Make prose clearer

English readability checker

Estimate Flesch Reading Ease and US grade level for English prose with an explainable formula.

English text

Flesch Reading Ease48.6Difficult

Estimated US grade9

Lower grade levels are generally easier to read.

20 words2 sentences35 estimated syllables

Clear rules, private processing

Built to be useful, not mysterious.

Readability formulas are rough indicators, not judgments of quality. This tool is intentionally English-only because syllable rules differ between languages.

Reading Ease score
Estimated grade level
Sentence and syllable stats
Plain-language interpretation

How to use this tool

A short, repeatable workflow.

Paste a representative English passage.
Review Reading Ease and estimated US grade level together.
Check the supporting word, sentence, and estimated syllable counts.
Edit the passage and compare the scores, without treating one number as a quality verdict.

Method and limits

Why this checker is English-only

Flesch formulas rely on English sentence length and syllable estimates. Applying the same coefficients and syllable rules to another language would produce a precise-looking but misleading result, so this page does not offer false translated versions.

What is a good Flesch score?

It depends on the audience and purpose. General public information often aims for easier prose, while specialist material may legitimately score lower.

Is the grade level a reader’s actual school grade?

No. It is a formula-based comparison for English text, not an assessment of a person.