Belmo
Free tool

Website copy readability checker

Paste your website copy and see its reading grade, the long sentences, passive voice, filler and jargon words, then save a score card.

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Scores steady up from about 60 words. Headlines and bullet lines count as sentences.

What you get when you paste

  • Reading grade and reading ease. The school grade a reader needs, and a 0 to 100 ease score.
  • Long sentences, marked. Anything over 25 words is highlighted in your own text.
  • Passive voice hints. Spots where the doer is hidden.
  • Filler and jargon swaps. A plain word next to each fancy one.
  • Before and after. Edit and watch each score move, then save a score card picture.

How the scores are worked out

Two classic formulas do the work, both built on the same two numbers: how long your sentences are, and how long your words are.

  • Flesch-Kincaid grade = 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59. The result is a US school grade. Add five for a typical reader age.
  • Flesch reading ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words). Higher is easier; 60 to 70 is plain English.

Syllables are counted with rules: each group of vowels is one syllable, silent endings such as -e and -ed are dropped, and endings such as -tion and -le are handled. A short list of tricky words is built in, and each digit counts as one syllable. It is exact on most everyday words and can be one off on rare ones.

What grade to aim for

Reading gradeReading easeHow it reads
5 or below90 to 100Very easy. Ideal for buttons, headlines and instructions.
6 to 870 to 90Clear. A 12-year-old can follow it. The best range for most pages.
9 to 1060 to 70Fairly clear. Fine for detail pages, with short sentences.
11 to 1330 to 60Hard going. Visitors on a phone skim past it.
14 or above0 to 30Dense. Rewrite in shorter sentences and everyday words.

What each check looks for

  • Long sentences. Over 25 words is flagged; over 35 is flagged as very long.
  • Passive voice hints. A form of “to be” followed by a past participle, such as “was repaired”.
  • Filler. Words like very, really and just, and phrases like “in order to”.
  • Jargon. Words like utilize, leverage and seamless, each with a plain swap.
  • Repeats. Words used three or more times, doubled words, and runs of sentences that all start the same way.

Want the full method? Read How to write website copy a 12-year-old can follow.

Questions

What reading grade should website copy have?

Aim for grade 6 to 8. Copy at that level reads easily for almost every adult too, including people skimming on a phone in a hurry. Grade 8 or below with an average sentence of about 16 words is a good target.

How is the reading grade worked out?

The checker uses the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula: 0.39 x (words per sentence) + 11.8 x (syllables per word) - 15.59. Flesch reading ease uses 206.835 - 1.015 x (words per sentence) - 84.6 x (syllables per word). Shorter sentences and shorter words lower the grade.

How are syllables counted?

By rules, not a dictionary: groups of vowels are counted, silent endings such as -e and -ed are dropped, endings like -tion and -le are handled, and a short list of tricky words is built in. Numbers count one syllable per digit. It is exact on most everyday words and can be one off on rare names.

Does my text leave my device?

No. Every check and the score card picture are made on this page in your browser. Nothing you paste is uploaded or stored.

Why are some passive sentences only a hint?

The check looks for a form of 'to be' followed by a past participle, such as 'was repaired'. It cannot know what you mean, so each match is a prompt to ask who does the action, not a verdict.

Does it work for languages other than English?

The syllable rules and the filler and jargon lists are written for English, so scores for other languages will not be reliable.