Readability Analyzer
Check how easy your text is to read.
How to use it
- Paste your text into the input box.
- Click "Analyze" or press Ctrl+Enter to calculate readability scores.
- Review the Flesch Reading Ease score, grade level, and supporting statistics.
- Use "Copy stats" to save the results.
Examples and use cases
Checking blog post readability
Paste a blog draft to verify it hits the conversational Flesch Reading Ease target of 60 or higher.
Simplifying technical writing
Analyze a technical document to see if it can be understood by its intended audience without jargon.
Academic writing review
Check the grade level of a paper to ensure it matches the expected complexity for the audience.
Email clarity check
Paste an important email before sending to make sure the language is clear and accessible.
Content accessibility audit
Verify that public-facing content meets plain language standards, often recommended at an 8th-grade reading level.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the Flesch Reading Ease score?
- The Flesch Reading Ease score rates text on a scale of 0 to 100, where higher scores mean easier reading. A score of 60 to 70 is considered standard/conversational, 70 to 80 is fairly easy, and 80 to 90 is easy. Most web content should aim for 60 or above.
- What is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level?
- The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level estimates the U.S. school grade needed to understand the text. A score of 8.0 means an average 8th grader should be able to read it. Most general-audience writing should target grade 6 to 8.
- How are syllables counted?
- Syllables are estimated using a standard algorithm that counts vowel groups in each word, with adjustments for silent e, common suffixes, and other English patterns. The count is approximate — English syllable rules have many exceptions.
- How accurate are readability scores?
- Readability formulas are useful estimates, not precise measurements. They measure surface features (word length, sentence length) but cannot assess meaning, logic, or organization. Use them as one signal among many.
- Is my text sent to a server?
- No. All analysis runs in your browser using JavaScript. Your text never leaves your device.
- How much text do I need for accurate results?
- Readability scores are most reliable with at least 100 words. Short texts (under 50 words) may produce unreliable results because a single long sentence can heavily skew the averages.
- What is the Gunning Fog Index?
- The Gunning Fog Index estimates the years of formal education needed to understand a passage on first reading. It focuses on sentence length and the proportion of complex words (three or more syllables). A Fog Index of 12 corresponds roughly to a high school senior reading level.
- What is the Coleman-Liau Index?
- The Coleman-Liau Index uses character counts instead of syllable counts, making it more objective. It estimates the U.S. grade level needed to understand the text based on average sentence length and average number of letters per word.
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About this tool
Readability scores have been used since the 1940s to estimate how easy a piece of writing is to understand. The most widely used formulas — Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level — look at sentence length and word complexity to produce a single number.
These scores are imperfect. They cannot measure clarity of thought, logical organization, or whether the right words were chosen. But they are a useful first pass — a sanity check that catches unnecessarily dense writing before it reaches the reader. The Wordshed readability analyzer runs the standard formulas plus Gunning Fog and Coleman-Liau, all calculated in your browser.