What Is a Readability Score?
A readability score estimates how easy a piece of text is to read, based on sentence length and word length.
This readability score checker uses the Flesch reading ease formula, one of the most widely used tests, along with the Flesch Kincaid grade level.
How to Read Your Score
| Reading Ease | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 90 to 100 | Very easy, understood by an 11 year old |
| 70 to 89 | Easy to fairly easy, ideal for most blogs |
| 60 to 69 | Plain English, a good target for web content |
| 30 to 59 | Difficult, closer to academic writing |
| 0 to 29 | Very difficult, best kept for specialist readers |
The grade level shows roughly how many years of schooling a reader needs. For general web content, aim for grade 8 or below.
How to Use This Tool
- Paste your draft. Plain text works best. Remove menus or footer text if you copied a whole page.
- Check the score and grade. The verdict tells you whether the text is comfortable for most readers.
- Fix the flagged sentences. Long sentences and possible passive voice are listed so you can edit them directly.
Does Readability Affect SEO?
Google does not use a readability formula as a ranking factor. But clear writing helps people find answers quickly, and pages that satisfy readers tend to perform better over time.
Easy to read content is also easier for AI assistants to quote accurately, which matters more as answers appear directly in search.
Quick Ways to Improve Readability
- Split long sentences into two.
- Swap long words for short, common ones.
- Use active voice: "We updated the guide" instead of "The guide was updated".
- Keep paragraphs to one or two sentences on the web.
- Use subheadings and lists so readers can scan.
For more, read our guides on effective content writing and common content writing mistakes. You can also count words and reading time with our word and character counter.
Frequently Asked Questions
1What is a good Flesch reading ease score?
For most websites, a score of 60 or higher is a good target. Scores between 60 and 70 read as plain English, and anything above 70 is easy for most adults.
2How is the Flesch reading ease score calculated?
It uses average sentence length and average syllables per word: 206.835 minus 1.015 times words per sentence, minus 84.6 times syllables per word. Shorter sentences and shorter words raise the score.
3Is the passive voice detection exact?
It is an estimate based on common patterns such as a form of 'to be' followed by a past participle. Treat flagged sentences as suggestions to review, not definite errors.
4Does this readability score checker store my text?
No. It runs entirely in your browser, so your text is never uploaded or saved.