The Final Read-Through:
A guide to catching sneaky typos before hitting “submit”

So, you’ve finally done it. You’ve completed the final draft of your shiny new manuscript. You’ve fought off self-doubt and writer’s block; you’ve conquered plot holes and procrastination. Your protagonist’s character progression forms a perfect arc, your narrative beats are as tightly choreographed as a Strictly final, and you’ve sought out, considered, and incorporated beta reader feedback like it didn’t even hurt at all.

It’s time to start sending your baby out into the world.

But… just hold up one second. At the risk of getting inside your own head in the worst way, there’s one final sanity check to perform before you smash that “submit” button. Chances are, everything is good. But never underestimate the power of the final read-through to help you find that one last niggly little mistake. You know that old saying, “I do my best proofreading after I hit ‘send’”?

That’s what we’re trying to avoid.

So, let’s look at why final read-throughs matter, how to prepare for one, some nifty techniques to make it more effective, common pitfalls to avoid, and a handy checklist to guide you through.

And then it’s time to smash that “submit” button.

Why Final Read-Throughs Matter

I’ve talked elsewhere about the time I applied for a proofreading job and discovered — after the fact — that my cover letter had a typo in the first paragraph. Our brains are amazing, but they are prone to glitching. For example, have a look at this:

“As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets, Elara found herself wandering aimlessly through the labyrinthine alleys of her childhood. Memories, like whispers carried on evening breeze, tugged at her heart — a faded laughter echoing from the corners where she and her brother used to play hide and seek. The scent of blooming jasmine lingered in the air, a bittersweet reminder of simpler times before life had woven its intricate tapestry of loss and longing. She paused at the old bakery, its windows fogged with warmth, where the aroma of freshly baked bread once enveloped her like a comforting embrace. Now, however, it stood silent and still, as if holding its breath in anticipation of something that would never return. It was in this moment of stillness that Elara realized how much had changed, yet how deeply rooted she remained in this place that shaped her very essence.”

Did you spot the missing word? Or did you skip happily through “carried on evening breeze” because your brain expected to find “the” before “evening” and kind of just… filled it in when it wasn’t there?

Taking time away from your manuscript allows you to return with fresh eyes and gives you a fighting chance of spotting sneaky little inconsistencies and errors that have hidden themselves in plain sight.

Preparing for Your Final Read-Through

That “time away from your manuscript” is crucial, by the way. It doesn’t have to be a long time, but if you can possibly swing yourself a day or so between final edits and submission, you’re setting yourself up for a better chance of catching any gremlins that have managed to sneak through.

Now, you have a choice: digital or physical. Personally, I hate having a physical copy in my hands (I think it’s a sensory thing?), but I know many writers who swear by the print-out as a powerful antidote to typo-blindness. And it’s certainly true that any significant break between the text you’re familiar with and the text you’re proofing is a great way to introduce the kind of distance that helps you pick out typos. Printing out a manuscript that you’ve so far engaged with only on a screen definitely counts as a significant break. But you do you.

Environment also matters. You don’t need to station yourself in a soundproofed room with the WiFi off, but — unless you’re one of the vanishingly small group of writers who focus best in a room full of distractions (I see you, guys: I’ve met a few of your number, and, while you mystify me, I love that there’s no monolithic, definitive “best way to write” that applies to everyone) — this is not a task to undertake in between stirring the sauce for tonight’s dinner or during a commercial break while watching Poirot. This is a task that needs your full and undivided attention. I know it’s kind of boring. My squirrel brain hates it too. But you’ll thank yourself later, I promise.

“Grammar checkers are fantastic sidekicks, but they get funny ideas sometimes, and they are often unreasonably prejudiced against the passive voice.”

Techniques for an Effective Final Read-Through

There are some ways to make this easier and more efficient. Some of them sound weird and some of them will feel weird to action. But they work.

Read aloud: Do you know how much quicker you’d have caught that missing “the” if you’d been reading it out loud rather than inside your head? Your inside voice fills in the gaps, but your outside voice needs more robust support, and a sentence that doesn’t make sense will make you stumble. It’s also a powerful filter for awkward phrasing, clunky dialogue, and misplaced homophones. Can’t whisper it, either: this has to be a full-throated speaking voice, or it won’t be as effective.
Change font: This works on a similar principle to printing out your text — it breaks the familiar and makes it different, and that’s often enough to trick your brain into reading with fresh eyes. And “change font” has a fairly wide remit here, too — you could change from Arial to Times New Roman (though Comic Sans is apparently spectacular for general readability; its reputation for silliness is very ill-deserved), you could change from size 11 to size 16, or you could change the text or background colour instead. Different is what matters here.
Backward reading technique: Start with the final sentence of your text. Read it carefully and check for any errors in spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Continue by moving backward through each sentence until you reach the beginning of the document. Sounds weird? It is weird. But reading backward helps catch typos because your brain isn’t busy processing context — it’s focused solely on the text itself.
Use tools wisely: Grammar checkers are fantastic sidekicks, but they get funny ideas sometimes, and they are often unreasonably prejudiced against the passive voice — and, okay, fair enough, but sometimes you need the passive voice. Spellcheckers can also be a mixed blessing, especially if you’re writing in a genre that incorporates a lot of unfamiliar words (like sci-fi or fantasy) — you get used to the red squiggly line and it’s easier to ignore a genuine spelling error. They’re also usually rubbish at catching misplaced dialogue punctuation. Trust your gut when something doesn’t sound right — even if Grammarly disagrees.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid During Final Read-Throughs

A few things to watch out for as you give your pages the final once-over.

Overanalysing every sentence: Do not get in your head at this point. There’s a reason you went for this particular arrangement of words, and you have revised and revised and revised. This is not the time to start second-guessing your linguistic choices. Remember that no book is perfect and nobody requires perfection. This is literally just a question of checking you haven’t written “there” when you meant “their” — let the rest of it go.
Skipping sections: It’s easy to skim through parts you’re overly familiar with, but every section deserves your attention. Just because you’re absolutely sure you’ve checked it a hundred times doesn’t mean that the 101st time isn’t the charm for spotting a pesky misplaced comma.
Quiet inconsistency: This is a complete pain in the proverbial and — honestly? — it’s probably not a huge deal at this point, but if you’ve got “well-being” in the first paragraph and “wellbeing” in the third… there are better ways to make a good first impression. When there are multiple correct ways to spell a word, spell-checkers are no longer your friend, so try to keep a beady eye on words that could trip you up with inconsistent spellings. The same, incidentally, goes for quotation marks — while double quotation marks (“ and ”) are apparently more common in US English, and single quotation marks (‘ and ’) are apparently more common in UK English (but tell that to my double-quotation-mark-using UK English brain…), neither is explicitly right or wrong, no matter which market you’re writing for. What is wrong is using both types at random throughout the text.

“Make sure character names, settings, and timelines match up. You wouldn’t want your protagonist changing their name from “Bob” to “Rob” halfway through the book (and yes, I’ve seen this happen in submitted work).”

The Final Checklist

Now that you’re all set for your final read-through, here’s a handy checklist to ensure you don’t miss anything crucial:

Grammar and punctuation review: Quick tips for common grammar gremlins — watch out for those pesky apostrophes and comma splices.
Consistency is key: Make sure character names, settings, and timelines match up. You wouldn’t want your protagonist changing their name from “Bob” to “Rob” halfway through the book (and yes, I’ve seen this happen in submitted work).
Formatting flaws: Check for consistent font sizes, headers, spacing, and margins. Proper formatting not only enhances readability but also helps avoid last-minute headaches when submitting to publishers or self-publishing platforms.

Now… submit!

Having said all of the above… don’t overthink this. Your final read-through is just that: a final dotting of i’s and crossing of t’s and the last step in a long process of making sure your work shines as brightly as can be. It’s necessary and it does make a difference — but nobody is demanding perfection here. With the best will in the world, errors sneak through, even with this careful attention to detail. Don’t beat yourself up about it if it happens to you (unless you’re applying for a proofreading job — I’m still not over that), and know that a well-polished MS is going to shine, even if you missed an apostrophe on page 5. Because by the time your reader gets to page 5, it will be clear that you’ve done a stellar job of making your work the best it can be — and that’s what counts.

What’s the worst error you’ve caught at the veeeeeery last minute before submitting? Let me know in the comments!