Readability Checker
Five professional indices (Flesch, Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, ARI) with a consensus grade & fixes generated from your text.
0 words · 0 sentences
🔒 Scoring runs entirely in your browser. Formulas estimate difficulty from structure — they can't judge whether the content itself is clear, only whether the prose gets out of its way.
📖Five professional indices, one honest verdict
Paste a paragraph and get the full professional readability panel: Flesch Reading Ease on a 0–100 gauge, plus five grade-level indices — Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and ARI — combined into a consensus grade(the median, so one quirky formula can't skew it). Then the part other checkers skip: specific fixes — how many sentences run past 25 words, what share of your vocabulary is 3+ syllables, and what to change first.
📊Everything you'd want to know
- Flesch Reading Ease with a plain-language band and visual gauge.
- Five grade-level indices computed simultaneously, with a median consensus grade.
- The mechanics behind the scores: words per sentence, syllables per word, complex-word share, over-long sentence count.
- Targeted improvement tips generated from your actual numbers, not generic advice.
- Runs on 30+ words, entirely in your browser.
🧮The formulas
Every index measures the same two levers from different angles: sentence length and word length. Flesch-Kincaid and SMOG count syllables, Coleman-Liau and ARI count letters — which is why the consensus median is more trustworthy than any single score.
💡What to aim for
- Blogs and web copy: Flesch 60+, grade 8–9 — clarity converts.
- School essays: grade 10–12 is natural; don't artificially inflate difficulty, examiners reward clarity too.
- Formal reports: grade 12–14 is acceptable, but every point above costs readers.
- The two-step fix that always works: split sentences over 25 words, then replace three-syllable words with shorter synonyms.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good readability score?+
For general audiences, Flesch Reading Ease 60+ (roughly grade 8–9). Newspapers sit around 55–65; academic writing lands 30–50. The checker shows your band in plain words alongside the raw number.
What is the Flesch-Kincaid grade level?+
The US school grade needed to comfortably read your text — grade 8 means an average 13–14-year-old can follow it. It's computed from sentence length and syllables per word; this tool shows it beside four other indices.
Why do the five indices disagree?+
They weigh the levers differently — SMOG only counts complex words, ARI counts letters instead of syllables. A one-to-two-grade spread is normal, which is why the consensus (median) grade is the number to trust.
How do I lower my grade level?+
Two moves cover 90% of it: split sentences longer than 25 words, and swap words of three or more syllables for shorter synonyms ('use' not 'utilise', 'help' not 'facilitate'). The mechanics panel counts both for your exact text.
How much text do I need for accurate scores?+
The formulas stabilise around 100+ words; the tool activates at 30. For long documents, test a few representative paragraphs rather than the whole piece at once.