Readability Score Calculator
Paste your text to instantly get a Flesch Reading Ease score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and actionable tips — long sentences flagged, passive voice counted, and average sentence length calculated — so you can write clearer content that ranks and converts better.
Tips to improve readability
Sentences to review
Long sentences are highlighted in orange, likely passive voice in purple.
What is the Flesch Reading Ease score?
The Flesch Reading Ease score rates text on a scale from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean the text is easier to read. It's calculated from two factors: the average number of words per sentence, and the average number of syllables per word. Shorter sentences and shorter words push the score up; longer, denser writing pushes it down.
How to read the score
- 90–100: Very easy — understood by an average 5th grader
- 60–70: Standard — easily understood by 13–15 year olds
- 30–50: Difficult — best suited to college-level readers
- 0–30: Very difficult — best understood by university graduates
Most blog posts, landing pages, and marketing copy aim for a score of 60 or higher, since most readers scan online content rather than study it closely.
What is Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level?
This score converts the same underlying sentence-length and word-length data into a U.S. school grade level. A score of 8, for example, means the text should be understandable by an average 8th grader. For general web content, a grade level of 7–9 is usually a safe target.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q. Does passive voice hurt my score?
- A. Not directly — passive voice isn't part of the Flesch formula itself. But passive sentences tend to be longer and harder to parse, which indirectly lowers your score. This tool flags passive voice separately as a writing-clarity tip.
- Q. Is a lower grade level always better?
- A. Not necessarily. It depends on your audience. A legal or academic audience may expect more complex language, while a general consumer blog benefits from simpler writing. Match the score to who's actually reading.
- Q. How accurate is the passive voice detection?
- A. This tool uses a pattern-based heuristic (looking for forms of "to be" followed by a past participle), which catches most common cases but isn't perfect. Use it as a guide, not a strict rule.