Readability Score
How to check readability
- Paste the text you want to check.
- The Flesch reading ease score appears with the grade level, the Gunning fog index and the counts behind them.
- Any sentence over 25 words is listed underneath, longest first, since those are usually what to fix.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Flesch reading ease score?
60 to 70 is plain English that most adults read comfortably, and that is what news writing and public information aim for. Above 80 is simple, below 50 is heavy going and below 30 reads like an academic paper.
How is it calculated?
Reading ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). So it rewards short sentences and short words, and nothing else.
What is the grade level?
Flesch-Kincaid converts the same two measurements into US school years: 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59. A grade level of 8 means an average 13 or 14 year old should follow it.
How accurate is the syllable count?
It counts vowel groups with the usual corrections, which is close but not perfect on names and unusual words. A few syllables either way moves the score only slightly.
Does a high score mean good writing?
No. The formulas only measure sentence and word length. They cannot see whether the writing is accurate, well organised or worth reading, and chopping sentences at random will raise the score without helping anyone.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. The text is processed inside your browser and is never sent anywhere.