Readability Score Checker

The Readability Score Checker is a free online tool that measures how easy your writing is to read. Paste any text and it instantly calculates the Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and Gunning Fog index, alongside detailed counts of words, sentences, and syllables.

Scores update live as you type, and everything is computed in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.

How to check your readability score

1. Paste or type your text into the input box.
2. Watch the Flesch Reading Ease score and its plain-English band update live.
3. Review the grade-level scores and the supporting counts below.
4. Edit your text and re-check until it hits your target reading level.

What is a readability score?

A readability score is a number that estimates how hard a piece of text is to understand, based on measurable features such as sentence length and word length.

Shorter sentences and shorter words generally make text easier to read. Readability formulas turn those features into a single figure you can track and improve.

Why does readability matter?

Clear writing keeps readers engaged and helps them act on what you say. Content that is too dense loses visitors, while content pitched at the right level builds trust.

Editors, teachers, marketers, and SEO writers all use readability scores to match their writing to the audience they are trying to reach.

The three readability formulas explained

The Flesch Reading Ease gives a score from 0 to 100, where higher is easier. It is defined as 206.835 - 1.015 × (words / sentences) - 84.6 × (syllables / words).

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level reworks the same data into a US school grade, so a value of 7.0 means a seventh grader could follow the text. The Gunning Fog index adds the share of complex words to sentence length to estimate the education level a reader needs.

How does the checker count syllables?

Syllable counting drives every formula, so the tool uses a well-established heuristic. It counts groups of consecutive vowels, removes a silent trailing e, and never lets a word fall below one syllable.

This matches popular readability tools closely, though rare or foreign words may occasionally be estimated a little differently.

Reading the Flesch Reading Ease bands

Scores of 90 to 100 are very easy, readable by a fifth grader. The 60 to 70 range is plain English that most adults handle comfortably.

Scores of 30 to 50 are difficult and lean toward a college reading level, while anything below 30 is very difficult and best reserved for specialized or academic audiences.

Tips to improve your readability

Break long sentences into shorter ones and prefer everyday words over jargon. Swap multi-syllable terms for simpler alternatives where you can.

Use active voice, add subheadings, and read your draft aloud to catch clumsy phrasing. Small edits often lift the score by a full grade level.

Related writing tools

Readability is one piece of strong content. Track length and structure with the Word Counter, check how often your target terms appear with the Keyword Density Checker, and generate placeholder copy for mockups with the Lorem Ipsum Generator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Flesch Reading Ease score?

Flesch Reading Ease rates text on a scale from 0 to 100, where higher scores mean easier reading. It is calculated as 206.835 minus 1.015 times the average words per sentence minus 84.6 times the average syllables per word. A score of 60 to 70 is considered plain English suitable for most adults.

How is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level different?

While Flesch Reading Ease gives a 0 to 100 ease score, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level converts the same sentence-length and syllable data into a US school grade. A result of 8.0 means an average eighth grader could understand the text, making it easy to target a specific reading level.

What is the Gunning Fog index?

The Gunning Fog index estimates the years of formal education a reader needs to understand a passage on the first reading. It combines average sentence length with the percentage of complex words, defined as words of three or more syllables. Lower scores indicate clearer writing.

How are syllables counted?

The tool uses a standard heuristic: it counts groups of consecutive vowels in each word, removes a silent trailing e, and enforces a minimum of one syllable per word. This closely matches established readability tools, though unusual or foreign words may occasionally be estimated slightly differently.

What reading ease score should I aim for?

For a broad online audience, aim for a Flesch Reading Ease of 60 or higher, which corresponds to about an eighth to ninth grade level. Marketing and web copy often target 60 to 70, while technical or academic writing naturally scores lower because of longer sentences and specialized vocabulary.

Is my text sent to a server?

No. All readability metrics are computed locally in your browser using JavaScript as you type. Your text is never uploaded, logged, or stored, so the checker is safe for drafts, confidential documents, and unpublished work.