What's the difference between 'look over' and 'review'?

'Look over' is friendlier and more casual. 'Review' sounds more formal and official. Use 'look over' when asking a favor, 'review' for assigned tasks.

Can I say 'look over it' or 'look it over'?

With pronouns like 'it' or 'them', you must separate: 'look it over'. With nouns, both work: 'look over the code' or 'look the code over'.

Is 'look over' too casual for work emails?

No, 'look over' is appropriate for most workplace communication. It's neutral enough for emails, Slack, and meetings. Only very formal documents might need 'review' instead.

How do I ask someone politely to look over my work?

Add 'Could you' or 'Would you mind' at the start: 'Could you look over my PR when you have time?' Adding 'when you have time' makes it even more polite.

Does 'look over' mean a quick check or a detailed review?

'Look over' can mean either. Context decides. For code reviews, it usually means careful checking. For a quick scan, people often say 'take a quick look' instead.

Can I use 'look over' in formal documentation?

'Look over' works in most workplace writing, but for very formal documents like contracts or official reports, 'review' or 'examine' sounds more professional.

Look Over Meaning in Software Teams

Commonness
Versatility
Formality	CasualFormalNeutral
Spoken ↔ Written	SpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ Diplomatic	DirectDiplomaticDiplomatic
Region

Say it like this

✓Can you look over this PR when you get a chance?

✓I looked over the docs — they look good to me.

✓Would you mind looking over my changes before I merge?

✓Let me look over the requirements first.

✓I'll look over the specs and get back to you.

Real examples

Standup

"I'll look over the API changes this morning and let you know if I have questions."

Slack message

"Hey, could you look over this config file? I'm not sure if it's correct."

GitHub PR

"Please look over the test coverage — I added a few edge cases."

Jira ticket

"Need someone to look over the design doc before we start implementation."

Retrospective

"We should look over our deployment process — there were some issues last sprint."

Sprint planning

"Let's look over the backlog and prioritize the critical bugs."

Pair programming

"Can you look over this function? I think there might be a bug."

Don't say this

✕Can you look over it me?

✓Can you look it over for me?— When using a pronoun (it, them), it goes between 'look' and 'over'. With nouns, both orders work.

✕I will look over on your code.

✓I will look over your code.— 'Look over' doesn't need a preposition after it — the object comes directly after.

✕Please look over.

✓Please look over the document.— 'Look over' needs an object — you must say what you want someone to look over.

Other forms

base form

look over

"I'll look over the PR today."

third person singular

looks over

"She looks over every commit carefully."

past tense

looked over

"I looked over the changes yesterday."

present participle

looking over

"I'm looking over the documentation now."

separable form

look it over

"Can you look it over for me?"

Often used with

look over the codeMost common in engineering — checking code for issues

look over the PRAsking for a code review on GitHub/GitLab

look over the documentReview a spec, design doc, or proposal

look over the changesExamine modifications before approval

look over the requirementsReview project specs before starting work

look over the specsCheck technical specifications

Similar words

reviewMore formal; often used for official code reviews or document sign-offs

checkShorter and more casual; good for quick verifications

go throughImplies reading item by item, more thorough

examineMore formal and detailed; used in technical or legal contexts

scanQuicker, less detailed check — just looking for obvious issues

Opposites

ignoreoverlookskipdismissmiss

Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Choose the most natural request

1. You want a teammate to check your pull request. What do you say?

Can you look over my PR?Can you look over on my PR?Can you look my PR over at?

Find the error

2. I looked over on the documentation and found some typos.

looked over onthe documentationfound some

Complete the sentence

3. Could you look ___ the config file before we deploy?

Make it more natural

4. Please review the code I wrote. (Use 'look over' and make it friendly)

More words

code review sign off approve feedback LGTM merge check in go through

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "look over" in a standup this week?

Want more structured practice like this? Our English for Programmers course covers real workplace English in depth.

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