Readability Checker

How do I check the readability of my writing online?

Type or paste your text into AnyTool Readability Checker. It shows a live Flesch reading-ease score and reading grade, then highlights problems inline the way Hemingway does — very hard sentences in red, hard ones in amber, passive voice, adverbs, complex words with simpler synonyms, and weakening qualifiers — plus a ranked list of fixes. Everything runs in your browser, so your text is never uploaded.

Live Flesch reading-ease gauge and reading grade with a plain-English label
Hemingway-style inline highlights for hard and very hard sentences
Passive voice, -ly adverbs, complex words and qualifiers flagged as you type
Target-audience selector with a pass or fail check
Concrete suggestions and simpler-word swaps — 100% client-side

What is

A readability checker is a writing tool that scores how easy text is to read — using measures such as the Flesch reading-ease score and a reading grade level — and highlights the sentences, passive constructions, adverbs and complex words that make writing harder, suggesting simpler alternatives so the text reaches its intended audience.

Text Tools

Related terms

Flesch Reading EaseReading Grade LevelPassive VoiceHemingway Editor

Frequently Asked Questions

Every score and highlight is computed locally in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing is sent to a server, there is no tracking, and the page works offline after the first load — so you can safely check confidential drafts, essays or reports.

No upload happens. All scoring and highlighting runs in your browser, so your text never leaves your device and the tool works offline.

The checker grades each sentence with the Automated Readability Index, which rises with longer words and more words per sentence. Sentences scoring grade 10 to 14 are shown in amber as hard to read, and anything above grade 14 is shown in red as very hard. Splitting long sentences and choosing shorter words lowers the grade and lifts the reading-ease score.

Long sentences with many or complex words read at a higher grade. This tool marks sentences at grade 10 to 14 as hard (amber) and above grade 14 as very hard (red).

Plain-English guidance suggests writing for around grade 8 or 9 for the general public, which is a Flesch reading ease near 60 to 70. The tool offers audience presets — wide reach, general public, professional and academic — each with its own grade and ease target, and shows a clear pass or fail so you know whether your writing fits the readers you have in mind.

For a general audience, aim for grade 9 or lower and a Flesch reading ease of 60 or more. Pick a target audience and the tool tells you if your text passes.

Passive voice is detected when a form of the verb to be (is, was, were, been and so on) is followed by a past participle, including irregular ones such as written or seen. Complex words and wordy phrases are matched against a built-in dictionary drawn from plain-English guidance, so the tool can suggest swaps such as utilize to use, in order to to to, and due to the fact that to because.

It flags a form of to be followed by a past participle as passive, and matches complex words against a dictionary of simpler alternatives like utilize to use.

Detailed Explanation

Methodology

How the Readability Checker Works

AnyTool Readability Checker scores and annotates text entirely in the browser. It grades each sentence with the Automated Readability Index — colouring sentences from grade 10 to 14 amber (hard) and above grade 14 red (very hard) — and computes a whole-text Flesch reading-ease score and reading grade. Passive voice, -ly adverbs, complex words and weakening qualifiers are flagged inline, the same approach the Hemingway Editor popularised.

Per-sentence grade uses the Automated Readability Index (ARI)
Hard sentences are grade 10 to 14; very hard sentences exceed grade 14
Flesch reading ease and reading grade computed for the whole text
Passive voice flagged as a form of to be plus a past participle
All scoring and highlighting is client-side JavaScript — no server round-trip

How It Works

Highlights, Audience Targets and Suggestions

The tool turns its analysis into action. Complex words and wordy phrases are matched against a built-in dictionary of simpler alternatives drawn from plain-English guidance — for example utilize to use, in order to to to, and due to the fact that to because. An audience selector (wide reach, general public, professional, academic) sets a target grade and reading-ease, shows a pass or fail, and a ranked list of suggestions explains exactly what to fix first.

Complex-word dictionary suggests simpler synonyms on hover
Adverbs and qualifiers such as very, really and just are flagged for cutting
Audience presets map to a target grade and Flesch reading-ease band
Suggestions are ranked by impact, starting with very hard sentences
A copyable plain-text report summarises scores, issues and fixes

Privacy & Security

Privacy and Offline Use

Because all analysis runs in the browser, the text never reaches a server, there is no account or tracking, and the page works offline after first load. The editor overlays its highlights on a standard textarea, so very large documents stay responsive and confidential drafts can be edited safely.

Readability checking: in-browser (AnyTool) vs typical online readability tools
Capability	AnyTool	Typical online readability tools
Text handling	Processed in your browser	Often posted to a server
Privacy	Text never leaves device	May log or store submitted text
Inline highlights	Hemingway-style, six categories	Often score-only
Simpler-word suggestions	Built-in dictionary, on hover	Frequently paywalled
Audience pass/fail	Yes, with presets	Rarely built in
Works offline	Yes (PWA)	No
Cost / signup	Free, no signup	Often gated or ad-heavy

Server-based checkers can retain pasted text in logs; AnyTool computes every score and highlight locally and uploads nothing.