Erase Words from Text

Erase (Redaction) replaces words with mask characters (e.g., 'password'→'********'), preserving document structure and sentence length. Remove (Deletion) completely deletes words and closes gaps ('password removed'→'removed'). Use erase when: (1) You want readers to know something was redacted (legal/privacy compliance), (2) Preserving sentence structure matters (forms, templates), (3) Creating study materials where answers are hidden but placeholders remain. Use remove when you want seamless text without gaps or visual indication of deletion.

Preserve Original Length ON (default): Mask matches the exact length of each found word. 'password'→'' (8 chars), 'secret'→'' (6 chars). Preserve Original Length OFF: All matches get the same mask length equal to the word you're erasing. 'password' and 'PASSWORD' both→'******' (8 asterisks, matching 'password' length in your erase list). Use ON for: Varied word lengths, preventing length-based deductions, accurate visual density. Use OFF for: Uniform masking regardless of actual text, simpler appearance, when all instances should look identical.

Yes! The tool supports any single character as a mask. Common options: Asterisk (*): Default, universally recognized redaction symbol. Dash (-): Cleaner look, less aggressive than asterisks. Underscore (_): Maintains word gaps, good for forms. Hash (#): Technical documents, coding contexts. Black square (█): Maximum opacity, complete visual block. Letters (X): Less formal, educational materials. Simply type your chosen character in the 'Mask Character' field. For complete opacity in PDFs, use █. For readability, use * or -.

The statistics panel shows 4 key metrics: Total: Total number of erasures made (how many word instances were masked). Words: Number of unique words from your erase list that were found and masked. Before: Character count in original text. After: Character count in redacted text (typically same if preserve length is ON). Additionally, you get per-word erasure counts: see exactly how many times each word was masked. Example: Erased 'password' 5x, 'email' 3x, 'SSN' 2x = 10 total erasures, 3 unique words masked. Helps verify all sensitive terms were caught.

Use Whole Words Only OFF (default for erasure) when: You want substring matching—erase 'pass' within 'password', 'bypass', 'compass'. Redacting partial data like account numbers, IDs, or codes that might appear within larger strings. Censoring profanity that might have character substitutions (e.g., 'a$$' within 'ba$$'). Use Whole Words Only ON when: Erasing complete words like names, job titles, or common terms. Avoiding false positives—don't mask 'cat' in 'catalog' or 'scatter'. Precise redaction of exact terms only at word boundaries.

GDPR/Privacy Compliance: Redact PII (names, emails, SSNs, addresses) before sharing documents externally or with third parties. Legal Document Redaction: Hide confidential client information, case numbers, or sensitive evidence in court filings. Dataset Anonymization: Mask identifying information in research data, user feedback, or survey responses. Security: Hide passwords, API keys, tokens, or credentials from logs, documentation, or screenshots. Content Moderation: Censor profanity or inappropriate terms while maintaining sentence structure. Educational Materials: Create study guides where answers are masked but questions remain visible.

Yes! Enter unlimited words/phrases to erase, separated by commas or newlines. Examples: 'John Smith, john@email.com, 555-1234' (comma-separated) or list each on a new line. The tool processes all terms simultaneously, masking every occurrence. Perfect for bulk PII redaction (list of employee names), comprehensive profanity filtering (entire blocklist), or multi-field anonymization (names + emails + phone numbers). Each word is tracked separately in the statistics panel, showing individual erasure counts for audit purposes.

Works with both! Erase single words ('password') or multi-word phrases ('Social Security Number', 'John Q. Public', 'Account Number: 12345'). Useful for: Redacting full names (first + last), removing complete addresses ('123 Main Street, Anytown'), masking labeled data fields ('SSN: xxx-xx-xxxx'→'SSN: ***********'), hiding email addresses ('contact@company.com'→'*******************'), censoring complete offensive phrases. The preserve length option maintains original spacing within phrases, so 'Top Secret' becomes '*** ******' (gaps preserved).

The tool provides real-time preview—as you type words to erase, the output panel instantly shows the masked result. This IS the preview. To verify before finalizing: (1) Review the statistics panel to check total erasures matches expectations, (2) Scan the output for remaining sensitive information (ensure nothing was missed), (3) Check per-word erasure counts to verify each term was found, (4) Test on a sample paragraph first before processing full document. The character counts (before/after) help verify preserve length worked correctly. Always review output before sharing redacted documents.

100% private. All text redaction happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your sensitive text never leaves your device, isn't uploaded to servers, isn't logged, and isn't stored anywhere. Even file uploads are processed locally—no network transmission. Check your browser's Network tab to verify zero data sent. This is CRITICAL for processing: Legal documents with client PII, HR files with employee SSNs, financial documents with account numbers, medical records with patient information, internal communications with proprietary data, or any content requiring absolute confidentiality before applying redaction masks.