Text Editors

Text editors are programs that help create text documents. Among them, we also distinguish programs called word processors. A word processor is, in other words, a very advanced text editor. A word processor has advanced features that could not be found in a simple text editor. One of the most well-known word processors is MS Word. Often referred to colloquially as a text editor, it belongs to this more advanced group.

What Are the Differences Between a Word Processor and a Text Editor?

A text editor is just a program that is used to enter text, and its capabilities are limited. If it already has some formatting features, then they are not advanced. Among the most-known text editors, we can name Notepad,  TECO, Aurora or even a text editor for programmers – EditPlus (but these form yet another kind of software).

When it comes to word processors, here we can count on much more advanced features. They deal mainly with font and style control, setting up columns, adjusting margins and so on, or in short, to give your text professional look and feel. The word processors also allow you to edit the text in by adding multimedia or rich content. In other words, you can freely add various types of tables, graphics and so on.

Unlike text editors, word processors have also such features as password protection of the documents or creating of hyperlinks in the text. They also have a lot of handy features when it comes to printing, such as a print preview.

In the most popular word processors, i.e. Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect or LibreOffice Writer, you will also find features that facilitate typing and syntax error eliminations. The processors detect linguistic, stylistic or grammatical errors and marked them for the user to correct. They can also suggest synonyms.