Email Readability Checker
Paste your email and see how easy it is to read: the school grade level, how long it takes to read, the exact sentences that are too long, and simpler words you could use.
What reading level should an email be?
For most emails, aim for grade 6 to 8. That isn't about your readers' intelligence: everyone, including busy professionals, reads email quickly on a phone, between other things. Plain, short sentences get read; dense ones get skimmed or saved for later and forgotten.
Real estate agents, contractors and small businesses especially benefit: a listing update or quote that reads at grade 7 feels friendly and clear. Legal or technical emails can run higher, but even then, shorter sentences help.
How the score is worked out
The grade uses the Flesch-Kincaid formula, the same one built into Microsoft Word. It looks at two things: how many words are in each sentence, and how many syllables are in each word. Long sentences and long words push the grade up.
Greetings and sign-offs like "Hi Sarah," or "Thanks, David" are left out so they don't make the score look easier than it is. Links and email addresses are ignored too.
Quick ways to make an email easier to read
- Keep sentences under about 20 words. Split long ones at "and", "but" or "which".
- Use the short word: "use" not "utilize", "help" not "assistance", "about" not "approximately".
- One idea per paragraph, two or three sentences each.
- Put the point or the ask in the first two lines.
- Read it out loud. If you run out of breath, the sentence is too long.
Related free tools
What the email readability checker does
The Email Readability Checker shows how easy your email is to read before you send it. Paste your text and you get a school grade level, a reading time, the sentences that run too long, and plainer words you could swap in. It helps you write emails that people actually read instead of skim.
Benefits
- A grade level you can understandYour email gets a grade from 1 to college level, a label from Very easy to Hard, and a short note on what that means for email.
- Key numbers at a glanceSee the word count, number of sentences, average words per sentence, reading time, a reading ease score out of 100, and the share of long words.
- Finds your longest sentencesSentences over 20 words are listed, longest first, so you know exactly which ones to split.
- Plain-word suggestionsStiff words like "utilize", "approximately" or "assistance" are spotted and paired with simpler choices such as "use", "about" and "help".
- Shows your heaviest wordsA list of words with three or more syllables, with how often each appears, helps you see what is weighing the email down.
- Fair to real emailsShort greeting and sign-off lines, links and email addresses are left out so they don't skew the score. HTML emails work too.
- Length adviceIt tells you when a text is too short for a reliable score, and when it is long for an email.
- Updates as you typeEdit your email in the box and the score changes right away, so you can see each fix pay off.
Who it is for
- Small business owners writing quotes, updates and follow-ups that need to be clear the first time.
- Real estate agents and contractors sending listing updates or job details to busy clients.
- Marketers checking newsletters and promotional emails before they go out.
- Salespeople tightening cold emails and follow-ups so they get replies.
- Non-native English writers who want a quick check that their email reads simply.
How to use it
- Paste your email into the box, as plain text or HTML.
- Read your grade level and the stats under it.
- Shorten the long sentences and swap in the simpler words it suggests.
- Watch the score update, and stop when it reaches the level you want.
Your privacy
The analysis is done entirely in your browser. The text you paste is not sent to ListaFix or anyone else.
Frequently asked questions
What reading level should my email be?
Grade 6 to 8 works best for most marketing, sales and customer emails. People read email quickly, often on a phone, so plain writing gets read and acted on.
How is the reading level calculated?
With the Flesch-Kincaid grade formula, which uses the average sentence length and the average number of syllables per word. It's the same formula Microsoft Word uses.
Does a low grade mean my email sounds childish?
No. Grade level measures effort, not intelligence. Most popular newspapers and successful marketing emails are written around grade 7 or 8.
Can I paste an HTML email?
Yes. The checker removes the HTML code and only scores the words your reader sees.
How long should an email be?
Short usually wins. For a first contact or a follow-up, roughly 50 to 125 words tends to get the most replies. Newsletters can be longer if they're easy to scan.
Is my email text uploaded anywhere?
No. Everything is worked out in your browser and nothing you paste leaves your device.