Readability Checker
Paste any English text to see how easy it is to read and which sentences to shorten.
Your text
The example is a made-up public notice. Your text is not saved or sent anywhere.
Where it gets hard
Sentence lengths
Counts
How this is calculated
Reading Ease runs from about 0 (very hard) to 100 (very easy); 60 to 70 is plain English. Grade level is the US school grade that can usually follow the text. Both reward short sentences and short words, and neither knows whether the text makes sense.
Syllables are counted with spelling rules plus a list of common exceptions, which agrees with dictionaries on about 9 words in 10. Every automatic readability checker estimates syllables, which is why tools give slightly different scores for the same text. Reading time assumes 238 words a minute, the average for silent reading of non-fiction found in a 2019 review of 190 studies.
Making text easier
- Keep most sentences short; plain-language guides suggest an average of about 20 words or fewer.
- Use common, short words: "use" rather than "utilize", "help" rather than "facilitate".
- Say who does what, in the active voice: "We will send your card" rather than "Your card will be sent".