Readability Checker

Paste any text to see how easy it is to read. Get the Flesch Reading Ease score, Flesch-Kincaid grade level and Gunning Fog index, and spot the long sentences that slow readers down.

How to use the readability checker

  1. Paste your text

    Add a paragraph, an email, a landing page or a full blog post.

  2. Read your scores

    Reading ease, grade level, Fog index and average sentence length update as you type.

  3. Simplify

    Split the highlighted long sentences and swap long words for short ones, then check again.

Questions, answered

What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?

For websites, blogs and marketing copy, aim for 60 or higher. Scores of 60–70 are plain English that most adults read easily. Below 50 is hard going for most web readers, and below 30 is academic or legal level.

How is the Flesch Reading Ease score calculated?

The formula is 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). Long sentences and long words lower the score. The tool counts syllables with a standard English rule, so scores can differ by a point or two from other checkers.

What does the grade level mean?

The Flesch-Kincaid grade level is the US school grade a reader needs to understand the text on first reading. A grade of 8 means a typical 13- to 14-year-old can follow it. Most popular websites and newspapers write at grade 7 to 9.

What is the Gunning Fog index?

The Fog index estimates the years of formal education needed to understand the text, based on sentence length and the share of words with three or more syllables. Under 12 is suitable for a wide audience; under 8 is close to universal.

How can I make my writing easier to read?

Keep most sentences under 20 words, use one idea per sentence, prefer short common words ("use" instead of "utilize"), write in the active voice, and break long paragraphs into two or three sentences each.

Does the readability checker work for other languages?

The formulas were designed for English. You can paste other languages, but the syllable count and the score will be less accurate.

Is my text stored?

No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser and your text is never uploaded.

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