Once the editor loads, type or paste your text and select Check. The analysis highlights elements that might need attention:
The editor examines several aspects of your writing:
Review statistics about your text alongside the analysis:
Enhance your content with our formatting options:
Begin by either typing directly in the editor or pasting your existing content. Select Check to analyze it, then review the feedback as you revise your writing.
Free readability checker
The checker gives you a reading grade, the U.S. school grade a reader needs to follow your text comfortably, and a readability level that puts it in plain words. Lower grades are easier to read. Use the level that fits your audience as your target.
| Level | What it means | Usually a good fit for |
|---|---|---|
| Very Easy / Easy | Most readers can follow it at a glance. | Social posts, consumer emails, help articles |
| Good | Clear for a general adult audience. | Blog posts, landing pages, newsletters |
| Fairly Hard / Hard | Readers need more focus and background knowledge. | Specialist or technical writing, when the audience expects it |
| Very Hard | Many readers will struggle to follow it. | Rarely the right target: split sentences and simplify words |
Not sure what to aim for? See our guide to reading-level targets by content type.
Yes. You can run 10 readability checks per day without signing up. Paste or type your text in the editor and press Check to see your reading grade, readability level, and highlights.
It depends on your readers. For most web content, aim for a level of Good or Easy, which many style guides put at around an eighth-grade reading level. Technical or academic writing can sit higher when the audience expects it.
The reading grade estimates the U.S. school grade a reader needs to follow your text comfortably. A lower grade means the text is easier to read. It is based on things like sentence length and word complexity, not on whether your ideas are correct.
Split long sentences, replace complex words with common ones, use active voice, and cut adverbs and qualifiers that don't add meaning. Start with the sentences highlighted in red, then the ones in yellow.
Google has said it does not use readability scores as a ranking signal. But clear writing helps visitors understand your page, stay longer, and act on it, which is what search engines aim to reward. Treat the score as a guide for readers, not a ranking target.
Yes. The free Orwellix Readability Chrome extension checks pasted text of up to 5,000 characters for reading grade, hard-to-read sentences, adverbs, qualifiers, and passive voice.