Free tone changer

Tone is a set of choices about word, sentence length and how directly you say things. The seven options here make those choices differently.

• Professional removes slang and filler, tightens sentences and keeps a neutral, courteous register. It is the safe choice for most work messages.
• Friendly adds warmth - greetings, softer phrasing, an inviting close - without turning the message into small talk.
• Confident cuts hedges like "I just wanted to" and "maybe" and states the point plainly. Useful for proposals, status updates and anything where you sound unsure and should not.
• Casual relaxes the structure and uses everyday phrasing, for colleagues you know well or informal channels.
• Persuasive frames the message around why the reader should say yes. Check the claims it leans on are ones you can back.
• Empathetic acknowledges the reader's situation before the point. Good for customer apologies, difficult feedback and condolences.
• Diplomatic softens a hard message - a no, a correction, a complaint - while keeping it clear. It is meant to be tactful, not vague.

The tool is told to keep your meaning, your facts and roughly your length. Names, numbers, dates and commitments should come through unchanged, and nothing should be added that you did not say.

Check two things every time. First, commitments: a friendlier rewrite should not turn "I will send this Friday" into "I'll try to send this soon". Second, strength: diplomatic can soften a point so far that the recipient misses it. If you need them to act, make sure the ask is still unmistakable.

• An email you wrote angry. Run it through Diplomatic or Professional, then compare against the original to check you have not lost the substance. The email writer can start from a brief if you would rather draft fresh.
• A message that sounds too stiff. Friendly or Casual loosens it. If you only need smoother wording rather than a different tone, try the paraphrasing tool in Fluent mode.
• A cover letter or application that reads timid. Confident helps, but your own experience has to carry it. The cover letter generator drafts from the experience you give it.
• A hard conversation at work. Empathetic or Diplomatic can help you draft the first pass. A written response to a formal process is something to think about carefully on your own terms; the guide on responding to a performance improvement plan covers it.

Pasting into a tool and back is fine for one message. If you write all day, the Copilotly extension rewrites selected text in place: pick a tone and a length, compare the result word by word with your original, and replace the selection or insert below it. Earlier versions are one click away if you prefer the first draft.

Select text on a page, use the toolbar, or open the Cmd/Ctrl+K command menu. You can also choose which model does the writing, including Claude, GPT and Gemini. Get it for Chrome, Edge or Firefox.

What is tone, and how is it different from content?

Content is what you say; tone is how it sounds. The Nielsen Norman Group describes four dimensions of tone of voice: funny versus serious, formal versus casual, respectful versus irreverent, and enthusiastic versus matter-of-fact. The seven tones here are practical blends of those choices.

Which tone fits which reader?

Start from the reader, not from your mood. The plain language guidance on audience makes the same point: know who is reading and what they need. A first message to someone senior usually wants Professional. A teammate you talk to daily can take Casual.

How do I keep the meaning intact?

Run one paragraph at a time for anything that matters, then compare the commitments and numbers. If you want a different word choice without a tone shift, the paraphrasing tool is closer to what you need.

Email to your manager

Professional, short, with the ask first. If you are writing from scratch, the email writer starts from a brief.

Replies to customers

Empathetic first, then the facts and the next step. Do not let softer wording hide a policy the customer needs to understand.

Chat and quick messages

Casual or Friendly. Fewer words usually beat a long softened message. Keep the request in the first line.

Does the ask survive?

Find the sentence that tells the reader what you want them to do. It should still be there, still specific, and still with its date.

Would you say this?

Read it aloud. If a phrase makes you wince, change it. A tone tool gives you a draft in the right register. It does not know your relationship with the reader, your company's culture or your history with the person.

Is the tone honest?

Empathetic wording should not claim feelings or facts you do not have, and Persuasive wording should not promise what you cannot deliver. When a rewrite adds a claim, take it out.

Does it fit the culture and the channel?

Directness, formality and warmth are read differently in different workplaces and countries. When writing across cultures, lean towards Professional and let the reader set the pace of informality. The Nielsen Norman Group's tone of voice dimensions are a handy way to think about it.

Need a rewrite of the words rather than the tone?

Use the paraphrasing tool. Need the message shorter? Use its Shorter mode, or summarize first with the text summarizer.

Saying no without burning a bridge

Write the plain version ("We cannot take this on this quarter"), then run Diplomatic. You are looking for a version that still says no clearly, acknowledges the request and, if true, offers an alternative. Add the alternative yourself if the tool does not know it.

Following up without nagging

A third reminder written in a hurry sounds like blame. Friendly keeps the same request and drops the edge. If you need to move toward a deadline, keep the date in the message.

Asking for something big

For a raise, a deadline change or a favour, Confident or Persuasive can help you state the case. Keep your reasons real. For a job offer, the counter offer letter generator is built for the structure.