BYTETOOLS

Oxford Comma Checker

Find every three-item list in your text, see which use the Oxford comma and which don't, and apply one-click fixes to bring a whole document to one style.

Paste text above. Lists of three or more short items joined by “and”, “or” or “nor” will be listed here with the serial comma highlighted.

Detection is a pattern match, not a parser: a compound predicate such as “he came in, sat down and left” looks exactly like a three-item list, so review each suggestion and untick anything that is not really a list. Neither style is wrong — Oxford, Chicago and most US publishers use the serial comma; the AP stylebook and much of British journalism do not. Everything is processed in your browser.

What is the Oxford Comma Checker?

Oxford Comma Checker scans your text for lists of three or more short items joined by “and”, “or” or “nor”, and reports which of them carry the serial comma and which do not.

  • Finds lists joined by and, or and nor, and reports which have the serial comma
  • Add mode and remove mode, so either house style can be enforced
  • Before-and-after view of each instance with the comma itself highlighted
  • Per-instance checkboxes plus select-all and select-none
  • Consistency percentage across the whole document
  • Corrected text ready to copy or download as a .txt file

How to use the Oxford Comma Checker

  1. 1

    Paste your text into the box.

  2. 2

    Choose the house style — use the Oxford comma, or do not.

  3. 3

    Adjust the longest-list-item setting if your lists are wordier than five words per item.

  4. 4

    Review each suggestion's before and after, and untick any that are not really lists.

  5. 5

    Copy or download the corrected text.

About the Oxford Comma Checker

Oxford Comma Checker scans your text for lists of three or more short items joined by “and”, “or” or “nor”, and reports which of them carry the serial comma and which do not. A consistency figure tells you how close the document already is to a single house style.

Pick whether your style adds or removes the comma, review each instance with a before-and-after view showing exactly which character changes, untick anything that is not really a list, and take the corrected text away by copy or download.

Detection is a pattern match rather than a grammar parser, so a compound predicate like “he came in, sat down and left” looks the same as a three-item list. That is why every suggestion is a checkbox rather than an automatic edit. Everything runs in your browser.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Oxford comma?

It is the comma before the final “and” or “or” in a list of three or more: red, white, and blue. It is also called the serial or Harvard comma. Leaving it out gives red, white and blue, which is equally standard in much of the world.

Should I use the Oxford comma?

It depends on your style guide. Oxford, Chicago and most American book publishers use it; the AP stylebook and much of British journalism do not. Neither is wrong — what matters is picking one and applying it consistently, which is exactly what this tool helps with.

Why is a sentence with no list being flagged?

Because a compound predicate — “he came in, sat down and left” — has the same comma-and-conjunction shape as a three-item list. Raising or lowering the longest-list-item setting changes how aggressive the match is, and every suggestion can be unticked.

Does the Oxford comma ever change meaning?

Yes, which is the usual argument for it. “To my parents, Ayn Rand and God” reads very differently from “To my parents, Ayn Rand, and God”. Cases like that are rare, but they are why many publishers use it by default.

Is my document uploaded?

No. The text is scanned and edited entirely in your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.

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