Readability Checker

Understanding Flesch scores

Flesch Reading Ease runs roughly from 0 to 100; higher is easier. Most web content should aim for 60–70. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level estimates the U.S. school grade needed to understand the text.

Both formulas rely on sentence length and syllables per word, so they are approximations. They cannot judge clarity of ideas or structure.

What the scores mean

Flesch Reading Ease: 90–100 is very easy (around 5th grade), 60–70 is plain English that most adults read comfortably, 30–50 is difficult, and below 30 is aimed at college graduates. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level translates the same inputs into a U.S. school grade, so a score of 8 means an eighth-grader should follow the text.

You also see average sentence length, average word length, total syllables and estimated reading time.

Target scores by audience

Most websites, product pages and customer emails do well at 60–70 Reading Ease (grade 7–9). News and general nonfiction usually land around 50–60. Academic and legal writing often scores below 40 — sometimes unavoidably — but even there, shorter sentences help readers.

How to improve a low score

Split long sentences at “and,” “but” and “which.” Replace long words with shorter ones when the meaning stays the same (“use” instead of “utilize”). Turn passive sentences into active ones. Put the main point first in each paragraph. Re-check the score after each round of edits.

Remember that the formulas only measure length. A text can score well and still be confusing if the ideas are out of order.