How to Check Readability Scores for Better Writing
Readability scores tell you what education level someone needs to comfortably understand your writing. The Flesch-Kincaid test — used by the US military, government agencies, and publishers — assigns a grade level and reading ease score. Writing at a lower grade level is not "dumbing down"; it is making your content accessible to more people.
Readability scores — Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, and Dale-Chall — measure how easy your writing is to understand. Each formula uses different factors: sentence length, syllables, complex word count, or character frequency. Target grade 7–9 for general web content to reach the widest audience. Matching your score to your medium and audience improves comprehension and engagement significantly.
How readability formulas work
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula uses two factors: average sentence length (longer sentences = higher grade level) and average syllables per word (more syllables = higher grade level). The ToolStand Readability Score Checker calculates the grade level, reading ease score (0-100, where higher is easier), total word count, sentence count, average sentence length, and average syllables per word.
Target grade levels by audience
Grade 6-8: General public, consumer-facing content, government communications. Grade 8-10: Blog posts, news articles, marketing content. Grade 10-12: Business writing, technical summaries. Grade 12+: Academic papers, legal documents, technical specifications. Most popular content on the web targets grades 7-9 — accessible to the widest audience without feeling simplistic.
Improving your score
If your score is too high: shorten sentences (aim for 15-20 words per sentence), use simpler words (replace "utilize" with "use"), break long paragraphs (3-5 sentences each), and use active voice. The readability checker shows you the metrics; pair it with the Word Counter to track sentence count and the Diff Checker to compare your original with the simplified version.
Beyond Flesch-Kincaid — comparing five readability formulas
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is the most widely used formula, but it is far from the only one. Each formula was developed for a different purpose and produces slightly different results. Flesch-Kincaid uses sentence length and syllables per word. Gunning Fog adds a "complex word" threshold — words of three or more syllables — which penalizes technical vocabulary more heavily. SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) counts 3+ syllable words in 30-sentence samples and is considered the most accurate for healthcare and educational materials.
Coleman-Liau relies on characters per word rather than syllables, making it easier to compute programmatically without a syllable dictionary. Dale-Chall uses a list of 3,000 common words and measures what percentage of your text falls outside them — it is the most culturally sensitive formula. The Readability Score Checker can display multiple formula outputs simultaneously so you can compare how each rates your text. A score difference of 2+ grade levels between formulas is a signal that your writing may be using domain-specific vocabulary that one formula penalizes more than another.
Medium-specific readability targets — web, academic, legal, and marketing
Readability targets vary significantly by medium. Web content performs best at grade 7–9. Users skim rather than read; shorter sentences and simpler words improve comprehension and reduce bounce rate. The average US adult reads at a 7th–8th grade level, so writing above grade 9 excludes more than half your audience.
Academic writing typically targets grade 12–16, but top journals increasingly require plain-language summaries at grade 8–10 alongside the technical abstract. Legal documents average grade 14–18, though plain-language movements in the UK, US, and EU now mandate grade 8–10 for consumer-facing terms of service and privacy policies. Marketing copy performs best at grade 6–8 — readability correlates with conversion rates, especially in email campaigns and landing pages.
How readability affects SEO — the Google ranking signal
Readability is not a confirmed Google ranking factor in the way backlinks or Core Web Vitals are, but it influences several confirmed signals. Dwell time: Pages with lower readability scores have higher bounce rates — users leave quickly when text is hard to parse. Featured snippets: Google's snippet algorithm favors clear, concise explanations at grade 7–9. Pages that rank for featured snippets average grade 8.2.
Voice search: With the growth of voice assistants, conversational writing (grade 6–8) aligns better with natural language queries — people search conversationally but read formally. User engagement: Readable content generates more social shares, backlinks, and return visits, all of which are confirmed ranking contributors. The Readability Checker helps you find the balance between depth and accessibility.
Practical editing workflow — from draft to readability-optimized final
A systematic workflow produces consistent readability improvements. Step 1 — Draft freely. Do not interrupt your flow to simplify language. Focus on ideas first. Step 2 — Score your draft. Paste it into the Readability Checker. Note the grade level, reading ease, and sentence length metrics. Step 3 — Identify problem areas. Look for sentences longer than 25 words, paragraphs over 5 sentences, and words with 4+ syllables that have simpler alternatives.
Step 4 — Rewrite in passes. First pass: break long sentences. Second pass: replace multi-syllable words. Third pass: tighten paragraphs. Step 5 — Re-score and compare. Use the Diff Checker to compare your original and revised versions side by side, tracking how each change affected the score. Target a 2–3 grade level reduction per editing pass.
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