Sentence opener checker
Paste your writing to list the first word of every sentence and find runs where three or more sentences in a row start the same way.
A free tool from Plainhand. Your text never leaves your browser.
What the checker shows
Every sentence is listed with its first word, grouped by paragraph, and the most common first words are tallied at the top. A run is highlighted when three or more sentences in a row within a paragraph start with the same word, including small words like “She”, “The” and “I”.
How this differs from the full editor
The full Plainhand editor is stricter about what it flags, because it checks a whole document for many patterns at once. It only flags runs of four or more, and it skips common openers such as “The”, “It”, “He”, “She” and “They”, which often repeat naturally. This checker shows every run of three or more, and marks the ones the editor flags too.
Why repeated openers stand out
When sentence after sentence starts the same way, a paragraph starts to sound like a list, and the reader stops hearing the words that follow. Varying the first word lets you lead with whatever matters most in each sentence.
Before
I opened the door. I turned on the light. I stepped over the boxes.
After
I opened the door and turned on the light. Boxes covered the floor, so I stepped over them.
How to vary them
- Combine sentences. Two short sentences with the same subject often read better as one.
- Lead with what matters. Start with the time, the place or the object when that’s the point of the sentence.
- Keep deliberate repetition. In a speech or a build-up, starting lines the same way can be the effect you want.
Check everything at once. The full Plainhand editor highlights repeated openers alongside sentence length, filter words, stock phrases and more, with a short note on each. Its checks are free and run in your browser.
Open the full editor