Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Calculator
Find out what U.S. school grade level is needed to read your text. Paste your content below for an instant result.
Breakdown
What Is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level?
How it works
The Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level formula was developed for the U.S. Navy in 1975 to assess the difficulty of technical manuals. It uses average sentence length and average syllables per word to output a U.S. school grade level.
Grade level reference
Grade 1–4 is elementary reading level. Grade 5–8 is middle school. Grade 9–12 is high school. Grade 13–16 is college level. Above 16 is graduate or professional level writing.
Common benchmarks
Most popular novels score between Grade 6 and 8. Newspaper articles typically target Grade 8–10. Academic journal articles often score Grade 14–16. The Bible scores approximately Grade 9.
How to Lower Your Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level
Reduce sentence length
Long sentences are the primary driver of a high grade level score. Try to keep most sentences under 20 words. Split complex sentences into two simpler ones wherever possible.
Use fewer multi-syllable words
Words with 3 or more syllables significantly raise the grade level. Swap technical or Latinate words for shorter Anglo-Saxon equivalents where clarity allows. "Help" instead of "assistance." "Use" instead of "utilize."
When a high score is appropriate
Not all writing should target a low grade level. Academic papers, legal documents, and technical manuals are written for educated audiences. A high Flesch-Kincaid score is only a problem if it doesn't match your audience.