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What Is Flesch Reading Ease and Why Should You Care?
The Flesch Reading Ease score is one of the most widely used readability metrics. Here is how to interpret it.
May 24, 2026
The Formula
Flesch Reading Ease is calculated as:
206.835 − 1.015 × (words/sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables/words)
The result is a score from 0 to 100.
Score Interpretation
| Score | Level | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 90–100 | Very Easy | Comic strips |
| 70–80 | Easy | Consumer email |
| 60–70 | Standard | Newspaper articles |
| 50–60 | Fairly Difficult | Academic writing |
| 0–30 | Very Confusing | Legal documents |
Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
The companion metric converts the same formula to a US school grade level. A score of 8 means an 8th grader can understand your text.
Practical Tips
- Short sentences improve readability more than any other single change.
- Simple words with fewer syllables lower the difficulty score.
- Aim for 60–70 for general blog audiences and 50–60 for professional writing.