Home Tools UX writingTooltip copy checker

Tooltip copy checker for tours, modals and buttons

Paste a tooltip title, body and button — the tool checks length against the limits for the format, estimates reading time and readability, and flags wordy phrases, passive voice, shouting and buttons like “OK”. Everything runs in your browser.

● Free, no sign-upUpdated: September 16, 2026

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Preview

Everything is calculated in your browser — nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

How to use it

Choose the formatTooltips, tour steps, modals and buttons have different limits for length and reading time.
Paste the copyTitle, body and button label as they will appear in the interface. Empty fields the format does not need are not penalized.
Work through the listRed items hurt most: length, wordy phrases, a vague button. Grey items are tips.
Rewrite and compareThe score and preview update as you type. The link keeps your copy — handy for a review with an editor or the team.

Length limits for tooltips, tours and modals

People read tooltips in passing: they came to your product to get a job done, not to read. So every format has an attention budget. The tool uses these editorial limits:

Format	Title	Body	Button	Sentences	Reading
Tooltip	40 chars / 6 words	120 / 20	20 / 3	2	7 s
Tour step	50 / 7	160 / 25	20 / 3	3	10 s
Modal	60 / 8	300 / 50	25 / 3	4	20 s
Checklist item	50 / 7	100 / 16	20 / 3	2	6 s
Button	—	—	25 / 3	—	2 s

Up to 30% over the limit is a tip; beyond that it is an error. These are not a scientific standard but practice: they are the limits we use in Clew’s templates. Reading time assumes 228 words per minute, the average for English text in the IReST study; see the readability checker for details.

What else the tool checks

Wordy phrases. “In order to”, “utilize”, “please note that”, “in the event that” make a sentence longer without adding meaning. Each one comes with a shorter replacement.
Passive voice. “Users are displayed”, “settings were saved” — it is unclear who acts. In an interface, be direct: “we saved”, “add”.
The button. A good button starts with a verb and names the outcome: “Create project” instead of “OK”. Vague labels — “OK”, “Learn more”, “Click here”, “Submit” — are flagged.
Exclamation marks and all caps. They read as shouting and pull attention away from the point.
Numbers as words and buzzwords. “Three steps” → “3 steps”; “seamless”, “synergy”, “empower” are vague and easy to distrust.

Word-list checks are heuristics: a rule cannot tell every passive construction or verb apart. If the tool flags a phrase that reads well, keep it.

How to write tooltip copy: five rules

One tooltip, one action. If you need to explain three things, it is a three-step tour or a checklist.
Lead with the benefit or the action. “Invite teammates to assign them tasks” beats “In this section you can manage users”.
Title is the point, body is the detail. Many people only read the title.
The button names the outcome. “Invite teammates”, “Create your first report”.
Show it when it is needed. Even perfect copy fails if the tooltip appears before the person reaches the task.

More examples: User onboarding checklist and SaaS onboarding examples.

Sources

Flesch R. A New Readability Yardstick. Journal of Applied Psychology, 32(3), 1948.
Trauzettel-Klosinski S., Dietz K., IReST Study Group. Standardized Assessment of Reading Performance: The New International Reading Speed Texts IReST. IOVS, 53(9), 2012.
Nielsen Norman Group. Tooltip Guidelines; How Users Read on the Web — nngroup.com.
Plain Language Action and Information Network. Federal Plain Language Guidelines — plainlanguage.gov.

FAQ

How long should tooltip text be?

For a regular tooltip, up to 120 characters and 20 words in the body and up to 40 characters in the title — readable in about 7 seconds. A tour step can be a little longer, a modal up to 300 characters.

What should a button say?

A verb and the outcome: “Create project”, “Invite teammates”. “OK”, “Learn more” and “Click here” do not tell people what happens next.

Why avoid passive voice in UI copy?

Passive sentences hide who acts and are longer. “We saved your changes” or “Add a teammate” is clearer than “Changes have been saved” or “Teammates can be added”.

How is reading time calculated?

Word count divided by 228 words per minute — the average adult silent reading speed for English in the IReST study — times 60 seconds.

How accurate are the checks?

Length, reading time and Flesch reading ease follow exact formulas (syllables are estimated with a heuristic). Wordy phrases, passive voice and verbs are detected with word lists and patterns, so they can miss a case or flag a fine phrase.

Is my text sent to a server?

No, the check runs in your browser. The text is only written to the page URL so you can share the result.