Readability Score Checker
Clear writing reaches more people. Our Readability Score Checker analyzes your text using four industry-standard formulas — Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Gunning Fog Index, and Coleman-Liau Index — to tell you exactly how accessible your writing is. Each score approaches readability from a different angle, measuring factors like average sentence length, syllable density, and word complexity. The tool displays a grade level estimate so you can see whether your text is appropriate for your intended audience. For writers who want to improve, the AI-powered suggestion feature provides actionable tips on how to simplify complex sentences, replace difficult vocabulary, and lower your grade level without sacrificing meaning.
When should you use it?
- check_circle Content marketers ensuring blog posts are accessible to a general audience at a 7th-8th grade level
- check_circle Technical writers checking whether documentation is appropriate for its intended reader skill level
- check_circle Teachers and professors assessing whether assignment materials match student reading ability
- check_circle Healthcare communicators verifying patient-facing materials meet health literacy guidelines
- check_circle Legal professionals simplifying contracts and terms of service for consumer readability
- check_circle Non-native English speakers checking whether their writing is clear and appropriately simple
How it works
The tool calculates four readability scores, each using a different mathematical formula. Flesch Reading Ease uses average sentence length and average syllables per word to produce a score from 0 to 100 — higher scores indicate easier reading. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level uses the same inputs but maps them to a US school grade level. Gunning Fog counts 'complex words' (three or more syllables) and combines that with average sentence length. Coleman-Liau is unique in that it uses character count rather than syllable count, making it more reliable for technical text.
Syllable counting is performed using a vowel-group heuristic: the tool scans each word for consecutive vowel sequences and counts each group as one syllable, with adjustments for silent-e endings and other common English patterns. While no algorithmic syllable counter is perfect for every word, the aggregate scores across a full text are highly reliable.
The AI suggestion feature sends your text to a language model with specific instructions to identify the most impactful readability improvements. It looks for overly long sentences, passive voice, jargon, and multi-syllable words that could be replaced with simpler alternatives, then provides concrete revision suggestions.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How to use
Paste your text to see readability scores and grade level in real-time.
Uses 4 industry-standard formulas.
- check_circle Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease & Grade
- check_circle Gunning Fog & Coleman-Liau
- check_circle AI-powered improvement tips