can talk it through with you.
Review my first 10 pagesPast pages
Play any page you missed. Past pages don’t count towards your pages in a row.
What The Red Pen trains
Five kinds of mistake every copy editor marks
- sp
Spelling
Misspelled words: the ones a quick read skims straight past.
- gr
Grammar
Agreement, tense and verb forms: was or were, began or begun, lying or laying.
- pn
Punctuation
Apostrophes, commas and quotation marks, and exactly where each one sits.
- ww
Wrong word
Real words in the wrong place: to, too and two; of where have belongs.
- cx
Consistency
A name, an age or a time that quietly changes from one page to the next.
- Circle a word you think is wrong.
- Fix it: pick the right correction of three.
- Watch your ink. Eight drops; a wrong circle spills one.
- Read the editor’s notes and get your grade.
Questions about The Red Pen
How does The Red Pen work?
Every day there is one new manuscript page with five hidden mistakes. Tap a word to circle it, pick the right fix, and see your grade. A wrong circle spills a drop of ink; you have eight.
Is it the same page for everyone?
Yes. The page changes at midnight New York time, so everyone plays the same page on the same day.
Do I need an account?
No. There is no sign-up. Your pages in a row are kept on this device only.
Are the pages from real books?
No. Every page is original and written for this game. Any resemblance to real books is accidental.
Another game: Draft to Shelf, the book publishing game. Or see all free tools.