What Is a Good Readability Score? Flesch and FK Grade Explained | TitleCasePro

Quick answer: For general web content, a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60–70 is considered standard and appropriate for most audiences. For marketing copy, aim for 70–80. Academic writing typically scores 30–50. Check your own text with the readability checker.

Readability scores are not grades. A low score does not mean your writing is bad — it means your writing is targeted at a specialist audience. A high score does not mean it is simplistic — it means it is accessible. The key is matching the score to your audience.

The Two Most Common Readability Scores

Flesch Reading Ease

The Flesch Reading Ease score, developed by Rudolf Flesch in 1948, produces a number between 0 and 100. Higher is easier. The formula:

Flesch Ease = 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words)

The score depends on two things only: sentence length and word complexity (syllable count). Nothing else.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level

The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level translates the same statistics into a US school grade. Grade 8 means an 8th grader can read it. Grade 16 means a college graduate level. The formula:

FK Grade = 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59

Flesch Reading Ease Score Ranges

Score	Level	Audience	Examples
90–100	Very Easy	Grade 5 (age 10)	Children’s books, simple instructions
80–89	Easy	Grade 6	Conversational emails, simple articles
70–79	Fairly Easy	Grade 7	How-to guides, personal blogs
60–69	Standard	Grade 8–9	Most web content, news articles
50–59	Fairly Difficult	Grade 10	Long-form journalism, essays
30–49	Difficult	College level	Academic papers, research reports
0–29	Very Difficult	Graduate level	Legal contracts, scientific journals

What Score Should You Target?

Content Type	Target Flesch Score	Target FK Grade
Marketing copy / landing pages	70–80	6–8
Blog posts (general)	60–70	7–9
News / journalism	60–70	7–9
Email newsletters	65–75	6–8
Technical documentation	50–65	9–12
Academic articles	30–50	12–16
Legal documents	20–40	14–18

If you write for a general internet audience, a Flesch score of 60–70 is a reasonable target. If your content is primarily read on mobile, aim for 65–75 — mobile readers have less patience for complex sentences.

Why Your Score Might Be Lower Than Expected

The two variables in the formula are average words per sentence and average syllables per word. Low scores almost always come from:

1. Long sentences — sentences over 25 words significantly drag the score down.
2. Multisyllabic vocabulary — words like “epistemological”, “implementation”, “optimisation” each add syllables.
3. Passive constructions — passive voice creates longer sentences: “The decision was made by the team” vs “The team decided.”
4. Stacked noun phrases — “user experience optimisation strategy” is four syllables per word on average.

How to Raise Your Readability Score

Shorten sentences

This is the highest-leverage change. Breaking one 30-word sentence into two 15-word sentences directly lowers the words-per-sentence average. Use the longest sentence finder to identify your worst offenders first.

Replace polysyllabic words

Complex	Simpler
utilise	use
implement	build, set up
demonstrate	show
approximately	about
subsequently	then, next
optimisation	improvement

Split compound sentences at conjunctions

Every “and”, “but”, “because”, “which”, and “that” is a potential split point.

Cut qualifiers

“It should be noted that”, “In many instances”, “Due to the fact that” add words and syllables without adding meaning. Delete them.

Limitations of Readability Scores

Flesch scores are mechanical approximations based on two variables. They cannot measure:

• Conceptual difficulty — a sentence of short, obscure technical terms can score as “easy”
• Coherence — choppy sentences with no logical flow can score high while confusing readers
• Background knowledge — readers unfamiliar with a domain find all writing harder regardless of sentence length
• Text structure — headings, bullet points, and white space improve comprehension in ways the formula ignores

Use readability scores as a directional signal. If your score is below your target, look for the structural causes. If it is above your target, check that you have not oversimplified the argument.

Related Tools

• Readability Checker — check your Flesch and FK scores
• Longest Sentence Finder — find sentences that drag your score down
• Keyword Density Checker — analyse word frequency alongside readability

Related Guides

• Ideal Sentence Length for Readability — How sentence length directly drives your readability score
• What Is Keyword Density? — Understand keyword frequency alongside readability analysis
• How Long Does It Take to Read and Speak Text? — Reading time and reading level work together