Readability Calculator
Paste or type below — scores update live. Your text stays on your device.
What the scores mean
Flesch Reading Ease scores text from 0 to 100 using only two ingredients: average sentence length and average syllables per word. Higher is easier — 90+ reads like a comic strip, 60–69 is standard general-audience prose, below 30 is dense academic writing. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level rearranges the same ingredients into a US school grade: a 7.0 means a typical seventh-grader could follow it.
One honest caveat: no program can count English syllables perfectly. This tool uses a vowel-group heuristic (with a silent-e adjustment), so its scores are estimates and may differ by a few points from Word or other checkers, which use their own heuristics. The trend line is what matters — edit, re-check, and watch the direction.
Worked example
Paste this 38-word paragraph: "The report was short and clear. Every section began with a plain summary, and the details followed in small steps. Readers finished it quickly because nothing forced them to stop and reread. Clear writing respects the reader's time." The tool counts 4 sentences and 59 syllables, giving a Reading Ease of 65.8 — the Standard band — and a grade level of 6.4. Short sentences and mostly one-syllable words are doing exactly what the formula rewards.
Frequently asked questions
What's a good Flesch score for web content?
Most style guidance for general-audience web writing targets a Reading Ease of 60–70 — 'standard' to 'fairly easy'. Marketing copy often aims higher (70+), while technical documentation for a specialist audience can sit comfortably in the 40s. Treat the target as a function of your reader, not a universal pass mark.
Why does my score differ from Word or another tool?
Syllable counting. The Flesch formulas are fixed, but no program truly knows how many syllables an English word has — every tool uses its own heuristic, and words like 'created' or 'business' get counted differently between them. Expect scores to agree within a few points, not to the decimal.
Does a low grade level mean my writing is dumbed down?
No — it means it's easy to process. Plain-language research consistently finds that expert readers also prefer and better retain simpler prose; they're busy, not slow. A grade level of 8 with precise vocabulary is clarity, not condescension. High grade levels mostly indicate long sentences, not sophisticated ideas.
How do I actually improve a readability score?
Two levers, straight from the formulas: shorter sentences and shorter words. Split any sentence past 25–30 words, cut filler clauses, and swap multi-syllable Latinate words for plain ones — 'use' for 'utilize', 'help' for 'facilitate'. Re-run the text here after each pass and watch the Reading Ease climb.