“Is my writing easy to read?” is one of the few quality questions you can answer with an actual number. A readability score puts your text on a scale, so instead of guessing, you can see whether you’re writing at a level your audience will breeze through or one that makes them work. But “good” depends on who you’re writing for. A children’s blog and a medical journal have very different targets — and both can be doing it right. Here’s what counts as a good readability score, broken down by audience, and how to reach it.
The short answer: 60–70 Flesch Reading Ease
For the majority of online writing — blog posts, landing pages, emails, product copy, help articles — a good readability score is a Flesch Reading Ease of 60 to 70. That maps to roughly a 7th-to-9th-grade reading level: clear and accessible without sounding dumbed down.
Why aim there? Because the average adult reads comfortably at about an 8th-grade level, and people skim online rather than study. Content that sits in the 60–70 band gets read to the end; content that demands college-level concentration gets abandoned. For the formula behind this number, see Flesch Reading Ease score explained.
”Good” depends on your audience
A single target doesn’t fit every situation. Here’s how the goalposts move:
| Audience / content type | Target Flesch score | Approx. grade level |
|---|---|---|
| General public, health, instructions | 70–80+ | 6th–7th |
| Blog posts, marketing, most web copy | 60–70 | 7th–9th |
| Detailed B2B / industry articles | 50–60 | 10th–12th |
| Technical documentation | 50–60 | 10th–12th |
| Academic / legal / scientific | 30–50 | College |
Two principles cut across the whole table:
- Lower grade level is almost always safer. Even sophisticated readers prefer clear writing — they’re reading you to save time, not to admire your vocabulary. Simplifying rarely costs you credibility.
- The subject sets a floor, not a target. A legal disclaimer may have to use precise terms that drag the score down. That’s fine — but you can still keep sentences short, which lifts the score without sacrificing accuracy.
Why a good readability score matters
This isn’t a vanity metric. Readability connects directly to outcomes:
- Completion and engagement. Easy-to-read content gets finished. Finished content converts, ranks, and gets shared. Dense content gets a fast bounce back to search.
- SEO signals. Google doesn’t score readability directly, but the behavior it produces — longer time on page, lower bounce — are signals it does respond to. Clear writing wins indirectly.
- Accessibility. Plain language serves readers with cognitive differences, non-native speakers, and anyone reading on a phone in a hurry — which is most people.
- Trust. Clear writing reads as confident and competent. Convoluted writing reads as either hiding something or not understanding it.
How to know your score
Don’t estimate — measure. Paste your draft into the readability score checker. It returns your Flesch Reading Ease score, the equivalent grade level, and a difficulty rating, and it updates live as you edit. The live feedback is the point: you can see a sentence-split or a word-swap move the number in real time.
A couple of related counts help you interpret the score:
- The sentence counter shows how long your sentences run — the single biggest driver of readability.
- The word counter gives the overall length so you can judge scope alongside difficulty.
How to reach a good readability score
If your score is lower (harder) than your target, these moves raise it fastest:
1. Shorten your sentences
Sentence length is the heaviest lever in every readability formula. Aim for an average of 15–20 words, and split anything over 25. Varied length is good — just don’t let the long ones dominate.
2. Choose shorter, plainer words
Swap multi-syllable words for everyday alternatives: use not utilize, help not facilitate, about not approximately. Shorter words lower the syllables-per-word input and read faster.
3. Prefer active voice
Active sentences are shorter and clearer than passive ones. “We shipped the order” beats “the order was shipped by us.” See active vs passive voice for how to spot and fix passive constructions.
4. Break up dense paragraphs
Readability formulas don’t count paragraph length, but readers feel it. Aim for 2–4 sentences per paragraph; white space makes a page feel approachable before a word is read. For the specifics, see how long should a paragraph be.
5. Read it aloud
The oldest test still works. If you run out of breath or stumble, the sentence is too long or too tangled. Your ear catches what the score can’t.
For a fuller walkthrough with before-and-after examples, see how to improve your readability score.
A note on the grade level number
Alongside the Flesch Reading Ease score, you’ll usually see a grade level — a number like “Grade 8.” That’s the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and it’s often the more intuitive figure to communicate (“we write at a 7th-grade level” is clearer than “we score 68”). The two measure the same thing in different units; we explain the grade-level version in Flesch-Kincaid grade level explained.
The bottom line
A good readability score for most online writing is a Flesch Reading Ease of 60–70, around a 7th-to-9th-grade level — clear, fast, and finishable. Adjust the target up for broad audiences and accept a lower band only when the subject demands it. To hit your number, shorten sentences, simplify words, use active voice, and break up paragraphs — then confirm it in the readability score checker as you write.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good readability score?
For most online content, a Flesch Reading Ease score of 60–70 (about a 7th-to-9th-grade level) is the sweet spot — clear and accessible without sounding oversimplified. Broad consumer content should aim higher (70–80+).
What readability grade level should I write at?
Aim for around a 7th-to-9th-grade level for general audiences, since the average adult reads comfortably at about 8th grade. Even expert readers prefer clear writing, so a lower grade level rarely hurts.
What is a good Flesch Reading Ease score for SEO?
There’s no exact SEO threshold, but 60–70 works well because it keeps readers engaged. Google doesn’t score readability directly, but easier content tends to produce longer time on page and lower bounce rates, which are positive signals.
How do I check my readability score?
Paste your text into the readability score checker. It shows your Flesch Reading Ease score, the equivalent grade level, and a difficulty rating, updating live as you edit so you can see improvements instantly.
Is a higher readability score always better?
Higher (easier) is usually better, but it should match your audience. Aim for the lowest grade level your subject allows — simpler is rarely worse — while accepting that technical or legal content may necessarily score lower.
What’s the fastest way to improve a readability score?
Shorten your sentences. Sentence length is the biggest driver in readability formulas, so splitting anything over ~25 words gives the quickest gain. Swapping long words for short ones and using active voice help too.