Reading Level Calculator
Paste any text to calculate its Flesch-Kincaid grade level and reading ease score.
Find out what grade level your writing targets.
Reading level measures how difficult a text is, based on sentence length, word complexity, and syllable count. Several standardized formulas are used in education, publishing, and content creation.
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Formula:
FK Grade = 0.39 × (words/sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables/words) − 15.59
Flesch Reading Ease Formula:
Reading Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words/sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables/words)
Score interpretation:
- 90–100: Very easy (5th grade)
- 70–80: Easy (7th grade)
- 60–70: Standard (8th–9th grade)
- 30–50: Difficult (college level)
- 0–30: Very difficult (professional/academic)
Gunning Fog Index:
Fog Index = 0.4 × (words/sentences + 100 × complex_words/words)
Complex words = words with 3+ syllables (excluding proper nouns and compound words)
Worked Example:
A sample paragraph: 100 words, 5 sentences, 140 syllables, 10 complex words.
Average sentence length = 100 / 5 = 20 words Average syllables per word = 140 / 100 = 1.40
FK Grade = 0.39 × 20 + 11.8 × 1.40 − 15.59 = 7.8 + 16.52 − 15.59 = 8.71 (9th grade)
Fog Index = 0.4 × (20 + 100 × 10/100) = 0.4 × (20 + 10) = 12.0 (high school senior)
Reading Level Targets by Content Type:
| Content | Target Grade Level |
|---|---|
| Children’s books | 2–5 |
| Newspapers | 6–8 |
| General web content | 7–8 |
| Business writing | 8–10 |
| Legal / academic | 12–16 |
Practical Tips:
- Shorter sentences and common words always lower the reading level
- Tools like Hemingway Editor calculate these scores automatically