Flesch Reading Ease Calculator
Paste your text and get its Flesch Reading Ease score straight away, with the word, sentence and syllable counts behind it. It is a plain readability number, not a grammar or style editor.
How to Check Flesch Reading Ease Online
- Paste or type your text into the box. It takes up to 50,000 characters.
- Read the Flesch score in the banner at the top. It has one decimal place and a label for its band.
- Check Words, Sentences and Syllables beside it to see what the score is built from.
- Edit the text and the score follows after a short pause. Press Clear to empty the box and start over.
There is no Calculate button. The hint under the banner says it all: Higher score = easier to read.
What the Flesch Reading Ease Score Means
The label under the score is the standard Flesch band:
| Score | Label |
|---|---|
| 90 and above | Very easy |
| 80 to 90 | Easy |
| 70 to 80 | Fairly easy |
| 60 to 70 | Plain English |
| 50 to 60 | Fairly difficult |
| 30 to 50 | Difficult |
| 0 to 30 | Very difficult |
For most web pages, emails and business writing, 60 to 70 is a sensible target. Technical or legal text often lands lower, and that can be fine for readers who expect it.
The Flesch Reading Ease Formula
The score is 206.835 - 1.015 x (words / sentences) - 84.6 x (syllables / words). Two things pull it down: long sentences and long words. To raise the score, split long sentences and swap long words for short ones, then watch the number move.
The score is not capped. A single very long sentence of long words can go below 0, and a text of very short words can go above 100.
How Sentences and Syllables Are Counted
A sentence ends at a period, exclamation mark or question mark. Syllables are estimated by counting groups of vowels in each English word, which is quick but approximate. Other readability tools use their own syllable rules, so expect scores to differ by a point or two from Word or a website. It is built for English text.
Private by Design
Your text is scored in the browser as you type. It is never uploaded, and there is no account.
Flesch Reading Ease FAQ
What is a good Flesch reading ease score?
For general web and business writing, aim for 60 to 70, which the scale calls Plain English. Scores of 80 and above are easy to read and suit broad audiences. Below 50 the text is difficult. Higher is easier, but higher is not always better for specialist readers.
How do I check the Flesch reading ease of my text?
Paste or type your text into the box under the score. The Flesch score at the top updates as you type, along with Words, Sentences and Syllables. There is no Calculate button. Press Clear to start over with new text.
What is the Flesch reading ease formula?
The score is 206.835 - 1.015 x (words / sentences) - 84.6 x (syllables / words). Long sentences lower the score, and so do words with many syllables. This tool shows the three counts so you can see what drives the number.
What do the Flesch reading ease scores mean?
90 and above is Very easy, 80 to 90 Easy, 70 to 80 Fairly easy, 60 to 70 Plain English, 50 to 60 Fairly difficult, 30 to 50 Difficult, and 0 to 30 Very difficult. The label under the score shows which band your text is in.
Can the Flesch reading ease score be negative or above 100?
Yes. The formula has no built-in limits, so a very long sentence full of long words can score below 0, and very short simple words can score above 100. Normal writing lands between about 0 and 100.
Why does my score differ from Microsoft Word or another tool?
Syllables are counted with an English vowel-group estimate, and sentences are counted at each period, exclamation mark or question mark. Other tools use different syllable rules and handle abbreviations or numbers differently, so scores can differ by a point or two.
Is the Flesch reading ease checker the same as Flesch-Kincaid?
They use the same counts with different formulas. Flesch Reading Ease gives a 0 to 100 score where higher is easier. Flesch-Kincaid gives a US school grade level where lower is easier. This tool shows the reading ease score only.
Is my text uploaded or stored?
No. Counting and scoring happen in your browser as you type, and the text never leaves your device. There is no account. The box accepts up to 50,000 characters.
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