How to Check Readability Score Free Online — Step-by-Step Guide

Paste your text into a readability checker, get your Flesch-Kincaid grade level in 2 seconds. No signup, no download. Here is exactly how to do it, what the numbers mean, and how to fix a score that is too high.

How to Check Readability — 3 Steps

1. Copy your text — select all in Google Docs, Word, your email draft, or wherever you wrote it. Ctrl+A then Ctrl+C
2. Paste into the readability scorer — Ctrl+V into the text box. Works with any length — one paragraph to 10,000 words
3. Read your scores:

Score You Get	What It Means	Your Target
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level	US school grade that can read it	Grade 6-8 for web content
Gunning Fog Index	Years of education needed	7-9 for general audiences
Flesch Reading Ease	0-100 (higher = easier)	60-70 for most content
Reading Time	Minutes at 200-250 wpm	Match to content depth
Word Count	Total words	Blog: 1,000-2,500. Email: under 300
Sentence Count	Total sentences	—
Avg Words/Sentence	Words per sentence average	15-20 is ideal

Your Score Is Too High — How to Fix It

Fix 1: Split Long Sentences

The single most impactful change. Find sentences over 25 words and split them at natural break points.

• Before: "Our comprehensive analysis of the quarterly revenue data, which was compiled from all regional offices and included both direct sales and partnership revenue, shows a significant upward trend that we believe will continue through the next fiscal year." (40 words, grade 16)
• After: "Our quarterly revenue is trending up significantly. The data covers all regional offices, direct sales, and partnership revenue. We expect growth to continue through next fiscal year." (28 words across 3 sentences, grade 8)

Fix 2: Replace Complex Words

Replace This	With This	Syllable Savings
Utilize	Use	3 → 1
Approximately	About	5 → 2
Demonstrate	Show	4 → 1
Subsequently	Then	4 → 1
Facilitate	Help	4 → 1
Comprehensive	Full	4 → 1
Communicate	Tell	4 → 1
Nevertheless	But / Still	4 → 1
In order to	To	4 → 1
Due to the fact that	Because	6 → 2

Fix 3: Cut Filler Phrases

• "At this point in time" → "Now"
• "In the event that" → "If"
• "With regard to" → "About"
• "It is important to note that" → (delete entirely — just state the thing)
• "As a matter of fact" → (delete — just state the fact)

Checking Readability in Different Tools

Where You Write	How to Check Readability
Google Docs	Copy text → paste into browser readability tool (no built-in checker)
Microsoft Word	Review tab → check "Show readability statistics" in proofing options
WordPress	Install Yoast SEO plugin — shows readability in editor sidebar
Email (Gmail/Outlook)	Copy draft → paste into browser readability tool before sending
Notion	Copy text → paste into browser readability tool
Any text	Browser readability tool — works with text from anywhere

Complete Writing Improvement Workflow

1. Write your first draft — don't check readability while writing, it interrupts flow
2. Edit for content — is the information correct? Is anything missing?
3. Check readability — note your grade level and Gunning Fog
4. Simplify — split long sentences, replace complex words, cut filler
5. Check again — did the score improve?
6. Check passive voice — convert passive to active
7. Grammar check — catch errors introduced during simplification
8. Analyze your headline — optimize the title last