English Readability Score Checker

1. 01Paste or type English textThe score updates automatically as you type or paste.
2. 02Read the Flesch Reading Ease scoreA 0-100+ score where higher means easier to read, with a plain-language band (Very Easy through Very Confusing) shown alongside it.
3. 03Read the Flesch-Kincaid Grade LevelAn approximate US school-grade level associated with the text — for example, a score of 8 suggests roughly 8th-grade reading difficulty.

• Checking a blog post or article for general readabilityGet a quick estimate of whether your writing reads as simple or dense, before publishing.
• Simplifying instructions or documentationCompare the score before and after editing to see whether a rewrite actually made the text easier to follow.
• Matching a target audience reading levelUse the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level as a rough guide when a style guide specifies a target grade level for general-audience writing.

• A simple, short-sentence example"The cat sat on the mat." scores a Flesch Reading Ease of about 116 (Very Easy) — every word is one syllable and the sentence is short.
• Why longer words and sentences lower the scoreBoth formulas penalize longer sentences (more words per sentence) and longer words (more syllables per word) — text built from short sentences and short words scores as easier to read.
• Grade level is not a quality judgmentA low grade level (easy to read) is often a strength for public-facing content, while a much higher grade level is normal and expected for academic or technical writing meant for specialists.

The Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formulas were developed specifically for English, based on average English sentence length and English syllable patterns. They do not transfer to other languages by simply translating the interface — other languages have their own readability research and formulas (for example, the Wiener Sachtextformel for German or the Gulpease index for Italian). This tool is scoped to English text only, and does not claim to measure readability for any other language.

Flesch Reading Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level = 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59. Syllables are estimated using a standard vowel-group heuristic rather than a dictionary lookup, so individual word counts can occasionally be off by one — this has a negligible effect on the overall score for any text longer than a few words.

Both formulas are statistical estimates of reading difficulty based purely on sentence length and word length. They do not evaluate vocabulary difficulty, sentence complexity beyond length, tone, factual accuracy, or actual reader comprehension. A grammatically awkward but short-worded sentence can still score as "easy," and a precise, well-written technical sentence can score as "difficult" simply because its vocabulary requires longer words.

What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?

It depends on the audience and purpose. Scores of 60-70 are often considered a reasonable target for general-audience writing (roughly 8th-9th grade level), while technical, legal, or academic writing commonly and appropriately scores lower.

Does this work for Hebrew, Indonesian, or other languages?

No. The Flesch formulas were developed for English and depend on English-specific sentence and syllable patterns. This tool is intentionally scoped to English text only; a genuinely accurate score for another language would require that language's own readability formula.

Why does the syllable count seem slightly off for some words?

Syllables are estimated with a standard vowel-group heuristic rather than looked up in a dictionary, so unusual words can be off by one syllable. This has a negligible effect on the overall score across any real passage of text.

Is a lower grade level always better?

Not necessarily. A lower grade level generally means easier reading, which is often desirable for public-facing content, but some content (academic, legal, technical) legitimately requires more complex language and a higher grade level.

Is my text saved?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.