Written and verified by NayeemPublished Last verified
Quick answer: what score to aim for
For most web pages, emails and general writing, aim for a Flesch Reading Ease of 60 or more and a grade level of 8 or below. Student essays and reports often sit around grade 10 to 12, and that's fine when the audience expects it. Lower the grade by using shorter sentences and plainer words, not by cutting ideas.
| 90–100 | Very easy · about 5th grade |
|---|---|
| 80–89 | Easy · 6th grade |
| 70–79 | Fairly easy · 7th grade |
| 60–69 | Plain English · 8th–9th grade |
| 50–59 | Fairly difficult · 10th–12th grade |
| 30–49 | Difficult · college |
| 0–29 | Very difficult · college graduate |
The formulas this checker uses
| Flesch Reading Ease | 206.835 − 1.015 × (W/S) − 84.6 × (Sy/W) |
|---|---|
| Flesch-Kincaid grade | 0.39 × (W/S) + 11.8 × (Sy/W) − 15.59 |
| Gunning Fog | 0.4 × [(W/S) + 100 × (complex words / W)] |
| Coleman-Liau | 0.0588 × letters per 100 words − 0.296 × sentences per 100 words − 15.8 |
| ARI | 4.71 × (characters/W) + 0.5 × (W/S) − 21.43 |
| SMOG | 1.043 × √(polysyllables × 30/S) + 3.1291 |
How to improve a score
- Split long sentences. The checker lists any sentence over 25 words. Most can become two.
- Swap long words for short ones where meaning stays the same: "use" for "utilize", "help" for "facilitate".
- Keep the technical terms you need. A term your readers know is clearer than a vague substitute, even if the score drops.
- Use lists for steps and options. Each list item counts as its own sentence here.
Limits
These formulas were built for English prose. They ignore meaning, layout and vocabulary familiarity, and syllables are estimated from spelling. Very short texts swing a lot, so test at least 100 words. Need raw counts too? Use the word counter, check a published article with the website word count tool, or see how long your draft will print with the words to pages calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?
60 to 70 is plain English that most adults read comfortably. Web copy and emails often aim for 60 or higher. Academic and legal writing usually lands between 30 and 50.
What does the Flesch-Kincaid grade level mean?
It estimates the US school grade needed to understand the text on first reading. A score of 8 means a typical 13 to 14 year old reader. Many style guides suggest grade 8 or lower for public-facing writing.
Why do the formulas give different grades?
Each formula weighs different things. Flesch-Kincaid and Gunning Fog count syllables, Coleman-Liau and ARI count letters, and SMOG counts words of three or more syllables. Look at the range rather than one number.
How accurate is the syllable count?
Syllables are estimated with English spelling rules, so a few words are counted one syllable off. Over a few hundred words these small errors mostly cancel out. Scores are designed for English text only.
Is my text sent anywhere?
No. Every score is calculated by JavaScript in your browser. The text is not saved or uploaded unless you choose Open in notepad, which stores it in this browser only.