Flesch Reading Ease Calculator
Paste any English text to get its Flesch reading ease score, Flesch-Kincaid grade level, and the word, sentence and syllable counts behind them.
Your text
Reading score
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What the Flesch reading ease score measures
The Flesch reading ease score rates English text on a scale that usually runs from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean easier reading. The formula looks at two things: how many words you use per sentence and how many syllables you use per word.
Reading ease = 206.835 - 1.015 x (words / sentences) - 84.6 x (syllables / words)
The calculator also shows the Flesch-Kincaid grade level, which turns the same inputs into an approximate US school grade. A grade of 8 means a typical 13 to 14 year old could follow the text.
What score should you aim for?
- 60 to 80: a good target for most consumer marketing copy, emails and blog posts.
- 50 to 60: acceptable for B2B and technical audiences.
- Below 30: academic or legal territory. Most readers will struggle.
To raise your score, split long sentences, swap long words for shorter ones, and cut filler. Lower scores narrow your audience whether you intend to or not.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Flesch score a perfect measure of clarity?
No. It only measures sentence length and syllables. A short sentence full of jargon can score well and still confuse readers. Use it as one signal alongside your own judgment.
Why is my score above 100 or below 0?
The formula has no hard limits. Very short sentences with one-syllable words can score above 100, and dense academic text can fall below 0.
Does it work for other languages?
The formula was built for English. Other languages have different word and syllable patterns, so the score is not reliable for them.