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How to improve your writing's readability score

A readability score is a numerical estimate of how easy your text is to read. High readability means more people will actually finish reading what you wrote. Low readability means they'll give up, even if the content is valuable.

What do readability scores measure?

Most readability formulas measure two things: sentence length and word complexity. The assumption is that shorter sentences and simpler words are easier to process. The main scores you'll encounter:

• Flesch Reading Ease — scores 0–100. Higher is easier. 60–70 is ideal for general audiences (magazine level). Above 70 is very easy. Below 30 is academic/professional.
• Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level — matches a US school grade. Grade 8 (around age 13–14) is the standard target for general web content. Most newspapers aim for grade 6–8.
• Gunning Fog Index — also a grade level. A score of 12+ indicates the writing requires college-level reading ability.
• SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) — estimates years of education needed. Good for health communications where clarity is critical.

Seven practical ways to improve readability

• Shorten sentences. Aim for an average of 15–20 words per sentence. Long sentences force readers to hold too much in working memory. Split anything over 30 words.
• Use plain words. "Use" instead of "utilise." "Start" instead of "commence." "Help" instead of "facilitate." Every syllable the reader has to decode is friction.
• Cut passive voice. "The report was written by the team" → "The team wrote the report." Active voice is faster to parse.
• Add paragraph breaks early. A wall of text signals "this will be hard work." Short paragraphs signal "this is manageable." Two to four sentences per paragraph is a safe target for online reading.
• Use common words over technical ones. Where jargon is unavoidable, define it on first use. Don't assume the reader knows acronyms.
• Read your writing out loud. You'll hear where it's awkward or difficult. If you stumble reading it, the reader will too.
• Use numbered lists and bullet points. Step-by-step information is easier to follow as a list than as embedded prose. This article uses lists for the same reason.

What score should you aim for?

It depends on your audience:

• Blog posts and web content: Flesch 60–70, Grade 6–8
• Business emails and reports: Flesch 50–60, Grade 8–10
• Academic papers: Flesch 30–50, Grade 12+
• Health information: Flesch 60+, Grade 6 or below — health literacy is critically important

Remember: the goal isn't to make writing simplistic. It's to make every sentence earn its place and avoid unnecessary complexity. Good writing at grade 6 can be sophisticated and precise. Complex writing at grade 16 is often just unclear.