Flesch Reading Ease
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Higher is usually easierFree · private in this browser
Readability Checker
Check the Flesch Reading Ease score and Flesch–Kincaid grade level of English text. See the sentence and word measurements behind the result, not just a number.
Flesch calculator
Paste your English text
Stays in this tab · no upload · no saved draft
Short sample. The scores can swing when a passage is brief. Add more text before comparing drafts.
Flesch–Kincaid level
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Estimated U.S. school grade- 0
- words
- 0
- sentences
- 0
- estimated syllables
- 0
- words per sentence
- 0
- syllables per word
- 0
- words in longest sentence
Start with the evidence
What is moving this score?
The formulas react to sentence length and estimated syllables. These details show where to review; they do not decide what is correct for your audience.
Longest sentence
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Longer words
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Three syllables does not mean “bad.” Keep names and technical terms your reader needs.
Read the result
What the two scores mean
They describe the text, not the reader. Use them to compare drafts for the same audience, not to label someone's reading ability.
Reading Ease: a 0–100 reference scale
The conventional scale runs from 0 (difficult) to 100 (easy), although the formula can return a value outside that range. These are Flesch's descriptive bands, not targets every document should meet.
- 90–100
- Very easy
- 80–89
- Easy
- 70–79
- Fairly easy
- 60–69
- Standard
- 50–59
- Fairly difficult
- 30–49
- Difficult
- 0–29
- Very difficult
Grade level: an estimate, not a guarantee
A result of 8.0 is conventionally read as U.S. grade 8. It does not prove that every eighth-grade reader will understand the passage. Vocabulary knowledge, context, structure, and the reader's goal still matter.
A U.S. Army research review found that readability formulas did not precisely predict the grade at which readers would comprehend a passage. Treat the number as a screening signal.
Transparent method
How this checker calculates readability
Both formulas use the same two inputs: average words per sentence and average syllables per word.
Flesch Reading Ease
206.835 − (1.015 × words/sentences) − (84.6 × syllables/words) Flesch–Kincaid grade level
(0.39 × words/sentences) + (11.8 × syllables/words) − 15.59 Counting choices on this page
- The calculator is for English. It uses the browser's English word and sentence boundaries when available.
- Syllables are estimated with an English spelling heuristic, so a name, acronym, number, or unusual pronunciation may differ from a dictionary count.
- Different tools make different counting choices. Compare drafts in the same checker when you want a useful before-and-after view.
Use the number carefully
A readability score cannot read for your audience
Keep the needed word
Do not replace an accurate technical term just because it has several syllables. Explain it in familiar language when your audience may not know it.
Check the meaning
A short sentence can still be vague, false, or out of order. Read the draft aloud and confirm that each sentence carries one clear idea.
Test with a reader
The NIH says formulas do not measure a reader's comprehension and do not guarantee understandable content. When the stakes matter, test with people in the intended audience.
Method and writing sources
- Rudolf Flesch, “A New Readability Yardstick” (1948) (the Reading Ease formula and scale).
- Kincaid, Fishburne, Rogers, and Chissom, U.S. Navy Research Branch Report 8-75 (the recalibrated grade-level formula).
- U.S. Army Research Institute, review of readability-formula precision (why a score cannot guarantee comprehension).
- National Institutes of Health, Clear & Simple (write for the audience and test the material).
- U.S. General Services Administration, Writing for understanding (one idea per sentence and focused sections).