Lymbix brings ToneCheck to Gmail with new plug-in

The "spellcheck for emotions" proofreads your emails for negative-sounding words or phrases

I will admit that I read too much into people’s emails and texts.  The simple misuse or misplacement of an exclamation point or period—or even the rare semi-colon—can send me spiraling into a pit of despair under the assumption that the sender no longer likes me.  That’s how deep my insecurities run.  A displeased-sounding email, as evidenced by a well placed semi-colon, can ruin my weekend.  For those who don’t actually intend to sound displeased or angry, New Brunswick-based Lymbix developed ToneCheck, which is like a spellchecker for unintentional inferences and nuances.  Lymbix is now announcing that ToneCheck is officially emerging from beta with a new plug-in for both Outlook and Gmail users.

Released in beta last July for Outlook users only, ToneCheck uses linguistic algorithms to apply emotive context to email to analyze for aggressive or harsh-sounding word combinations.  Additionally, the company uses data analysis to build lexicons to help measure emotional nuances in language, along with actual human-powered analysis to gauge the trickier meanings behind certain words and phrases.

 The analysis is quick, automatic, and scalable, allowing users to instantly measure their tone and adjust as necessary.

"Tonecheck does more than just prevent foot-in-mouth emails, it protects the most valuable asset any business can have – relationships,” said Matt Eldridge, co-founder and CEO of Lymbix. “These plugin tools bring emotion analysis directly to the email workflow seamlessly.”

In addition to ToneCheck for email, the company’s other products include TweetTone to allow marketers and other social media users measure the tones of their tweets.  Lymbix also offers ToneADay, a community-based program that helps users develop a stronger grasp of language and sentiment. 

Founded in Canada in 2009 by Matt Eldridge and software developer Josh Merchant, the two sought to create a solution to the problem of online miscommunication and developed ToneCheck in 2010.  The company has raised C$3.75 million to date.