Aim for a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60–70 for general web copy — roughly an 8th to 9th grade reading level. Paste your text below for live word and character counts, reading time, and readability scores. Nothing is uploaded.
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—Reading ease
—Grade level
—Avg words/sentence
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How it works
Counts are straightforward: words are whitespace-separated tokens, sentences are split on ., ! and ?, and reading time assumes 225 words per minute, a typical adult silent-reading speed for web content.
The readability scores use the Flesch formulas, which both depend on sentence length and syllables per word:
Flesch Reading Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). Higher is easier: 90–100 is very easy, 60–70 is plain English, and below 30 is very difficult. Flesch–Kincaid Grade Level = 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59, which maps to a US school grade.
Syllables are estimated with a vowel-group heuristic (the standard approach for browser-based tools), so scores are close to but not identical with tools that use a pronunciation dictionary. Both formulas reward shorter sentences and shorter words — the fastest way to lift a score is to split long sentences.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score?For general web and marketing copy, 60 to 70 is the sweet spot — plain English readable by most adults. Technical or academic audiences tolerate 30 to 50. Consumer content often targets 70 or above.
What reading level should marketing content be?Around an 8th to 9th grade level for a general audience. That is not dumbing down: it means shorter sentences and everyday words, which measurably improves comprehension and completion for every reader, expert or not.
How is reading time calculated?Words divided by 225 words per minute, a common estimate for adult silent reading of web text. Skim-reading is faster and dense technical material is slower, so treat it as a guide rather than a promise.
How do I improve my readability score?Split long sentences, prefer short familiar words, cut filler, and use active voice. Sentence length is weighted heavily in both formulas, so breaking one 40-word sentence into two usually moves the score more than swapping vocabulary.
Is this word count and readability tool free?Yes. It is free, requires no signup, and runs entirely in your browser — your text is never uploaded.
