What Is the Flesch Reading Ease Score?
6 min read · Updated July 2026
In this article
What the score actually measures
The Flesch Reading Ease score estimates how easy a piece of English text is to read, based purely on sentence length and word length. It doesn't know what your text is about — it can't tell if an idea is well-explained or confusing. What it can tell you is whether your sentences are long and your words are dense with syllables, both of which make text harder to skim.
How it's calculated
The formula is: 206.835 − 1.015 × (average words per sentence) − 84.6 × (average syllables per word). The result is a number, typically between 0 and 100, where higher means easier to read. Shorter sentences and shorter words push the score up; longer sentences and multi-syllable words pull it down.
You don't need to calculate this by hand — pasting text into the WordCountPro word counter shows the score live, along with the average words-per-sentence and syllables-per-word numbers behind it.
What counts as a good score
- 90-100: very easy — understandable by an average 11-year-old.
- 70-89: fairly easy to easy — comfortable for most general audiences.
- 50-69: standard to fairly difficult — typical of many news articles and blog posts.
- 30-49: difficult — closer to academic or technical writing.
- 0-29: very difficult — dense, best suited to specialist readers.
For most web content aimed at a general audience, a score in the 60-80 range is a reasonable target — plain, direct, and not oversimplified. If you'd rather think in terms of a school grade level instead of a 0-100 score, see our companion guide on Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, which uses the same inputs but expresses the result differently.
How to improve your score
Three changes move the score the most: splitting long sentences into two shorter ones, swapping a multi-syllable word for a plainer one where the meaning doesn't change ("use" instead of "utilize"), and cutting clauses that restate something already said. None of these require simplifying the idea itself — they just remove friction between the reader and the point you're making.
What the score can't tell you
A high score doesn't guarantee good writing, and a lower score doesn't automatically mean writing is bad. Technical documentation, legal text, and academic work often score lower by necessity — the vocabulary is precise because the subject demands it. Use the score as one signal among several, not a pass/fail grade.
FAQ
Is a higher readability score always better for SEO?
Not automatically. Search engines rank pages based on relevance and usefulness, not readability score alone. That said, easier-to-read content tends to keep visitors on the page longer, which is generally a good sign.
What's a typical score for news writing?
Most mainstream news writing tends to fall in the 60-70 range — clear and direct, without being overly simplified.
Can I check my readability score for free?
Yes — paste your text into the WordCountPro word counter for a live score, no sign-up required.