SEO

Readability Score Checker – Flesch Reading Ease & Grade Level

Paste your text to get its Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid grade, Gunning Fog, SMOG and more, plus the long sentences to fix first.

82.9Flesch Reading EaseEasy · 6th grade
3.9Flesch-Kincaid gradeUS grade 4
53Words6 sentences
8.8 wordsAvg sentenceGood length
5Gunning Fog
7.7Coleman-Liau
4.5Automated Readability
n/aSMOGNeeds 30+ sentences

Reading time about 0.2 min at 238 words a minute; speaking time about 0.4 min at 150. 2 words have three or more syllables (4%).

Sentences over 25 words (1)

  • 31 wordsWhen a sentence grows long, because the writer keeps adding clauses, qualifications and asides that the reader must hold in mind until the verb finally arrives, the reader tires and leaves.

The formulas are designed for English. Syllables are counted by a rule-of-thumb, so scores can differ by a point or two from other tools. Nothing you paste leaves your browser.

Everything runs in your browser. Your input is not uploaded to a server.

About the Readability Checker

A readability score tells you how much effort a reader needs to understand your writing. Paste a paragraph or a whole article and see six standard measures at once, from the Flesch Reading Ease score to the US grade level, along with word and sentence counts, reading time and the longest sentences, which are almost always the quickest wins. Your text is analysed in your browser and never uploaded.

How to use the Readability Checker

  1. Paste your text into the box. A full section works better than a single sentence, because the formulas are built on averages.
  2. Read the Flesch Reading Ease score first: higher is easier, and 60–70 is plain English that most adults follow comfortably.
  3. Check the grade-level scores. Web copy for a general audience usually aims for grade 8 or below.
  4. Open the list of long sentences, split the worst ones, and paste again to watch the score rise.

The formula behind it

Flesch Reading Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). Flesch-Kincaid grade = 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59. Gunning Fog = 0.4 × (words ÷ sentences + 100 × complex words ÷ words), where complex words have three or more syllables.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?

For web content aimed at the general public, 60 to 70 is a sound target: it reads as plain English, roughly the 8th or 9th grade. Scores of 80 and above are easy, and below 50 is difficult and suits specialist or academic readers.

Does readability affect SEO rankings?

Google has not said that a readability score is a ranking factor. The practical link is indirect: text that is easy to scan keeps visitors reading and makes it easier for you to answer a query directly. Treat the score as an editing aid, not a target to chase.

Why do different tools give me different scores?

The formulas are standard, but the inputs are not: tools count syllables with different rules and split sentences differently around abbreviations, lists and headings. Compare scores from the same tool over time rather than across tools.

Does this work for languages other than English?

No. The formulas and the syllable counting are tuned for English. Other languages have their own adapted formulas, such as the Flesch-Amstad score for Dutch and the Wiener Sachtextformel for German.

Why is SMOG sometimes not available?

SMOG is defined for samples of at least 30 sentences. Below that the result is unreliable, so the tool shows n/a instead of a number.

Readability formulas measure sentence length and word length, not clarity, accuracy or tone. A clear text can score badly and a confusing one can score well.