What is Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level?

It estimates the US school grade a reader needs to understand the text. A score of 8 means an 8th-grader can read it comfortably. The formula weighs average sentence length and average syllables per word.

What is the Gunning Fog Index?

Gunning Fog measures grade level by counting complex words — those with three or more syllables. A score above 12 indicates college-level reading difficulty.

What is the Coleman-Liau Index?

Coleman-Liau estimates grade level using character counts instead of syllables, making it less dependent on accurate syllable counting. It correlates well with other readability measures.

What is Flesch Reading Ease?

A 0–100 score where higher means easier to read. Scores of 60–70 are plain English suitable for most adults; below 30 is very difficult (academic or technical writing).

How accurate is the syllable counter?

The tool uses a heuristic that is accurate for most common English words. Unusual proper nouns or highly technical terms may be off by one syllable, causing small variances in the Flesch-Kincaid and Fog scores.

How much text do I need for reliable results?

Results are most reliable with at least 100 words. Very short passages (under 30 words) can produce skewed scores because a single long sentence has an outsized effect on averages.

Reading Level Grade

Name: Reading Level Grade
Availability: InStock
Author: Nham Vu

Paste any text to instantly see its US grade reading level via three readability formulas.

Your Text

0 words 0 sentences 0 syllables

Paste text on the left to see reading level scores

Summary

Paste any text to instantly see its US grade reading level via three readability formulas.

How it works

Paste or type your text into the input area.
The tool counts words, sentences, and syllables automatically.
Three readability formulas run instantly in your browser.
Read the US grade level estimate and Flesch Reading Ease score.
Revise your text and watch the scores update as you type.

Use cases

Check whether student essays match the expected grade level.
Simplify blog posts or marketing copy for a wider audience.
Verify that legal or medical documents are accessible to the public.
Align textbook passages to curriculum reading standards.
Benchmark news articles or reports against target reader demographics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Last updated: 2026-06-10 · Reviewed by Nham Vu