Here is a truth that many Nigerian freelance writers do not want to hear: your grammar might be costing you clients. I am not talking about major errors — most educated Nigerians write decent English. I am talking about the subtle mistakes that international clients notice immediately: awkward phrasing, tense inconsistencies, misplaced commas, and Nigerian English patterns that do not match the British or American English your clients expect.
Grammarly is the tool that bridges this gap. It catches errors you miss, suggests better phrasing, and helps you write with the polish that international clients expect. After using it for over three years, I can honestly say it has been one of the best investments in my freelance writing career. Here is everything you need to know about using it as a Nigerian writer.
Why Nigerian Writers Specifically Need Grammarly
Nigerian English has its own patterns and expressions that are perfectly understood locally but can confuse international readers. Here are common issues Grammarly helps with:
Tense consistency: Many Nigerian writers switch between past and present tense within paragraphs without realising it. Grammarly flags these switches instantly.
Article usage (a, an, the): This is one of the most common errors in Nigerian English. Phrases like "I went to market" instead of "I went to the market" or "He is a engineer" instead of "He is an engineer." Grammarly catches every instance.
Preposition errors: "Discuss about" instead of "discuss," "congratulate for" instead of "congratulate on" — these are common in Nigerian English and Grammarly corrects them automatically.
Spelling variations: Are you writing for American or British clients? Grammarly lets you set your English dialect. "Colour" vs "color," "organise" vs "organize" — getting this right shows professionalism.
Comma usage: Nigerian writers tend to either overuse or underuse commas. Grammarly punctuation suggestions improve readability significantly.
Wordiness: Phrases like "in order to" (instead of "to"), "due to the fact that" (instead of "because"), and "at this point in time" (instead of "now"). Grammarly suggests clearer, more concise alternatives.
Grammarly Free vs Premium: Which Do You Need?
Grammarly Free:
- Basic grammar and spelling corrections
- Tone detection
- Works on web browser, desktop app, and mobile keyboard
- Catches about 70% of common errors
- Cost: ₦0
Grammarly Premium:
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Advanced grammar and punctuation suggestions
- Clarity and conciseness improvements
- Tone adjustments (make text more formal, confident, friendly, etc.)
- Plagiarism detection (checks against billions of web pages)
- Vocabulary enhancement suggestions
- Genre-specific writing style checks
- Full-sentence rewrites for clarity
- Cost: Approximately $12/month (about ₦18,000/month at current rates) billed annually
My recommendation: Start with Grammarly Free. It covers the basics and will immediately improve your writing. Once your freelance income is stable — say, earning ₦100,000+/month from writing — upgrade to Premium. The advanced suggestions and plagiarism checker pay for themselves quickly when you are delivering professional content to clients.
If the Premium price is too steep, watch for Grammarly promotions. They regularly offer 40-60% discounts, especially during Black Friday and back-to-school periods.
How to Set Up Grammarly (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Create Your Account
Go to grammarly.com and sign up with your email. The free account is instant — no credit card required.
Step 2: Install the Browser Extension
Install the Grammarly browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, or Edge. This is the most useful installation because it works everywhere you type in your browser — Google Docs, email, social media, freelance platform messaging, and more.
Step 3: Set Your Language Preference
Go to Settings and choose your English dialect. If most of your clients are American, choose American English. For British clients, choose British English. You can change this anytime.
Step 4: Install the Desktop App (Optional)
If you write in Microsoft Word or other desktop applications, install the Grammarly desktop app. It provides real-time corrections in any application.
Step 5: Install the Mobile Keyboard (Optional)
If you write on your phone (WhatsApp messages to clients, mobile email), the Grammarly keyboard catches errors as you type. Useful for maintaining professionalism even on mobile.
How Grammarly Helps You Win More Freelance Clients
Better proposals get more responses. When you bid on a project on Fiverr or Upwork, your proposal is the first thing the client sees. A proposal with perfect grammar, clear sentences, and professional tone stands out from the crowd. Run every proposal through Grammarly before submitting.
Cleaner first drafts mean happier clients. Clients hate receiving work full of errors. Even if the content is good, grammar mistakes make you look careless. Grammarly catches errors before your client does, which means fewer revision requests and better reviews.
Faster editing saves time. Without Grammarly, editing a 1,500-word article for grammar might take 30-45 minutes. With Grammarly, it takes 10-15 minutes. Over a month of writing, that time savings translates to more articles completed and more money earned.
Plagiarism detection protects your reputation. If you research heavily before writing (as you should), there is always a risk of accidentally using phrases too similar to your sources. Grammarly Premium plagiarism checker flags these before your client runs their own check. Getting caught for plagiarism — even accidental — can end your freelance career overnight.
Advanced Tips for Nigerian Writers Using Grammarly
Do not accept every suggestion blindly. Grammarly is a tool, not a replacement for your judgment. Sometimes it suggests changes that alter your intended meaning or make the text sound robotic. Read each suggestion, understand why it was made, and decide whether to accept or reject it.
Learn from the corrections. Pay attention to patterns in Grammarly corrections. If it keeps flagging the same type of error (say, comma splices or tense shifts), make a conscious effort to avoid that error in your first draft. Over time, you will need Grammarly less because you will have internalised the corrections.
Use the tone detector. Before submitting any piece, check the tone detector. A blog post should sound "confident" and "informative." A cold email to a potential client should sound "professional" and "friendly." The tone detector helps you strike the right note.
Set goals for each document. Grammarly lets you set goals — audience (general, knowledgeable, expert), formality level, domain, and intent. Setting these correctly helps Grammarly provide more relevant suggestions.
Do not rely on Grammarly alone. Use it as one tool in your editing process. After Grammarly catches the technical errors, read your work aloud to catch awkward phrasing that sounds fine on paper but strange when spoken. Then do a final read for flow and coherence.
Grammarly Alternatives Worth Knowing
While Grammarly is the market leader, there are alternatives:
- ProWritingAid: More detailed writing analysis with reports on sentence structure, readability, and overused words. Premium costs about $20/month but offers a one-time lifetime purchase option for around $400. Better for long-form writing analysis.
- Hemingway Editor: Free web tool that focuses on readability. It highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and adverb overuse. Great as a complement to Grammarly, not a replacement.
- LanguageTool: Open-source grammar checker that works in multiple languages. The free version is more generous than Grammarly free, and Premium costs less. Worth considering if budget is tight.
- Microsoft Editor: Built into Microsoft 365, it provides grammar and style suggestions similar to Grammarly. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, you have this included.
The ROI of Better Writing
Let me put this in Naira terms. Say you are a freelance writer earning ₦100,000/month. Better English gets you higher-paying clients. Writers with polished English earn 2-3x more than those with average English on platforms like Fiverr and Upwork.
If Grammarly helps you move from ₦100,000/month to ₦200,000/month — a realistic improvement — the ₦18,000 monthly Premium cost pays for itself 5x over. Even the free version can significantly improve your writing quality.
Beyond freelancing, better English opens doors to higher-paying industries. Content marketing, copywriting, technical writing, and UX writing all pay premium rates and all demand excellent English. Use Payoneer to receive those premium payments from international clients.
Your English is not bad — it is Nigerian. But the global market expects a specific standard, and Grammarly helps you meet it. Install it today, start writing better tomorrow, and watch your client roster and income grow. The investment — whether time for the free version or money for Premium — is one of the smartest moves a Nigerian writer can make.