Flesch Readability Score: Complete Guide with Examples

What the Flesch Reading Ease score means, how it is calculated, and how to improve your content's readability.

Try the free tool

No signup. Runs in your browser. Takes 10 seconds.

What Is the Flesch Reading Ease Score?

The Flesch Reading Ease formula, developed by Rudolf Flesch in 1948 and refined in 1975, assigns a score from 0 to 100 to any piece of text. Higher scores mean easier reading. The formula uses two factors: average sentence length (longer sentences = harder) and average syllables per word (longer words = harder).

Flesch Reading Ease = 206.835
  - (1.015 × average words per sentence)
  - (84.6 × average syllables per word)

Score Interpretation

Score	Level	Example	Ideal For
90–100	Very Easy	Dr. Seuss	Children's content
80–90	Easy	Basic news	Consumer FAQs
70–80	Fairly Easy	Conversational blog	Marketing copy
60–70	Standard	Most web content	General blog posts
50–60	Fairly Difficult	Business writing	Professional reports
30–50	Difficult	Academic papers	Technical documentation
0–30	Very Difficult	Legal contracts	Specialist content only

How to Improve Your Flesch Score

Break long sentences: If a sentence has more than 20 words, split it into two. This is the single most effective change.
Use simple words: "Use" not "utilise." "Show" not "demonstrate." "Help" not "facilitate."
Use contractions: "It's" instead of "it is." "Don't" instead "do not." This reduces syllable count.
Use active voice: "The team completed the project" (8 words) vs "The project was completed by the team" (7 words but more syllables and harder to parse).
Avoid nominalisations: "Achieve" not "achievement." "Decide" not "decision." Verb forms have fewer syllables than noun forms.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level

A related formula, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, converts the readability score to a US school grade level (1–18). A score of 8 means "readable by an 8th grader." Most web content should target grade 6–8 for maximum accessibility. Our Word Counter shows both the Flesch Reading Ease score and the FK Grade Level.

💡 The ToolsCourt Word Counter calculates both Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level in real time as you type. Toggle "Readability score" to see the analysis.

Ready to try it?

Free, instant, no signup required.

Open Word Counter Free →

← All guides