📚 Reading Level Checker

About the Reading Level Checker

This reading level checker runs entirely in your browser. Paste any English text into the box above, click Analyze, and you'll see a detailed readability report including word count, sentence count, syllable count, and three of the most widely used readability indices. Nothing is uploaded to a server — the analysis happens instantly with JavaScript on your device.

Readability indices explained

• Flesch Reading Ease — A score from 0 to 100. Higher scores mean easier text. 90–100 is Very Easy (5th grade), 60–70 is Standard (8th–9th grade), 0–30 is Very Difficult (college graduate).
• Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level — Maps to a U.S. school grade level. A score of 8 means an 8th grader can understand the text.
• Gunning Fog Index — Estimates the years of formal education needed to understand the text on first reading. Heavily weighted by complex (3+ syllable) words.
• SMOG Index — Simple Measure of Gobbledygook. Estimates grade level based on the number of polysyllabic words. Often used for health-related materials.

How to use the checker

1. Paste your text into the input box (at least 100 words is recommended for reliable results).
2. Click Analyze — the readability report appears below the buttons.
3. Review the word, sentence, and syllable counts, plus the three readability scores.
4. Click Clear to start over with new text.

Frequently asked questions

Does this tool upload my text? No. All analysis happens locally in your browser. Your text never leaves your device.

Does it work for non-English text? The formulas are designed for English and rely on syllable counting heuristics that may not be accurate for other languages.

How are syllables counted? The tool counts vowel groups in each word, with a few common-sense adjustments (silent trailing 'e', etc.). It's an approximation, not a dictionary lookup.

What's a "complex word"? Any word with three or more syllables, excluding common suffixes like -ed and -es. Used by the Gunning Fog and SMOG formulas.