What Is the Flesch-Kincaid Calculator?
The Flesch-Kincaid calculator is a simple online tool that evaluates text readability with two metrics:
- The Flesch reading ease score, which rates the text on a scale of 0 to 100 for its general ease of comprehension
- The Flesch-Kincaid reading grade level, which equates the text's complexity to a U.S. school grade level
These metrics can help you check that your text will be clear and accessible for your readers. The tool also returns the character count and word count of a given text.
Privacy Notice: All text processing and calculation occurs entirely within your browser. This calculator doesn't store or transmit your entered content to this or any other server.
What Is the Flesch Reading Ease Score?
A readability score helps you understand how easy it is to read a piece of text.
The Flesch reading ease score rates readability on a scale from 0 to 100, where a higher score means the text is easier to understand.
What is the Flesch reading score formula?
The formula for the Flesch readability ease score is:
206.835 - 1.015 × (total words ÷ total sentences) - 84.6 × (total syllables ÷ total words)
Here are the interpreted scores:
| Score | School level (US) | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 90 - 100 | 5th grade | Very easy to read |
| 80 - 90 | 6th grade | Easy to read |
| 70 - 80 | 7th grade | Fairly easy to read |
| 60 - 70 | 8th & 9th grade | Plain English |
| 50 - 60 | 10th to 12th grade | Fairly difficult to read |
| 30 - 50 | College | Difficult to read |
| 10 - 30 | College graduate | Very difficult to read |
| 0 - 10 | Professional | Extremely difficult to read |
What is a good Flesch reading score?
A Flesch score of 60-70 and above suggests that a text is accessible to a broad adult audience. A lower score means the passage is harder to understand and will take more effort to read, which is common for legal, technical, and academic writing.
How to improve Flesch-Kincaid readability score
Two key things can improve a Flesch-Kincaid readability score:
- Use shorter sentences: More words per sentence lower your score. Aim for concise, straightforward sentences.
- Use fewer syllables: More syllables per word also lower your score. Use simpler, shorter words when possible.
What Is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level?
The Flesch-Kincaid grade level measures text readability in terms of U.S. school grade. Clear, simple text scores low on the scale, and more complex text scores higher.
What is the Flesch reading level formula?
The grade level score formula for Flesch--Kincaid grade level is
0.39 × (total words ÷ total sentences) + 11.8 × (total syllables ÷ total words) - 15.59
How can you improve Flesch-Kincaid grade level?
The Flesch-Kincaid grade level is based on sentence length and word choice. You can improve the score by using simple, concise sentences and shorter words. This will lower the grade level and make the text accessible to a wider audience.
When is Flesch-Kincaid most useful?
Flesch-Kincaid grade level is commonly used in education and policy documents. Organizations use it to ensure that student and informational materials are clear and easy to understand.
Tips for Better Readability
Here are some steps you can take to improve Flesch-Kincaid scores or other readability formulas.
- Use simple words: Use plain and easy-to-understand language. This doesn't mean dumbing down your content; instead, choose common words that most readers will know.
- Shorten your sentences: Long sentences can make it hard for readers to track meaning. Try to keep sentences under 20 words for clarity.
- Break up your text: Large blocks of text can be overwhelming. Break up your text with headers, bullet points, and paragraphs to make it easier to read and digest.
- Avoid passive voice: Active voice ("We have updated our terms") is more straightforward and easier to understand than passive voice ("Our terms have been updated"). Aim to use the active voice whenever possible.
- Use transition words: Words like "and", "because", "so", and "but" can help guide the reader through your text, improving readability.
- Consider your audience: Always keep your audience in mind when creating content. If you're writing for a broad audience, keep things simple. If your audience is academic or more technical, use the terms and concepts they will be familiar with.
- Revise and edit: No first draft is perfect. Revise and edit your work thoroughly to improve clarity and readability.
Overall, the goal is not to reach a "perfect" readability score. Instead, aim to make your content as clear and accessible as possible for your intended audience, and the reading score will improve naturally.
Understanding Different Readability Formulas
The Flesch reading ease formula and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level are useful readability metrics, but there are others. Each formula determines readability in a different way and reports it slightly differently.
For example, the Flesch-Kincaid formulas are based on sentence length and syllable count, and more readable text corresponds to a higher reading ease score but a lower grade level.
You can check the list of readability tests on Wikipedia for a full overview of available formulas.
Related Tools
- Dale-Chall Readability: Check readability using the Dale-Chall formula based on a reference list of familiar words.
- SMOG Readability Calculator: Estimate reading grade level using the SMOG index based on polysyllabic word count.