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Readability Checker
A readability checker measures how hard your writing is to read and turns that into two numbers you can act on: the Flesch Reading Ease score and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level. Both are driven by the same two levers every editor already knows about: how long your sentences are, and how many syllables your words carry. Dense, clause-stacked prose scores low and quietly costs you readers and dwell time; short sentences and plain words score high and keep people on the page.
This tool is completely free and runs entirely in your browser. Paste a draft into the box and the scores, the reading-level band, and the raw word, sentence, and syllable counts update on every keystroke, so you can tighten copy and watch the readability climb in real time. Nothing you paste is uploaded or stored.
🔒 Private: everything runs in your browser. Nothing you paste is uploaded.
Scores use the standard Flesch formulas. Syllables are estimated with a vowel-group heuristic, so single-word counts can differ slightly from a dictionary; across a paragraph the average is reliable.
How to use the readability checker
Paste a paragraph or a whole article into the box. The two scores and the supporting statistics recalculate instantly, so you can edit a sentence and immediately see whether it made the page easier to read.
Read the Flesch Reading Ease band, not just the number
Flesch Reading Ease runs from 0 to 100, and higher is easier. A score of 60 to 70 lands at the eighth-to-ninth-grade level and is the practical sweet spot for most web copy, marketing pages, and blog posts. Below 50 the writing reads as fairly difficult, and below 30 it suits academic or specialist audiences only. The tool prints the score, a plain-language band, and a colored meter so you can tell at a glance whether a draft is comfortable for a general reader or quietly turning people away before they reach your point.
Use the two levers the formula actually measures
Both Flesch scores depend on exactly two inputs: average words per sentence and average syllables per word. There are only two ways to raise readability, and both appear in the raw stats below the scores. Split a long sentence in two and the words-per-sentence figure drops. Swap a Latinate four-syllable word for a shorter everyday one and the syllables-per-word figure drops. Edit one sentence, watch those two numbers move, and you learn precisely which habit is dragging a draft down rather than guessing at vague advice to write more simply.
Match the target reading level to your audience and intent
A higher score is not automatically better. Match the grade level to who is reading and why they came. Consumer how-to content, landing pages, and email aim for roughly grade 7 to 9, where the widest audience reads without friction. Technical documentation, legal pages, and B2B content written for specialists can sit higher because the reader expects density and precision. The goal is a deliberate target, not a blind chase toward 100. Use the Flesch-Kincaid grade as your dial and set it to the reader you are actually writing for.
Readability checker frequently asked questions
Q1What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score for SEO content?
For most blog posts, marketing pages, and general web copy, aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60 to 70, which corresponds to an eighth-to-ninth-grade reading level. That range stays comfortable for the widest audience. Technical or specialist content can score lower because the reader expects density, but consumer-facing pages benefit from plain, scannable writing that keeps people reading.
Q2How are the readability scores calculated?
Both scores use the standard Flesch formulas. Reading Ease is 206.835 minus 1.015 times average words per sentence minus 84.6 times average syllables per word. Flesch-Kincaid Grade is 0.39 times words per sentence plus 11.8 times syllables per word minus 15.59. The tool counts words, splits sentences on terminal punctuation, and estimates syllables from vowel groups, then feeds those averages into both formulas.
Q3How accurate is the syllable counting?
Syllables are estimated with a vowel-group heuristic: the tool counts vowel groups in each word and removes a silent trailing e. This matches a dictionary count for the large majority of English words, though unusual spellings can be off by one. Across a full paragraph the small errors average out, so the readability scores stay reliable even when a single rare word is miscounted.
Q4Does the readability checker upload my text?
No. Every calculation runs in your browser with client-side JavaScript. Nothing you paste into the box is sent to a server, logged, or stored anywhere, and the tool keeps working offline once the page has loaded. That makes it safe to check unpublished drafts, confidential documents, or client work without your text ever leaving your computer.
Q5Should I always aim for the highest possible readability score?
Not always. A higher score means easier reading, but the right target depends on your audience and purpose. Consumer content, landing pages, and email do best around grade 7 to 9. Technical documentation, legal text, and specialist B2B writing can sit higher because precision matters more than simplicity. Pick a reading level that fits your reader, then use the score to hit it consistently.
