Readability Checker

What is a readability score?

Readability formulas estimate how hard a text is to read by looking at two things: how long your sentences are, and how long your words are. Long sentences make readers hold more in their heads, and long words are usually less familiar. Neither formula reads for meaning, so they are a guide, not a judge of good writing.

Flesch Reading Ease

The most widely used score runs from 0 to 100. Higher is easier.

• 90–100: very easy, understood by an average 11-year-old
• 70–80: fairly easy, a good target for websites and marketing
• 60–70: plain English, ideal for most audiences
• 50–60: fairly difficult
• 30–50: difficult, college level
• 0–30: very difficult, best understood by graduates

Grade level scores

The Flesch-Kincaid grade, Gunning Fog, SMOG and Coleman-Liau indexes estimate the years of schooling needed to understand the text on first reading. A score of 8 means a 13 to 14-year-old should follow it. Most newspapers write at grade 8 to 10, and grade 7 to 9 suits general web content.

How to make your writing easier to read

• Split the sentences highlighted in amber and red. Aim for an average of 15 to 20 words.
• Swap long words for everyday ones: use instead of utilise, help instead of facilitate.
• Use the active voice: “We sent the parcel” rather than “The parcel was sent by us”.
• Put one idea in each sentence and one topic in each paragraph.
• Use bullet points for lists of steps or options.

The checker counts syllables with a fast English rule set, so scores can differ by a point or two from other tools. It is designed for English text; scores for other languages are not meaningful.