Reading Level
Score text accessibility with Flesch reading ease and grade.
About Reading Level
Sentence and syllable load are plugged into the Flesch formulas to produce a 0-100 ease score and a US grade level. Web content that scores around an 8th-grade level reaches far more readers, so the score flags overly academic prose.
Formula
Reading Level
Flesch ease = 206.835 - 1.015x - 84.6y; grade = 0.39x + 11.8y - 15.59 (x = words/sentence, y = syllables/word)
- x
- Average words per sentence
- y
- Average syllables per word
Worked example
With the default values below, Reading Level returns Flesch Reading Ease of 59.6. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Sentencesminimum 1
- 10
- Wordsminimum 1
- 200
- Syllablesminimum 25
- 300
Results
- Flesch Reading Ease
- 59.6
- Grade Level
- 9.9
- Difficulty
- Middle school
Step by step
- 1Values used
- 2Reading Level
- 3Flesch Reading Ease= 59.6
- 4Grade Level= 9.9
- 5Difficulty= Middle school
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 3 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 1 decimal place, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Reading Level calculated?
Flesch ease = 206.835 - 1.015x - 84.6y; grade = 0.39x + 11.8y - 15.59 (x = words/sentence, y = syllables/word) Sentence and syllable load are plugged into the Flesch formulas to produce a 0-100 ease score and a US grade level.
Why does Reading Level matter?
Web content that scores around an 8th-grade level reaches far more readers, so the score flags overly academic prose.
What values do I need to enter?
This calculator takes 3 inputs: Sentences, Words, Syllables. The pre-filled defaults are a realistic starting point — replace them with figures from your own environment for a result you can act on.