How to use Text Compare
- Paste the older version into Original text.
- Paste the newer version into Changed text.
- Choose Words, Lines, Characters or Sentences in Compare by.
- The comparison updates as you change either version. Read removed text on the left and added text on the right, or use the inline diff below.
Example: Text Compare
Spot a one-word edit between two versions of a sentence.
Options
- Compare by
- Words suits prose edits, Lines suits code and lists, Characters suits a short string, and Sentences suits whole-sentence changes. Line comparison shows changed lines with a few unchanged lines around them.
- Ignore letter case
- Treats Hello and hello as the same text before comparing. Useful when someone restyled a heading without changing the words.
- Ignore spacing differences
- Collapses repeated spaces and blank lines before comparing, so reflowed text does not report as changed. In line mode it also removes trailing spaces on each line.
- Unchanged lines shown around changes
- Sets how much surrounding context the line comparison prints, from 0 to 10 lines. No effect on the other three modes.
Supported inputs and limits
Where your input is processed
This tool processes your input in this browser. Your text and files are not uploaded to UseFreeTools. Check this tool's limits for anything it may save on your device.
Choosing between word, line and character comparison
Each mode splits the text differently, and that changes what counts as a change. Word comparison is the most readable for prose: it marks the words that came and went without breaking a sentence apart. Line comparison works on the unit that code, logs and CSV files already use, so a changed value is one changed line rather than a scattering of edits. Character comparison is the strictest and finds a single edited letter, which suits checking an ID, but it is also the slowest and has the smallest size limit. Sentence comparison quickly shows whether a paragraph was rewritten wholesale.
Questions about Text Compare
Why did my comparison stop with an error about the texts being too different?
The comparison runs on a fixed edit budget so the page stays responsive. If the two texts share little in common, or they are very long, that budget runs out. Compare smaller sections, or switch to Lines.
What does the similarity figure mean?
It is the unchanged characters divided by the length of the longer side, as a percentage. Two texts that read the same but differ in wording will still score below 100.
Which mode should I use for code or a CSV file?
Use Lines. It reports changed lines with the surrounding unchanged lines, and it avoids the tighter limit that Characters mode applies.
Does it ignore formatting such as bold or italics?
Yes. Only the characters you paste are compared, so a bold word that is otherwise identical is reported as unchanged.
Why do my two texts look identical but score below 100?
Hidden differences such as a curly apostrophe, a non-breaking space or a different line ending will register. Turn on Ignore spacing differences and compare again.