Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Calculator

• FKGL = 0.39 × (words/sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables/words) − 15.59 → a US school grade
• Reading Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words/sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables/words) → 0–100, higher = easier
• Grade 7–9 is the sweet spot for general audiences; grade 12+ loses most readers
• The two levers are sentence length and word length — nothing else moves the score
• Built into MS Word; required in US Navy documentation and some state insurance law

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good Flesch-Kincaid score?

For general audiences: Grade Level 7–9, or Reading Ease 60–70. News wire copy targets about grade 8. Technical audiences tolerate 10–12. If you're writing for the public and scoring 13+, shorten sentences first — it's the fastest fix.

Is this the same score Microsoft Word shows?

Same formulas (Word reports both Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level). Small differences can appear because syllable counting and sentence detection are heuristic — different tools split hyphenated words, abbreviations, and bullet lists slightly differently. Scores typically agree within about half a grade.

What grade level should website content be?

Most guidance converges on grade 7–9 for general web content — that's where major news sites and top-performing marketing copy sit. US government plain-language guidelines push public-facing material toward grade 8 or below; health communication often targets grade 6.

Does a lower grade level mean dumbed-down writing?

No — it means shorter sentences and more common words, which expert readers also read faster. Hemingway novels score around grade 4–6. The skill isn't simplifying ideas; it's not making the reader do syntactic work that adds nothing.

Is my text uploaded anywhere?

No — the analysis runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you paste is sent to a server, stored, or logged, which makes the tool safe for unpublished drafts and confidential documents.