Paste your text to check readability online in seconds. Get your readability score, reading level and Flesch-Kincaid grade, plus SEO and AI checks for sentence length, passive voice, headings and formatting.
Flesch, Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG and more.
Answer-first, passive voice, headings and formatting.
No word limit, no signup, no daily cap.
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
A readability checker is a tool that measures how easy your text is to read. It counts words, sentences and syllables, then applies readability formulas like Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level to give you a score or a US school grade level.
This free online readability checker goes further than a basic readability test. It works as an automatic readability checker and writing assistant that scores your text fast as you type and counts words and sentences. Then it checks whether your content is structured for Google featured snippets and AI answers.
9 readability formulas plus one easy consensus grade level.
Highlights long sentences, passive voice, wordy phrases and complex words.
Answer-first opening, headings, lists, tables and your focus keyword.
To check readability, paste your text into the box above, add an optional focus keyword, and read your readability score. Results update live as you edit, so you can see exactly which changes improve your score.
Paste your text or upload a PDF, Word (.docx), .txt or .html file. Headings, lists and tables stay intact.
Add your focus keyword and choose a content type. Targets adjust for blog posts, product pages or technical content.
Open each check for a tip, fix highlighted sentences, then download your branded PDF report.
A good readability score for most websites is a Flesch Reading Ease of 60–70, which equals an 8th–9th grade reading level. Product and landing pages should aim for 65 or higher. Technical and academic content can score between 30 and 50.
| Flesch score | Reading level | Grade | Reader age | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | Very easy | 5th grade | 10–11 | Kids' content, simple instructions |
| 80–90 | Easy | 6th grade | 11–12 | Conversational copy, ads, social posts |
| 70–80 | Fairly easy | 7th grade | 12–13 | Landing pages, product pages, emails |
| 60–70 | Standard ★ | 8th–9th grade | 13–15 | Blog posts and most web content |
| 50–60 | Fairly difficult | 10th–12th grade | 15–18 | B2B guides, in-depth articles |
| 30–50 | Difficult | College | 18–22 | Technical, legal and academic writing |
| 0–30 | Very difficult | College graduate | 22+ | Research papers, scientific journals |
The tool also works as a readability level checker and readability age checker: add about 5 years to the US grade to estimate reader age. The right score always depends on your audience.
Readability formulas estimate reading difficulty from sentence length and word length. This readability formulas checker works as a Flesch-Kincaid calculator plus 8 other formulas, and shows a consensus grade so one odd score doesn't mislead you.
Sentence length + syllables per word. 0–100, higher is easier.
206.835 − 1.015×ASL − 84.6×ASWTarget: 60–70+The same inputs, shown as a US school grade.
0.39×ASL + 11.8×ASW − 15.59Target: grade 7–9Sentence length + share of words with 3+ syllables.
0.4×(ASL + 100×complex/words)Target: under 12Polysyllable count. Popular for health and legal content.
1.043×√(poly×30/sentences) + 3.1291Target: under 10Letters and sentences per 100 words. No syllable counting.
0.0588×L − 0.296×S − 15.8Target: grade 7–9Characters per word + words per sentence.
4.71×chars/words + 0.5×ASL − 21.43Target: grade 7–9Easy vs hard words in a 100-word sample.
(easy + 3×hard) ÷ sentencesTarget: grade 7–9One-syllable words. Built for forms and non-narrative text.
20 − (one-syllable per 150 ÷ 10)Target: grade 9–10Sentence length + syllables. Designed for early readers.
0.0778×ASL + 0.0455×syl/100 − 2.2029Target: grade 4–7ASL = average sentence length. ASW = average syllables per word. Syllables are estimated with a rules-based counter, so scores can differ slightly from other tools.
To check readability in Word, open the Home tab, select Editor, then choose Document stats. Word shows your Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. Google Docs has no built-in readability score, so paste your text into the free checker above.
Needs Microsoft 365 on the Current Channel.
The readability score in Word shows when the check ends.
Google Docs only shows a word count (Tools → Word count), not a readability score.
Copy your Google Doc and paste it here. Headings, lists and tables are kept.
| What you get | Microsoft Word | Google Docs | This readability checker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flesch Reading Ease | Yes | No | Yes |
| Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level | Yes | No | Yes |
| Other readability formulas | No | No | 7 more + consensus |
| Sentence highlighting | No | No | Yes |
| SEO & AI-ready checks | No | No | 11 checks |
Readability scores alone don't tell you what to fix. That's why this SEO readability checker also runs 11 practical checks based on how Google and AI search tools read pages.
Wins featured snippets and AI Overview quotes.
Matches your audience's reading level.
Short sentences are easier to scan and quote.
Active voice is clearer and more direct.
Connects ideas and improves flow.
Avoids walls of text on mobile.
Helps scanning and passage ranking.
Simple words lift every readability score.
Structured content is easier for AI to cite.
Keeps rhythm natural and engaging.
"Utilize" → "use", "in order to" → "to".
Turns on when you add a focus keyword.
Readability is not a direct Google ranking factor, but it strongly affects the signals that are. Clear content answers the query faster, keeps visitors engaged, and is easier for Google and AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and AI Overviews to extract and quote.
A direct 40–60 word answer under a question heading is the classic snippet format.
Question-style H2s and FAQs match the way people search.
AI tools prefer self-contained passages that answer one question fully.
Win table snippets and help AI extract data.
Win list snippets and are easy to quote.
Win step snippets and "how to" AI answers.
Often quoted directly in AI answers.
Matches People Also Ask and voice search.
Gives AI a ready-made summary to cite.
To improve your readability score, shorten long sentences, swap complex words for simple ones, use active voice, and break text into short paragraphs under clear subheadings. Then check again and watch your score climb.
Put a direct answer in the first 1–2 sentences, then explain.
Split any sentence with two ideas into two sentences.
"Use" beats "utilize". "Help" beats "facilitate".
"We tested the charger" beats "The charger was tested by us".
Words like however, because, for example and so guide the reader.
One idea per paragraph works best on mobile.
Write headings as questions where you can.
Use bullet points, numbered steps, tables and a little bold text.
Avoid starting three sentences in a row with the same word.
Use "you" and a friendly, direct tone.
The best readability checker does more than give a score. It should be free, unlimited and private, and it should show you exactly what to fix. Many free tools limit words or ask you to sign up. This online readability checker has no limits and adds SEO and AI checks.
| Feature | This tool | Typical free checkers |
|---|---|---|
| Word limit | Unlimited | Often limited |
| Signup required | No signup | Often for full results |
| Readability formulas | 9 + consensus grade | 1–3 in many tools |
| Live highlighting | Yes | Sometimes |
| Answer-first (BLUF) check | Yes | Rare |
| Passive voice & transition words | Yes | Sometimes |
| Heading & paragraph checks | Yes | Sometimes |
| AI-ready formatting score | Yes | Rare |
| Focus keyword check | Yes | Rare |
| Privacy | Runs in your browser | Text often sent to a server |
You can check text readability for any kind of writing. Paste an article, essay, resume, web page or AI draft, and the tool scores it the same way, down to each sentence.
Check article readability for blog posts and guides before you publish.
Check website readability by pasting copy from any page: service, product or landing pages.
Polish ChatGPT and other AI drafts so they read naturally and score well.
Students and teachers can match essays to a target grade level.
Keep resume bullets short, clear and easy for recruiters to scan.
The Highlights tab flags each hard sentence, so you can fix writing line by line.
Built for SEO specialists, bloggers, store owners, local businesses and marketers. Anyone can check content readability before publishing, free.
A readability checker is a tool that measures how easy your text is to read. It uses formulas like Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, which look at sentence length and word length, to give a score or school grade level.
For most web content, a good readability score is a Flesch Reading Ease of 60 to 70, which equals an 8th to 9th grade reading level. Product pages and landing pages can aim higher (65+), while technical or academic content can score lower.
Flesch Reading Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). The score runs from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean easier text.
Both use sentence length and syllables per word. Flesch Reading Ease gives a 0–100 score where higher is easier. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level converts the same data into a US school grade, where lower is easier.
In Word for Microsoft 365, go to Home → Editor → Document stats. In older versions, turn on File → Options → Proofing → Show readability statistics, then run Review → Spelling & Grammar. On a Mac, use Word → Preferences → Spelling & Grammar. Word only shows two scores, so use this free tool for more formulas and fix tips.
Google Docs does not have a built-in readability score. Copy your text from Google Docs and paste it into this readability checker to get your score, reading level and highlights.
Paste your text into the tool above. It shows a consensus grade level from six formulas. A US grade of 8 means a typical 13–14 year old can read it, which suits most web content.
Readability is not a direct Google ranking factor. However, clear content keeps readers on the page longer, answers queries faster and is easier for Google and AI tools to quote, which supports rankings, featured snippets and AI citations.
Use shorter sentences (under 20 words), simpler words, active voice and short paragraphs. Add transition words, a subheading every 250–300 words, and bullet points or tables for lists and comparisons.
Yes. This free readability score checker is 100% free with no signup and no word limit. It runs entirely in your browser, so your text is never uploaded or stored.
Yes. AI search tools prefer clear, well-structured passages they can quote directly. Answer-first paragraphs, question-style headings, lists and tables make your content easier for AI Overviews, ChatGPT and Perplexity to cite.
No single formula is perfect. Flesch Reading Ease is the most widely used for web content. Comparing several formulas, as this tool does with its consensus grade, gives a more reliable picture than any one score.
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