ClearSpec

Reviewed 18 August 2026 · next review 17 February 2027

Plain language checker for technical documents

Plain language is not about shorter words. It is about a reader finding the instruction, understanding it and using it the first time. Paste a document and see where that breaks.

Last updated · Written and reviewed by Jonatan Tensetti · Tensetti Tools

Method 1.0.0 · reviewed 18 August 2026 · next review 17 February 2027

Step rules and action clarity are weighted normally; multi-action steps matter most.

0 words

Free text is analysed in this browser and is not sent to our server. Do not paste confidential material on a device you do not control.

Four principles, applied to technical writing

  1. Write for the person who has to act. Name them. "The supply must be isolated" tells nobody whose job it is; "Isolate the supply" does.
  2. Put the condition before the action. A reader who acts on the first clause has already acted by the time the condition arrives.
  3. Use concrete quantities. "Appropriately", "sufficient" and "as required" move your decision to someone with less context than you.
  4. Keep one meaning per word. Precision beats variety. Technical terms stay; synonyms go.

What plain language does not mean

It does not mean removing technical vocabulary. A torque figure, a protocol name or a part number is the clearest available wording, and replacing it with something friendlier makes the document worse. It also does not mean short sentences at any cost: splitting a conditional into two sentences can lose the link between the condition and the action.

Where documents usually fail

In our rule set, the highest-value findings in real documents are consistently the missing actor, the ambiguous pronoun, the multi-action step and the vague quantifier. Those four account for most of the difference between a procedure people follow and one they phone support about.

Independent, deterministic, local

The checks are deterministic: the same text with the same settings always produces the same result. The free analysis runs entirely in your browser, with no account and no upload. Findings are prompts for a human decision, not corrections of technical fact.

Questions

Does this certify compliance with ISO 24495-1?
No. ClearSpec is an independent tool. It does not certify conformity with ISO 24495-1 or any other standard, and it is not affiliated with the organisations that publish them.
Is plain language the same as simple language?
No. Plain language means the reader can find what they need, understand it, and use it the first time. Technical terms stay when they are the precise word; what goes is filler, hidden conditions and vague quantities.
Will it rewrite my text?
No. There is no generative rewriting. You get the reason, a neutral edit instruction and the exact span. Safety content is flagged for review, never rewritten automatically and never labelled unsafe.
Does my text leave the browser?
No. The free check analyses text locally in a Web Worker. Nothing is sent to our server, to analytics or to logs.

ClearSpec uses an independent proprietary clarity method. It is not affiliated with ASD/STEMG, is not an ASD-STE100 checker or certification service, and does not certify ISO 24495-1 conformance.

References

Checked 18 August 2026. Referenced for context only; no standard text or dictionary content is reproduced.

ClearSpec reports automated heuristics from method version 1.0.0. The clarity indicator is not a measure of technical accuracy, usability, legal sufficiency, safety or standards conformance. A competent person must decide the final wording, especially for safety content.