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Readability Checker

Check how easy your writing is to read with Flesch and grade scores.

When to use it

The readability checker measures how easy your writing is to read, using standard formulas such as Flesch Reading Ease and US grade level. Use it on website pages, emails to customers, reports, school work, instructions and anything written for the public. Clear writing gets read, understood and acted on; dense writing gets skimmed or ignored.

How to check readability

  1. Paste English text into Your text (English).
  2. Read your Flesch Reading Ease score out of 100, with a plain-language label such as “Plain English” or “Fairly difficult”.
  3. Check the other measures: US grade level, Gunning Fog, SMOG index, Coleman-Liau, Words per sentence, Complex words, Words and Reading time.
  4. Look at Longest sentences. Splitting these is the quickest way to make your text easier to read.

A worked example

A council’s web page about bin collections scores 38 (“Difficult”), grade 14. The longest sentence is 52 words with three clauses about dates, exceptions and how to report a missed collection. Splitting it into four sentences and swapping “subsequently” for “then” and “utilise” for “use” lifts the score to 64 (“Plain English”), grade 8. Residents can now find what they need at a glance.

How to improve your score

  • Shorten sentences. Aim for an average of 15 to 20 words.
  • Use short, common words: “use” not “utilise”, “help” not “facilitate”.
  • One idea per sentence.
  • Use active voice: “We’ll send your refund” rather than “Your refund will be sent”.
  • Break up long paragraphs and use headings and lists.

Score guide

  • 90–100: very easy, like children’s books.
  • 70–80: fairly easy to easy, like popular magazines.
  • 60–70: plain English, the target for most public writing.
  • 30–50: difficult, like academic papers.
  • Below 30: very difficult, like legal and scientific texts.

Who should aim for what

Government and health information often targets grade 6 to 8. Marketing and news usually sit around grade 8 to 10. Academic and legal writing runs higher, but even expert readers appreciate shorter sentences.

Common mistakes

  • Chasing a perfect score at the expense of meaning; some topics need technical words.
  • Testing very short text, which gives unstable results. Use at least a few paragraphs.
  • Ignoring layout: headings, lists and white space matter as much as sentence length.

Private by design

Your text is analysed in your browser and never uploaded.

Count words with the Word Counter, check essays against a limit with the Essay Word Counter, or find overused words with the Word Frequency Counter.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?

60 to 70 is plain English, a good target for websites, emails and most public information. Higher is easier. Scores below 50 are fairly difficult and suit specialist audiences.

What do the grade levels mean?

They estimate the US school grade needed to understand the text. Grade 8 means a typical 13 to 14-year-old could follow it. Most adults prefer to read around grade 7 to 9, even when they can manage more.

Why do different formulas give different numbers?

Each formula weighs things differently. Flesch and the US grade level use sentence length and syllables; Gunning Fog and SMOG count long words; Coleman-Liau counts letters. Look at the overall picture rather than one number.

Does it work in other languages?

The formulas are designed for English. Results for other languages are unreliable because word and syllable patterns differ.

Is my text uploaded?

No. It's analysed in your browser.

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