Readability Checker
Check how easily your writing reads. You get a Flesch Reading Ease score, a grade level, and — more usefully — the specific sentences and paragraphs that are making it harder than it needs to be.
0 words · 0 characters
Readability
Write or paste at least one full sentence to see a reading level.
EasyWord score
Write at least 40 words and a score appears here. It is calculated on your device from measurable properties of the text — no AI involved.
Repetition
Repeated words appear once there is more text.
Runs in your browser. Your text is never uploaded.
How the score is calculated
Flesch Reading Ease combines two measurements and nothing else:
206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words)
Higher is easier. That is the whole formula, which explains both its usefulness and its limits. Shorter sentences and shorter words raise the score; it has no opinion about whether your argument makes sense, whether the jargon is necessary, or whether the piece is any good.
Flesch–Kincaid rearranges the same two inputs to produce a US school grade instead:0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59.
What the bands mean
| Score | Level | Typical writing |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | Very easy | Children's books |
| 80–90 | Easy | Conversational English |
| 70–80 | Fairly easy | Popular fiction, good web copy |
| 60–70 | Standard | Newspapers, most good business writing |
| 50–60 | Fairly difficult | Trade press, long-form journalism |
| 30–50 | Difficult | Academic and technical writing |
| 0–30 | Very difficult | Legal and specialist documents |
How to actually improve it
The score responds to structure, so work on structure:
- Split the long sentences first. They are listed for you with word counts. This is the change with the largest effect.
- Cut the wind-ups. “It should be noted that”, “in order to”, “due to the fact that” — all deletable or shorter.
- Use the plain word where it means the same thing: “use” not “utilise”, “help” not “facilitate”.
- Break the long paragraphs. They do not change the score, but they change whether anyone reads it.
- Vary the length. A page of eight-word sentences scores brilliantly and reads like a robot.
The EasyWord score above is built from the same measurements, weighted and explained, so you can see which of them is holding a piece back. Andwhat is a good readability score covers what to aim for with a given audience.
Frequently asked questions
Which readability formula do you use?
What is a good readability score?
How are syllables counted?
Should I write to hit a target score?
Why does a short text give a strange score?
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