Catch repeated wordsbefore your readers do
Doubled words like "the the" are easy to type and almost impossible to see in your own writing. Gorby underlines every back-to-back repeat and lets you remove the extra word in one click.
Included in every paid plan Web and Windows app One click to fix
Meeting notes - GorbyNotes from the planning meeting
We agreed that launch should move to May. The design team will share mockups by Friday, marketing will draft the announcement. If the timeline slips, we can still ship beta to early testers. a firm date, though, nobody can book the venue. Next steps: Priya will confirm the date with the venue, and Sam will update the shared calendar.
Repeated Words
Words accidentally repeated one after another
the
2 instances found
Repeated word
Consider removing or replacing one instance of "the"
Capitalization is ignored, so “Without without” counts too
Try it: click an underlined pair and press Remove duplicate, or step through them first with the arrows and Select First.
Why it happens
Your brain skips the second “the”
When you read, you predict the next word and skim the short, familiar ones. A doubled word matches what you expect, so you read right past it, especially in a draft you have already read ten times. See for yourself with the quick test.
This paragraph has 4 doubled words. How many can you find?
The best time to edit is after a a short break. Read your draft out loud and listen for the the places where you stumble. Most writers skip right over small words, because they they already know what each sentence is meant to say. That is why it helps to to have a second pair of eyes on every draft.
Where doubled words come from
- Mid-sentence edits You rewrite half a sentence and leave one word of the old version behind.
- Line breaks A word at the end of one line and the start of the next is easy to read as one.
- Fast typing Your fingers get ahead of you, especially on short words like "the", "a", and "to".
- Copy and paste A pasted phrase overlaps the words already around it.
How it works
Three steps to a cleaner draft
- 1
Run the check
Open the Advanced Analysis tab in the Highlight & Check Controls panel and press play next to Repeated Words.
- 2
Spot the doubles
Every repeated pair is underlined in your text, and the panel shows how many instances it found.
- 3
Review and remove
Click Show Results to see the repeats grouped by word, step through each one, and remove the extra word.
What you get
Small slips, found in seconds
Spell checkers see a correctly spelled word twice. Gorby sees the same word twice in a row.
Catches back-to-back repeats
Gorby looks for the same word typed twice in a row, like "the the" or "was was", anywhere in your text.
Ignores capitalization
"Without without" is still a repeat, so doubles at the start of a sentence get caught too.
Underlined in your text
Each repeated pair is underlined where it happens, so you can spot it at a glance while you write.
Grouped by word
Show Results groups the repeats by word and tells you how many instances it found for each.
Step through every instance
Use the arrows to jump from one repeat to the next, or Select First to start with a specific word.
Quick to fix
Click an underlined pair and press Remove duplicate, then keep writing without breaking your flow.
Make it yours
Make repeats easy to spot
Doubled words are small, so their underline has to stand out. Pick a color that's easy for you to see next to your other highlights.
- Underline color for repeated words
- Underline thickness, shared by all text checks
Settings
Changes are saved automatically.
Repeated Words
Finds words repeated in succession
Highlight Color
We agreed that the the launch should move to May.
Click the color to see how a different underline looks.
Some doubles are on purpose
A few repeats are correct English. If Gorby underlines one of these, just leave it.
- had had
- By noon, she had had enough of the meeting.
- that that
- He said that that plan was final.
- is is
- What the problem is is the deadline.
- bye bye
- She waved and said bye bye to the old office.
Keep polishing
Pairs well with
Overused Words Analysis
Finds the words you lean on too often, measured by how much of your text they take up.
Learn moreCliché Detection
Flags tired expressions that readers have seen too many times.
Learn moreRedundant Words Detection
Spots phrases like "end result" that say the same thing twice.
Learn moreArticle Usage Checks
Checks that "a" and "an" match the sound of the word that follows.
Learn more- What does Repeated Words Detection look for?
- The same word typed twice in a row, like "the the" or "was was". Capitalization doesn't matter, so "Without without" counts too.
- Why do I keep missing doubled words when I proofread?
- When you read, your brain predicts the next word and skims short, familiar ones. A second "the" matches what you expect, so you read right past it. It's even harder in your own writing, because you already know what it's supposed to say.
- How do I remove a repeated word?
- Click the underlined pair and press Remove duplicate. If you want to review them first, open Show Results and step through each instance with the arrows.
- What if the repeat is on purpose?
- Some doubled words are correct, like "had had" in "She had had enough" or "that that" in "He said that that plan was final". If Gorby underlines one of these, just leave it.
- How is this different from Overused Words Analysis?
- Repeated Words catches a word typed twice in a row, which is usually a typo. Overused Words looks at your whole text and flags the words you use too often overall, wherever they appear.
- Is Repeated Words included in the free plan?
- Repeated Words is one of the Advanced Analysis checks, which come with every paid plan. The free plan includes real-time checks like hard-to-read sentences and passive voice.
- Does it work in the desktop app?
- Yes. Repeated Words works the same way in the web app and the Gorby desktop app for Windows. With a plan, Pro checks stay unlocked for up to 5 days offline.
Send your next draft out clean
Run Repeated Words before you hit publish and catch the slips your eyes skip over.