Flesch Reading Ease Calculator
The Flesch Reading Ease score is the number behind 'write for an 8th-grade reading level': 206.835 minus 1.015 times average sentence length minus 84.6 times average syllables per word. It powers readability checks in Word, in SEO tools and in government plain-language laws - and this calculator computes it live as you type, with the grade level beside it, so you can watch a rewrite push the number up in real time.
The stat that moves the score most surprises people: words per sentence is weighted 1.015 while syllables per word gets 84.6 ÷ (words × words) - practically, cutting a sentence in half moves the needle more than swapping every long word. Your text stays in the browser (nothing is uploaded), is remembered between visits up to a cap, and the share button sends the score, not the essay.
How to use
- Paste a paragraph, email, essay or article intro into the box.
- Read the score, grade level and words-per-sentence as you type.
- Rewrite a sentence shorter and watch the score move - then aim for 60-70.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?
60-70 is the standard target - 'plain English', roughly 8th-9th grade - and most mass-audience publications sit between 50 and 70. Reader's Digest famously runs in the 60s-80s, academic and legal writing falls below 30, and that's appropriate there: the score measures effort to read, not quality of thought.
How is the score calculated?
Flesch Reading Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). This tool counts sentences by terminal punctuation and syllables with a standard vowel-group heuristic (silent 'e' dropped, 'y' as a vowel), the same approach classroom calculators use; scores can differ by a point or two from Word's tokenizer.
How do I raise my score?
Cut sentences first - splitting a 40-word sentence into two 20-word sentences is worth about 10 points, more than de-syllabifying the same text. Then prefer the short word where it exists naturally. What not to do: pad sentences with 'and' to lower average length; the grade-level check will catch the fraud.
Is my text uploaded or stored anywhere?
No network calls happen - scoring runs entirely in your browser. Your text is kept in this browser's local storage (capped at 20,000 characters) so a revision session survives a reload; clear the box and it's gone, and the share button transmits only the score.