Free readability checker

Paste your copy and see the sentences doing too much work, the words nobody says out loud, and a plain-English score for the whole thing.

79
Easy

Around a 7th-grade level — comfortable for most web writing.

55 words 4 sentences 13.8 words per sentence 2 paragraphs

No sentence runs past 25 words. That's a good sign.

Possible passive voice

Passive is not a mistake — sometimes the actor genuinely doesn't matter. It's worth a look when it's everywhere.

is guaranteed
Free, on this page
  • Flesch Reading Ease score with a plain-English band
  • Your longest sentences, listed longest first
  • Words of four syllables or more
  • Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent to us
With CommandSEO, across the whole site
  • Every page scored from your live site, not pasted one at a time
  • AI-slop detection — the phrasing that reads as machine-written
  • A rewrite in your site's voice, not a generic simplification
  • Verification — we re-check the live page to confirm you shipped it
Check my whole site free

Learn more

Questions

What is a good readability score?

For most web writing, a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60 to 70 — plain English, around an 8th to 9th grade level. Below 40 you are asking a lot of a reader who is skimming. Above 80 can start to feel clipped for a professional audience.

Does readability affect SEO?

Not as a direct ranking factor — Google does not score your prose on a readability formula. It affects whether people stay, understand and act, and it makes a page far easier for an AI answer engine to quote a clean sentence from. Clear writing wins for reasons that predate search engines.

How is the score calculated?

Flesch Reading Ease, published in 1948 and still the standard: it combines average sentence length with average syllables per word. Shorter sentences and shorter words score higher.

Why does jargon still score well?

Because the formula counts syllables, not meaning. "We leverage synergies" is short and scores fine while saying nothing. That's the formula's real limit, and it's why this tool shows you the long sentences and heavy words rather than only a number.

What counts as a sentence that's too long?

Over about 25 words. It's not a rule — one long sentence among short ones creates rhythm. It becomes a problem when most of them are that length, because a reader has to hold too much in their head before reaching the point.

Is my text sent to your servers?

No. Everything here runs in your browser, with no request to us at all. You can confirm that in your browser's network tab.

[ GET STARTED ]

Get Search-Ready
for the AI Era.

AI still needs to find you before it can cite you. Start with the foundation.

Start free →

No credit card to start.