What is a good readability score to aim for?

For general audiences, aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60–70 or higher, which corresponds to roughly a 7th–8th grade reading level. This is the standard recommended by most plain-language guidelines. Technical or academic writing may legitimately score lower, but anything below 30 is considered very difficult for the average reader.

Which readability formula is the most accurate?

No single formula is best for every text. This is why the tool shows six: Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch Reading Ease are the most widely recognized; Gunning Fog emphasizes complex words; SMOG is favored for healthcare materials; Coleman-Liau and ARI rely on characters rather than syllables. Looking at the Average Grade Level across all six gives the most balanced estimate.

How does the tool count syllables?

Syllables are estimated using a well-established vowel-group heuristic that strips silent trailing "e"s and counts vowel-consonant transitions. This is the same approach used by most readability tools and is accurate enough for the formulas, though it can occasionally miscount unusual words. Proper nouns and very short function words are excluded from complex-word counts, following the standard Gunning-Fog convention.

Is my text sent to a server?

No. All analysis happens entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Your text is never uploaded, stored, or transmitted anywhere — it stays on your device. The tool even works offline after the page has loaded once.

What is Readability Checker?

The Readability Checker is a free online tool that measures how difficult a piece of English text is to read. Paste in an article, essay, email, or any passage and it instantly computes six established readability formulas — Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, SMOG Index, Coleman-Liau Index, and the Automated Readability Index — alongside statistics like word count, sentence count, syllable count, and average sentence length. The headline Average Grade Level summarizes the results so you can tell at a glance whether your writing matches your intended audience. Everything runs in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.

Key Benefits

Six readability formulas in one view give a balanced, trustworthy estimate instead of relying on a single metric
Live analysis updates instantly as you type — no buttons, no waiting, no page reloads
Plain-language labels (Very Easy, Standard, Difficult, etc.) make the scores easy to interpret
Detailed statistics reveal the root causes of high difficulty: long sentences, dense syllable counts, and complex words
100% private and client-side — perfect for confidential drafts, legal text, or unpublished content

Common Use Cases

•Check that a blog post or marketing copy sits at a comfortable 7th–8th grade level for general readers
•Verify that government, legal, or health content meets plain-language accessibility requirements
•Tune academic or technical writing to its intended audience without dumbing it down
•Compare two drafts of the same passage to see which is easier to read
•Teach students to recognize and rewrite overly complex sentences

How to Use the Readability Checker

Paste your text: Paste an article, essay, blog post, email, or any English passage into the text box. You can also click Sample to load an example.

Read the headline scores: The tool instantly shows your Average Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease score at the top, with a plain-language label like "Standard" or "Difficult".

Review the breakdown: Scroll down to see six individual formulas — Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and Automated Readability — plus word, sentence, and syllable statistics.

Copy the report: Click Copy Report to copy a complete plain-text readability report to your clipboard, then rewrite your text to hit your target reading level.

Key Features

Six readability formulas in one tool: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and Automated Readability Index

Live analysis as you type — scores and statistics update instantly with no buttons to press

Detailed counts for words, sentences, syllables, and complex (3+ syllable) words, plus average sentence length

One-click copy generates a plain-text readability report you can paste anywhere

100% client-side — your text is analyzed in the browser and never uploaded to any server

Readability Checker

Free online readability checker. Paste any English text to instantly get Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and Automated Readability scores. 100% client-side, no signup.

Paste or type your text

Analysis runs instantly in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.

Enter some text above to see readability scores and statistics.

About This Readability Checker

This Readability Checker analyzes any English text and instantly reports how difficult it is to read. It runs six established readability formulas — Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, SMOG Index, Coleman-Liau Index, and the Automated Readability Index — alongside core statistics like word count, sentence count, syllable count, and average sentence length. Everything is computed locally in your browser, so your text never leaves your device. Use it to tune your writing for your audience: aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score above 60 (roughly 7th–8th grade) for general audiences.

Why check readability?

•Ensure your content reaches the widest possible audience by matching its reading level to your readers.
•Meet accessibility and plain-language guidelines (often Grade 7–8) for government, legal, and health content.
•Six different formulas give you a balanced view instead of relying on a single metric that may over- or under-estimate difficulty.
•Spot overly long sentences and dense vocabulary before publishing, so you can rewrite for clarity.
•100% private — all analysis happens in your browser. No text is ever uploaded to a server.

Key Features

✓Six readability formulas: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and ARI.
✓Instant, live analysis as you type — no buttons, no waiting.
✓Detailed statistics: words, sentences, syllables, complex words, and average sentence length.
✓One-click copy of a full readability report in plain text.
✓Works completely offline and client-side — your text never leaves your browser.

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What is Readability Checker?

Key Benefits

Six readability formulas in one view give a balanced, trustworthy estimate instead of relying on a single metric
Live analysis updates instantly as you type — no buttons, no waiting, no page reloads
Plain-language labels (Very Easy, Standard, Difficult, etc.) make the scores easy to interpret
Detailed statistics reveal the root causes of high difficulty: long sentences, dense syllable counts, and complex words
100% private and client-side — perfect for confidential drafts, legal text, or unpublished content

Common Use Cases

•Check that a blog post or marketing copy sits at a comfortable 7th–8th grade level for general readers
•Verify that government, legal, or health content meets plain-language accessibility requirements
•Tune academic or technical writing to its intended audience without dumbing it down
•Compare two drafts of the same passage to see which is easier to read
•Teach students to recognize and rewrite overly complex sentences

How to Use the Readability Checker

Paste your text: Paste an article, essay, blog post, email, or any English passage into the text box. You can also click Sample to load an example.
Read the headline scores: The tool instantly shows your Average Grade Level and Flesch Reading Ease score at the top, with a plain-language label like "Standard" or "Difficult".
Review the breakdown: Scroll down to see six individual formulas — Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and Automated Readability — plus word, sentence, and syllable statistics.
Copy the report: Click Copy Report to copy a complete plain-text readability report to your clipboard, then rewrite your text to hit your target reading level.

Key Features

Six readability formulas in one tool: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and Automated Readability Index
Live analysis as you type — scores and statistics update instantly with no buttons to press
Detailed counts for words, sentences, syllables, and complex (3+ syllable) words, plus average sentence length
One-click copy generates a plain-text readability report you can paste anywhere
100% client-side — your text is analyzed in the browser and never uploaded to any server

Frequently Asked Questions

In-depth guide

Readability Checker: Grade Level and Reading Ease for Any English Text

Read the full guide →