Method 1.0.0 · reviewed 18 August 2026 · next review 17 February 2027
Find the sentences a technician can misread
ClearSpec reviews procedures, safety notes, service notes and specifications against 22 named checks for action clarity, sentence structure, terminology, safety language and consistency. Every finding shows the exact span, the reason, one editing action and an honest note on when the check can be wrong.
1 The cover should be removed carefully and the filter must be checked.
2 WARNING: High voltage.
- CS_WEAK_MODAL — “should” does not say whether the step is mandatory. Editing action: use “must”.
- CS_MULTI_ACTION_STEP — two instruction verbs in one step.
- CS_WARNING_SEQUENCE — safety-language review recommended: the consequence and the avoidance action are missing.
Free checker
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Step rules and action clarity are weighted normally; multi-action steps matter most.
0 words
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Why an automated clarity review helps
Most instruction defects are not spelling errors. They are combined steps, passive sentences with no actor, unmeasurable words such as carefully, and the same component named three ways in one document. A reviewer under deadline reads past them; a deterministic rule does not.
ClearSpec never rewrites your text. It reports what it found and one editing action, and leaves the wording decision with you. For safety content it says safety-language review recommended and asks a competent person to approve the final wording — it never labels a sentence “unsafe”.
What the 22 checks cover
Action clarity weight 25
- CS_MULTI_ACTION_STEP — Several actions in one step
- CS_PASSIVE_ACTION — Passive action
- CS_NOMINALISATION — Hidden verb
- CS_VAGUE_PRONOUN — Unclear pronoun reference
- CS_WEAK_MODAL — Weak obligation word
- CS_ADVERB_AMBIGUITY — Unmeasurable manner adverb
Sentence structure weight 25
- CS_LONG_SENTENCE — Long sentence
- CS_VAGUE_QUANTITY — Vague quantity or time
- CS_DOUBLE_NEGATIVE — Double negative
- CS_NESTED_CONDITION — Nested conditions
- CS_NOUN_STACK — Long noun cluster
- CS_LONG_PARAGRAPH — Long paragraph
Terminology weight 20
- CS_TERM_VARIANT — Inconsistent term form
- CS_UNDEFINED_ACRONYM — Acronym not expanded
- CS_FORBIDDEN_TERM — Banned term
- CS_PREFERRED_TERM_MISSING — Non-preferred term
Safety language weight 15
- CS_WARNING_SEQUENCE — Incomplete warning structure
- CS_MISSING_ACTOR — Requirement without an actor
Consistency weight 15
- CS_UNIT_VARIANT — Inconsistent unit form
- CS_NUMBER_FORMAT — Inconsistent number format
- CS_REPEATED_WORD — Repeated word
- CS_SLASH_COMPOUND — Slash compound
Transparent, repeatable method
Scoring is deterministic and versioned. Each category starts at 100 and loses 10, 5 or 2 points per high, medium or low finding. A repeated identical finding counts fully once, then half, then a quarter, then nothing, so one habit cannot flatten a category. The overall indicator is the weighted mean. The same text with the same settings and the same method version always produces the same result.
- Procedure / instructions: Step rules and action clarity are weighted normally; multi-action steps matter most.
- Safety information: Warning structure and missing actors are reviewed more strictly. No wording is rewritten.
- Specification: Noun stacks, units and number formats are reviewed more strictly; imperative rules relax.
- Service note: Balanced review of actions, terms and consistency for short field documents.
- General technical: Balanced default for mixed technical content.
Read the full method, or check what ClearSpec deliberately does not do.
Pricing
Free Checker
€0
1,000 words, first 10 findings, no account
- 1000 words per check
- All 22 checks run
- First ten findings shown
- Local analysis, no account
Pro
€120 / year
one writer
- Larger local documents
- Every finding, not only ten
- TXT, Markdown and DOCX opened locally
- Personal termbase
- PDF and CSV report export
Team
€349 / year
five users
- Shared termbase and style profile
- Approved exceptions
- Batch queue
- Review history
- Everything in Pro
Annual prices only. Card payment runs through the payment provider in test mode while the tax review is open, so no card is charged today. DOCX opening is local and does not interpret layout, images, tables or cross-references; PDF input is not offered. Already have a licence? Open the Pro or Team workspace.
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.
Questions
- Is my text uploaded?
- The free paste is analysed locally in your browser. Paid saving or sync happens only when you choose it and is clearly indicated before transfer.
- Does this check ASD-STE100 compliance?
- No. ClearSpec is an independent clarity checker and not affiliated with ASD/STEMG. It does not implement or certify the ASD-STE100 specification or dictionary.
- Does it certify ISO plain-language conformance?
- No. ISO 24495-1 describes plain-language principles, but this automated tool is not an ISO certification or full conformance assessment.
- Will the tool rewrite safety instructions?
- ClearSpec never rewrites safety wording automatically. It identifies a review issue and suggests an editing action; a competent person must choose and validate the wording.
- Which files are supported?
- Free accepts pasted text. Pro supports TXT, Markdown and DOCX processed locally where browser support allows. DOCX layout, images, tables and cross-references may not be fully interpreted. PDF files are not accepted as input.
- What does the score mean?
- It is an automated clarity indicator across five categories. It does not measure technical accuracy, usability testing, legal sufficiency or safety.
References
Checked 18 August 2026. Referenced for context only; no standard text or dictionary content is reproduced.
- ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language — Part 1 — ISO. Official standard information page. Context only; the standard is not reproduced or certified.
- Official ASD-STE100 site — ASD Simplified Technical English Maintenance Group. Ownership, current resources and trademark context. ClearSpec is not affiliated with ASD/STEMG.
- ASD-STE100 official downloads and AI white paper — ASD STEMG. Official materials. Copyright and stated limitations respected; no dictionary content is copied.
- Clear content objective — W3C WAI. Accessibility-oriented clear-content guidance informing general principles.
- Writing for web accessibility — W3C WAI. First-party accessibility writing tips informing general principles.
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.