English.me

Revise vs. edit: what’s the difference?

The short answer

Revise means to look at something again and change it, sometimes a lot: the content, the structure, the argument. Edit usually means correcting and polishing a text: grammar, punctuation, wording and style. In British English, revise also means to study for an exam (I’m revising for my finals); Americans say review.

What they have in common

Both revise and edit involve reviewing and making changes to text or documents to improve clarity and correctness.

Examples

revise

  • She had to revise her essay after receiving feedback from her teacher.
  • The author decided to revise the manuscript to include new research findings.

edit

  • He edited the article for grammar and punctuation errors before submission.
  • The editor will edit the document to ensure it meets the publication’s standards.

Which one is more common?

Internet search results for “revise” and “edit”

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