Writing that sits above your audience reading level quietly loses people, and the gap is hard to judge by feel alone.
Reading Level Checker estimates the US school grade needed to read your English text, so you can aim for a target grade and simplify sentence and word length until you reach it.
How to use Reading Level Checker
- Paste your English text to estimate its grade level.
- Read the estimated grade level shown as the headline figure.
- Shorten sentences and simplify words to bring the grade down toward your target.
Use cases
- Aiming public information at a broad reading level.
- Pitching educational content at a specific grade.
- Lowering the grade level of dense corporate writing.
Good to know
The grade comes from the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula, using average sentence length and syllables per word, so it is an English-only estimate. It measures difficulty, not subject or accuracy, and short or list-like text can produce an unstable grade.
Frequently asked questions
How is the grade level calculated?
It uses the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula, based on average sentence length and syllables per word, to estimate a US school grade.
What grade level should I aim for?
General audiences are often served by middle-school grades, but the right target depends on your readers, so set a grade and revise toward it.
Is the grade reliable for non-English text?
No. The formula is built for English, so the grade is shown only when the text is mainly English.