Readability checker
How easy is
your writing?
Paste English text. See its Flesch reading ease, grade level and sentence length, with long sentences highlighted. Free, in your browser.
- Flesch reading ease
- –
- Flesch-Kincaid grade
- –
- Words
- 0
- Sentences
- 0
- Words per sentence
- –
- Syllables per word
- –
- Long sentences
- 0
- Passive hints
- 0
Your text, marked up
Flesch reading ease bands
- 90 to 100Very easy
- 80 to 90Easy
- 70 to 80Fairly easy
- 60 to 70Plain English
- 50 to 60Fairly difficult
- 30 to 50Difficult
- 0 to 30Very difficult
Free, no account, nothing leaves your browser.
How to use it
- 1Paste your English text
Type or paste a paragraph or a whole article. The scores update as you type and nothing is sent anywhere.
- 2Read the scores
Flesch reading ease (higher is easier), the Flesch-Kincaid grade level, and your average sentence length.
- 3Fix the long sentences
Sentences over your word limit are highlighted. Split them, cut filler, and watch the score move. Passive-voice phrases are underlined as a rough hint, not a verdict.
Questions
What is the Flesch reading ease score?
It is a standard readability formula: 206.835 minus 1.015 times the average words per sentence, minus 84.6 times the average syllables per word. Short sentences and short words push the score up. Roughly: 90 to 100 is very easy, 80 to 90 easy, 70 to 80 fairly easy, 60 to 70 plain English, 50 to 60 fairly difficult, 30 to 50 difficult, and below 30 very difficult. The score can fall outside 0 to 100 on unusual text.
What is the Flesch-Kincaid grade level?
It uses the same two inputs with different weights: 0.39 times the average words per sentence, plus 11.8 times the average syllables per word, minus 15.59. The result is read as a US school grade, so 8 means roughly an eighth-grade reading level. It is a rough guide to how hard the text is to read, not a measure of how good it is.
How accurate is the syllable count?
It is an estimate. The tool counts groups of vowels in each word and applies a few rules for silent endings such as the final "e". That is close for most everyday English but wrong for some words, such as unusual names, acronyms and borrowed words. Because both scores depend on syllables, expect them to differ by a few points from other calculators, which each count in their own way.
Does a better readability score help me rank on Google?
There is no evidence in this tool, and no claim from us, that a particular score ranks better. Readability is a writing-quality check: it shows where a reader may struggle. Aim for text your audience finds easy to follow; a technical audience can handle a lower score than a general one.
How does the passive-voice hint work?
It looks for a form of "to be" followed by a word that looks like a past participle (most words ending in -ed, plus a short list of common irregular ones). That finds many passive phrases but also some false alarms, such as "was tired", and it misses others. Treat the underlines as places to look, not as errors. Passive voice is sometimes the right choice.
Which sentences count as long?
Sentences longer than the word limit you set, 25 words by default. 25 is a common rule of thumb, not an official threshold. Change it in the tool to suit your writing.
Does it work in other languages?
No. The formulas and the syllable rules are built for English, so scores for other languages are not meaningful. Use it for English text only.
How are sentences and words counted?
Sentences end at a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark followed by a space or the end of the text, and a line break also ends a sentence, so headings and list items count as sentences. Abbreviations such as "e.g." can split a sentence early. Words are runs of letters and digits; a number counts as one word of one syllable. Scores are less stable on very short text, so paste at least a few paragraphs when you can.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is stored.
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