Readability Checker & Score Calculator (Flesch-Kincaid)
Check the readability of any text — Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid grade level, and a readability score, calculated instantly.
Type or paste some text on the left to see its readability scores instantly. Requires at least one full sentence.
Free Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level & Reading Ease Calculator
Check how easy your text is to read with a free Flesch-Kincaid readability checker. This tool calculates the standard Flesch Reading Ease score, the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and the Automated Readability Index (ARI) — the same readability scores used by editors, teachers, and content writers. Perfect for authors, copywriters, and students who want to check reading level before publishing.
How to Use This Flesch-Kincaid Readability Checker
Paste your text into the input box and the Flesch Reading Ease score, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and ARI score all calculate instantly — no sign-up, no upload, and no limit on text length.
Example
A short, simple paragraph might score 80-90 on the Flesch Reading Ease scale (easy, roughly 6th-grade level), while dense academic writing often scores below 30 (very difficult, college-graduate level). A Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 8.0 means the text is written at roughly an 8th-grade reading level.
Common Use Cases
- Checking a blog post or article reads at an accessible grade level before publishing.
- Simplifying technical writing for a general audience using writing level analysis.
- Using a readability tool to confirm marketing copy is easy to scan.
- Checking the reading level of school assignments, textbooks, or training material.
FAQs
What does the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level number mean?
It's an approximate US school grade level needed to understand the text. For example, a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of 8.0 means the text should be readable by an average 8th grader (around age 13). This calculator works it out from your text's average sentence length and average syllables per word using the formula: 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59.
What does a Flesch Reading Ease score of 0-100 mean?
The Flesch Reading Ease score runs from 0 to 100 — the higher the number, the easier the text is to read. Roughly: 90-100 is very easy (5th-grade level), 60-70 is plain English (8th-9th grade), 30-50 is difficult (college level), and below 30 is very difficult (college-graduate/professional level).
What Flesch Reading Ease score is considered "easy"?
Scores of 60-70 are considered plain English, easily understood by 13-15 year olds; scores above 90 are very easy to read, while scores below 30 are considered very difficult (college graduate level).
What is the Flesch-Kincaid test?
It's actually two related formulas — the Flesch Reading Ease score (0-100, higher is easier) and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (an approximate US school grade needed to understand the text). This calculator computes both at once from the same text, plus the Automated Readability Index (ARI) as a third readability score.
Is a readability checker the same as a Flesch-Kincaid calculator?
Yes — "readability checker", "readability score calculator", "reading level calculator", and "Flesch-Kincaid calculator" all describe this same kind of tool. It analyzes sentence length and syllable count to score how easy your text is to read.
Is there a free Flesch-Kincaid calculator?
Yes — this tool is free, requires no sign-up, and runs entirely in your browser, so pasted text is never uploaded to a server.