Shorten Your Text With AI
Paste your text and choose how much shorter it should be. Repetition, filler phrases and secondary examples go, while facts, numbers, definitions and conclusions stay in place. It suits study notes, abstracts, talks and anything with a word limit.
Shorten text online in one pass
Paste your text, choose how much to cut and press the button. A condensed version appears shortly, ready to copy or to shorten again. There is nothing to install, and it runs in the browser on a computer or a phone. It is handy in class or just before a talk, when you have no time to edit by hand.
What gets cut and what stays
Repetition goes first: an idea stated twice stays in its better version. Next come filler words and bureaucratic turns of phrase such as "due to the fact that" and "carry out an assessment of". Then secondary examples: of three illustrations of one idea, the sharpest one stays. Facts, numbers, dates, names, definitions and conclusions are left alone. They are not rounded off or swapped for words like "several" and "significantly".
How much to shorten
"Slightly, cut the excess" works for your own draft: the text gets tighter and keeps all its ideas and examples. "By half" is a typical cut for a talk or an article with a word limit. "To a third, essentials only" keeps only the main points and suits study notes. "Down to one paragraph" gives you an abstract: what the text is about, what it claims and what it concludes. The harder you cut, the more it matters to list in the "Must keep" field whatever cannot be lost.
Study notes, abstracts and talks
Notes on a textbook chapter or lecture come from cutting to a third with priority on definitions, which is exactly what gets asked in class and on exams. An abstract for a paper or article comes from cutting to one paragraph with priority on conclusions. A talk of 5 to 7 minutes runs about 700 to 900 words: if your paper is longer, cut it by half and time yourself reading it aloud.
Shortening without losing meaning
Meaning gets lost when the connections go along with the extra words: "because", "however", "unlike". Without them, a text becomes a pile of statements, and the reader cannot see why one thing follows from another. That is why logical connectors are kept even in a heavy cut. If a conclusion looks surprising after shortening, a step in the reasoning has dropped out, and you should try a lighter setting.
How to check the shortened text
Compare numbers and dates with the original. Sum up the shortened text in two sentences and compare that with how you would sum up the source: if the main points match, the cut worked. For coursework, check that every term from the assignment is still there. If the text ends up too short for the assignment, our Expand text tool can build it back up.
Frequently asked questions
Can I try it for free?
You can start for free. Paste a long paragraph and compare the two versions.
Will numbers and facts get lost?
Facts, numbers, dates and conclusions are meant to stay exactly as written. When cutting down to one paragraph, though, some secondary figures may go, so list whatever matters in the "Must keep" field.
Can it shorten text in other languages?
Yes, but the result comes back in English by default. To keep the original language, say so in the "Must keep" field, for example "keep the text in Spanish".
How is shortening different from paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing changes the wording while the length stays about the same. Shortening removes what is not needed and keeps the original wording where it is precise.
How long a text can I paste?
An article or a chapter works well. A whole book or thesis is better shortened chapter by chapter, because the result is more accurate and easier to check.