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Free Readability Score Checker

Flesch score, grade level and more.

How to use the Readability Score Checker, step by step

Real screenshots of the current tool, using sample inputs. Long results are shown as a preview.

  1. 1

    Add your input

    Paste or type into the field Readability Score Checker works from.

    Free Readability Score Checker in its default state before the walkthrough
  2. 2

    A page URL in place

    With a page URL entered, Readability Score Checker is ready to run.

    Free Readability Score Checker with sample input or settings in place
  3. 3

    Review the result

    The output updates as you change the input or settings. Review the result shown here.

    Free Readability Score Checker showing its actual result with sample inputs

What the Readability Score Checker does

Readability Score Checker delivers fast, reliable results for score any text on flesch reading ease, grade level, sentence/word complexity. free, instant.

Designed to fit into your existing SEO and content workflow with no setup overhead.

How to use it

Five steps.

1

Paste your text

Drop up to 5,000 words of body copy, blog posts, or marketing content into the input area.

2

Run the readability check

Submit a URL or pasted text. The tool returns the available readability metrics together in one dashboard.

3

Review the dashboard

See word and sentence counts, average sentence length, grade-level indices, and Flesch Reading Ease together.

4

Inspect the underlying stats

Review word count, sentence count, average sentence length, and grade-level indices to find the likely cause of a low score.

5

Edit and re-check

Edit the sentences or vocabulary that need attention, paste the revised text back, and verify the score moved toward your target.

When teams use it

Six common workflows.

Benchmark blog posts before publishing

Run each draft through the same checker and compare it with your publication target before scheduling.

Audit existing site content

Check important URLs or pasted drafts one at a time and prioritize the pages with the lowest readability scores for revision.

Compare representative content

Check comparable public pages one at a time, then use the same implementation to establish a directional editorial benchmark.

Review legal copy for plain language

Use the scores to identify dense drafting, then have qualified counsel confirm that the final language meets the applicable legal requirements.

Review English localization copy

Check the English version of localized content against the intended audience. Use a language-specific checker for every non-English version.

Train writers and editors on readability

Use the aggregate score, grade indices, and average sentence length to compare revisions and teach plain-language editing habits.

Platform guides

Integrate with major platforms.

WordPress (Yoast)

  1. Install Yoast SEO and open any post in the editor.
  2. Note the Yoast readability score in the right sidebar.
  3. Copy the post body and paste it into this checker.
  4. Compare the result directionally rather than expecting an exact match.
  5. Edit until both tools show acceptable readability, then publish.

Google Docs

  1. Open your draft in Google Docs.
  2. Use Tools > Word count to confirm word count over 100 (formulas are unstable below that).
  3. Select all and copy the body text.
  4. Paste it into the checker and review the aggregate metrics.
  5. Edit in Google Docs and recheck until the score reaches your target.

Notion

  1. Open the Notion page and copy the readable body text.
  2. Avoid including navigation labels, database properties, or code blocks you do not want scored.
  3. Paste the text into the checker and review the aggregate metrics.
  4. Edit the source page in Notion.
  5. Copy and re-check the revised text until it reaches your target.

GitHub Wiki / Docs

  1. Pull the markdown source of any docs page.
  2. Strip code blocks before pasting if you only want to score prose.
  3. Score against your documentation target.
  4. Edit prose sections, leaving code blocks untouched.
  5. Push the updated docs and verify with a re-check.

Webflow CMS

  1. Open the Webflow CMS Collection and select a post.
  2. Copy the rich text body.
  3. Paste into the checker for full multi-formula reading.
  4. Edit in Webflow rich text editor.
  5. Publish staging and re-run the check to confirm green before pushing live.

Grigora Readability Score Checker vs. alternatives

Side-by-side comparison.

CapabilityGrigoraYoastHemingwayFree ToolsManual
Readability metricsFlesch, grade level, SMOG, Coleman-LiauFlesch onlyThreeFlesch + FKManual
Aggregate readability dashboardYesYesYesVariesNo
Single URL or pasted text inputYesNoYesYesManual
Yoast-compatible modeNoNoNoNoManual
Bulk URL scoringNoPro tierNoYesManual
Free unlimited checksYesTrial onlyYesPlan-cappedYes
API access for CI/CD pipelinesNoPro tierNoPro tierNo
Code-block exclusionNoNoNoLimitedManual

Common errors and fixes

Eight issues users hit.

Score reported as 0 or NaN

Cause: Input had no terminal punctuation, so the formula divided by zero sentences.

Fix: Add at least one period, question mark, or exclamation point to your input. The formula needs sentence boundaries to compute syllables-per-sentence ratios.

Score wildly different from Yoast or RankMath

Cause: Different tools use slightly different formula implementations, text extraction, and rounding.

Fix: Use this checker as a consistent baseline and compare revised drafts inside the same tool.

Bullet lists report unexpectedly high grade level

Cause: Readability formulas can treat fragments and line breaks differently across tools.

Fix: If the result looks off, paste the prose version of the list or add clearer sentence punctuation before checking.

Score does not change after major edit

Cause: The edit changed tone or structure without materially changing sentence length, word length, or syllable counts.

Fix: Compare the aggregate word count, sentence count, and average sentence length, then simplify the longest sentences or vocabulary manually.

Non-English text returns a misleading score

Cause: The checker uses English formulas and does not detect or select another language.

Fix: Use a language-specific readability checker for translated or non-English content.

Score for code blocks is misleading

Cause: Code uses unusual punctuation and abbreviations that confuse readability formulas.

Fix: Remove code blocks before scoring when you only want to evaluate prose.

Grade level shows decimal (e.g., 8.7)

Cause: Flesch-Kincaid produces a continuous numeric result, so fractional grade levels are expected.

Fix: Keep the decimal when comparing revisions, or round consistently when reporting a house benchmark.

Acronyms change the score

Cause: Readability tools tokenize and estimate acronyms differently, so acronym-heavy copy can produce divergent results.

Fix: Keep the input format consistent when comparing drafts and treat acronym-heavy results directionally; this checker does not provide an acronym-exclusion control.

Method at a glance

Implementation-backed facts about the current scores.

English
Formula calibration used by this checker
Letters only
Character count used by the indices
100 words
Maximum Linsear Write sample
30 sentences
SMOG samples below this get a note

Frequently asked questions

Twelve answers about the Readability Score Checker.

Flesch Reading Ease is a scale where higher values indicate text that the formula considers easier to read. A useful target depends on your audience, subject, and required terminology.
The result dashboard shows Flesch Reading Ease, an overall grade label, Flesch-Kincaid grade level, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, word count, sentence count, and average sentence length.
Match the target to the readers and the purpose of the page.
Scores vary by article type, text extraction, and formula implementation. Check representative articles one at a time in the same tool, then compare like with like.
This checker does not predict search rankings, and a Flesch score should not be treated as a ranking factor. Use readability metrics to support clearer writing for the intended audience.
The formula rises when a draft uses long compound sentences, longer words, and abstract noun phrases. Those patterns can appear in AI-generated or human-written text.
No. Different formulas weigh sentence length, syllables, characters, and complex words differently, so grade-level values should be treated as directional rather than exact.
There is no single correct sentence length. This checker reports the average for the full sample.
No. Match readability to the audience and page intent. Homepage and help content often benefit from simpler, highly scannable language, while technical documentation may reasonably score at a higher grade level.
Bullet points can improve scannability for readers, but they do not automatically improve a formula score.
Start by shortening long sentences, replacing complex words with simpler alternatives, and breaking dense paragraphs into clearer sections. Then run the checker again to compare the new score with the baseline.
No. This checker applies formulas and syllable rules calibrated for English. Scores for non-English or heavily mixed-language text can be misleading, and the tool does not switch to language-specific formulas.

Related free tools

Other utilities.

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