MotionShine01 / Reading ease
0 to 100, higher is easier
Flesch Reading Ease uses words per sentence and syllables per word. 60 to 70 is plain English that most adults read easily.
Free tool
Readability checker, plain words win.
Paste your text to see how easy it is to read. You get the Flesch Reading Ease score, the school grade level from five common formulas, and your text marked up: long and very long sentences, hard words, passive voice and -ly adverbs, with plainer words suggested for wordy ones like "utilize" and "in order to". Aim for short sentences and everyday words, and the scores follow.
Reading ease
Grade level, average
US school grade needed to follow it
Your text, marked
Show
Hover a marked word to see a plainer one. English only. The text is kept in this browser.
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What the scores mean
Shorter sentences, shorter words.
02 / Grade level
Years of school
Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau and ARI each estimate the US school grade needed; the big number is their average.
03 / Marks
Where to start
The scores only count; the marks show what to fix: split long sentences, swap hard words, turn passive voice active.
Questions
Good to know.
What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?
For most websites and emails, 60 or higher. 60 to 70 reads as plain English; 80 and above is very easy; below 30 is hard going for most readers.
What grade level should I write at?
Lower is easier. Flesch's own scale puts plain English (a score of 60 to 70) at about 8th to 9th grade. Writing for experts can sit higher.
How are syllables counted?
By rule, from vowel groups with the usual English exceptions, as other readability tools do. A few words may be off by one, which moves scores only slightly.
Why does passive voice matter?
Passive sentences, like "the file was saved by the app", are longer and hide who does what. Active ones, like "the app saves the file", read faster.
Does it work for other languages?
No. The formulas and syllable rules are made for English.