What’s the Difference Between Editing and Proofreading?

If you’ve ever wondered, “What’s the difference between editing and proofreading?” you’re not alone. Many writers and business owners are confused by the terminology. And what’s copyediting?

Then there’s (deep breath) developmental editing, substantive editing, structural editing, stylistic editing, line editing, sensitivity editing, project editing, technical editing, fact-checking… and yes, even proofreading is sometimes (incorrectly) called editing. Though to be fair, there is such a thing as editorial proofreading.

So what’s a writer or a website manager to do? If your site needs a content refresh or rewrite, do you hire a writer, an editor, a proofreader… or?

Google “types of editing” and you’ll find conflicting information. To make it even more confusing, in the blogging world, “editor” sometimes just means a WordPress-savvy assistant.

It’s really not that complicated. But every writer and website owner should understand the basic steps involved in polishing a piece of writing, even if you never hire a pro. Keep reading—this will clear things up.

Stages of writing

Editing, by itself, tends to be the most confusing term, while copyediting and proofreading are a bit more specific. Let’s break it down.

Any type of writing—whether it’s a novel, business book, blog post, or website content—ideally goes through four stages: writing, editing, copyediting, and proofreading.

We all know what writing is, so let’s move on to editing.

Editing definitions vary depending on the context. There’s overlap between early stages of editing and later phases like copyediting and proofreading. To make things more complicated, professionals in publishing, marketing, and freelance services often use different terminology, even if they’re doing similar work.

For example, developmental editing and substantive editing are often used interchangeably. Stylistic editing might be its own step or folded into another. Copyediting and line editing are frequently treated as the same thing, but not always.

For simplicity, let’s define editing, in general, as improvements made after the draft is in decent shape, but before focusing on tiny details like missing end punctuation or typos.

The big picture: developmental or substantive editing

Think of a novel or a long blog post, a case study, or an ebook. The first editing stage is developmental editing, also called substantive editing.

At this point, the editor focuses on the big picture: structure, organization, clarity, and consistency. For fiction, it might mean reviewing character development, pacing, point of view, or plot structure. For web content or business writing, it involves reworking the flow of information, cutting repetition, or making sure the message aligns with the brand’s goals.

The point is to improve the content as a whole, not to fix grammar or word choice. Developmental editing makes sure everything is in the right place, makes sense, and supports the purpose of the piece.

This stage often blends into substantive editing, which focuses more closely on paragraph structure, transitions, and overall flow. Depending on how the terms are used, substantive editing can even include sentence-level rewrites. There’s a lot of overlap here, and definitions vary, as mentioned earlier.

In website content, whether it’s a blog post or a business page, developmental editing might involve refining your key message, deciding what to cut or expand, or reordering sections for clarity. If you’re using a theme, metaphor, or hook, now’s the time to make sure it carries through consistently.

Once your piece is solid from start to finish, you’re ready for the next step: copyediting.

The fine-tuning: copyediting

Also called line editing, copyediting focuses on the sentence level. It’s where grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity all get cleaned up and smoothed out.

Awkward or clunky sentences are reworded. Wordiness gets trimmed. Passive constructions might be replaced with active verbs. Transitions are added between and within paragraphs to improve flow.

Style also plays a role. For example, sometimes I catch myself slipping into overly formal, academic language when I’m aiming for a more casual, conversational tone (even in blog posts like this one). Reading aloud helps me spot and revise anything that doesn’t sound like the way I speak.

Copyediting also includes checking for consistency: capitalization, hyphenation, spelling, numbers (four vs. 4), and formatting. Parallelism in lists is another key check: each item should follow the same structure and start with the same type of word.

Think of it this way:

Copyediting isn’t about the big picture, but it doesn’t require a microscope either.

There are three levels of copyediting: light, medium, and heavy.

• Heavy copyediting blurs into substantive editing. It might involve rewriting entire sentences or reorganizing paragraphs, especially when working with non-fluent English writers. The content might be strong, but clarity and sentence flow need significant work.
• Light copyediting is minimal. You’re adjusting a few clunky phrases, fixing punctuation, or correcting a subject-verb agreement error here and there. Sometimes, it’s what a client requests, regardless of writing quality—just a pass for surface-level fixes.
• Medium copyediting, as you’d expect, falls in between. It involves moderate rewording, sentence restructuring, and style cleanup, but without overhauling the entire piece.

And just a note: copyediting is often spelled copy editing (with a space) or, less commonly, copy-editing (British). I prefer copyediting—like copywriting—since it describes a single, focused skill. 

No matter how you spell it, the goal of copyediting is to bring a piece as close to polished perfection as possible. But there’s one final step before publishing: proofreading.

Put it under the microscope: proofreading

Even the best copyeditor needs a second set of eyes or a final, focused pass. Enter proofreading.

Proofreading and copyediting overlap, but the focus is different. And ideally, they’re handled separately, even if the same person does both.

This goes for DIY writers too: When you’re focused on grammar, clarity, and structure, you’re unlikely to catch missing punctuation or double spaces. Proofreading requires a different mindset.

Editing is art. Proofreading is science.

Here are two easy ways to think about it:

• Proofreading “proves” the piece is ready for publication. All the big work—rewrites, edits, formatting—is done.
  
• Proofreading makes tiny corrections, not big changes. The goal is to catch any lingering errors or inconsistencies.
  

A proofreader checks for many things, including:

• Typos or spelling errors
  
• Extra or missing spaces
  
• Double punctuation or incorrect quotation marks
  
• Font and margin consistency
  
• Broken or incorrect links (for web copy)
  
• Keywords and metadata (when reviewing SEO content)
  

If something deeper is off, like a factual error or a sentence that still needs reworking, a professional proofreader flags it and checks with the editor rather than fixing it directly.

Proofreading can overlap with copyediting

Like editing, proofreading doesn’t always have strict boundaries. Proofreaders won’t ignore errors that copyeditors missed, like a misused word (e.g., peak instead of pique).

But how much a proofreader can change depends on the context. In some companies, editorial proofreaders are allowed to make minor copyedits. In others, proofreading is a separate task handled with a lighter touch, especially in publishing workflows where multiple editors are involved.

At small publications, such as local newspapers, budget constraints often mean editors handle all stages of article review, from line edits to final proofreading. An assistant editor may also take a final look.

Here’s why you need to know the difference between editing and proofreading

If you’re proofreading your own writing or thinking about hiring a proofreader, keep this in mind:

If you’re still rewriting clunky sentences or replacing jargon, you’re not proofreading yet. That’s still copyediting, and you’ll need to start a fresh proofreading pass afterward to avoid missing small errors. 

If you catch a bigger issue during proofreading, make a note or highlight it, but don’t break your focus. Come back to it later. And always re-proof the full paragraph if you make any changes. This is where double words, missing words, and awkward edits tend to slip in right at the finish line.

Wrapping up

To recap:

• Developmental and substantive editing focus on structure, clarity, and content—the big picture.
  
• Copyediting hones the language at the sentence level.
  
• Proofreading is the final check for perfection before publishing.
  

Each step plays a different role in polishing a piece of writing. Understanding what’s involved helps you edit your own work more effectively—or communicate more clearly with any editor or writer you hire.

Over to you

What challenges do you face when editing or proofreading your own content or a client’s? Have you worked with a professional editor or proofreader before? I’d love to hear about your experience! Feel free to leave a comment or reach out with questions.