Press kit · Updated November 6, 2026
Readability Check press kit
Readability Check is a free readability checker that shows which sentences to fix. Everything a writer or editor needs to describe, show and cite it is on this page. For anything else, email [email protected].
At a glance
Use whichever length fits. Each one is accurate as written.
About 25 words
Readability Check is a free readability checker that scores text across six published formulas and highlights the sentences to fix. No signup.
About 50 words
Readability Check (readabilitycheck.com) is a free readability checker. It scores any text across six published formulas, gives one consensus grade, and highlights the sentences that raise it. There is no signup. Pasted text and opened files are scored in the browser, and each formula is written from its published paper.
About 100 words
Readability Check (readabilitycheck.com) is a free readability checker that shows which sentences to fix. It scores any text across six published formulas — Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch–Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman–Liau and the Automated Readability Index — and combines them into one consensus grade. Each sentence is highlighted by difficulty, so writers see where to cut. Writers can paste text, open a Word, PDF or text file, share a report as a link, or embed a free widget on their own site. There is no signup. Readability Check was built by Clinton Munkres and is part of Boringhaus, a small portfolio of single-purpose utility sites.
Fact sheet
Download: Fact sheet (PDF) · Full press kit (ZIP: fact sheet, boilerplate, logos, screenshots)
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Readability Check (wordmark: readabilitycheck) |
| Website | readabilitycheck.com |
| Tagline | Free readability checker that shows which sentences to fix. |
| Launched | April 2026 |
| Built by | Clinton Munkres |
| Part of | Boringhaus, a small portfolio of single-purpose utility sites |
| Price | Free. No signup, no account, no usage limit. |
| Formulas | Six, averaged into a consensus grade: Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch–Kincaid, Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman–Liau, Automated Readability Index. A Fry graph grade is shown separately and is not part of the consensus. |
| Features | Sentence-by-sentence highlighting · audience targets · open .docx, .pdf, .txt and .md files · fetch a web page by URL · shareable report links · structure checks (long paragraphs, missing subheadings, acronyms, passive voice) · side-by-side draft comparison · free embeddable widget |
| Privacy | Pasted text and opened files are scored in the browser and not sent to the site. URL mode fetches the named page through a Cloudflare function, without storing it. Shared reports live only in their link. |
| Usage | About 3,200 active users in the 28 days to November 5, 2026 (Google Analytics 4) |
| Built with | Hand-written HTML, CSS and JavaScript, no framework, hosted on Cloudflare Pages |
| Press contact | [email protected] |
What makes it different
- It shows its work. Many readability tools return a single number. Readability Check marks each sentence easy, borderline or hard, so the writer knows which ones to rewrite.
- Pasted text stays in the browser. Text and files are scored on the reader’s own device and are not uploaded, which matters for drafts, internal policies and patient materials.
- Every formula is sourced. Each of the six is written from its published equation, and the methodology names the paper behind each one.
Founder
Readability Check is built and maintained by Clinton Munkres, a data governance practitioner based in the United States. His day job involves regulated-document compliance — the kind of work where a policy written at a fifth-grade reading level is the difference between something employees actually follow and something that sits in a binder. The tool started as a way to score internal policies faster, then grew into a public utility.
Profile: LinkedIn.
Logos and brand
The mark is three lines of text with the middle one highlighted: the sentence the tool flags for you. The wordmark is one lowercase word, readabilitycheck, with “check” in indigo.
Light backgrounds: SVG · PNG · PNG 2x
Dark backgrounds: SVG · PNG · PNG 2x
Icon: SVG · PNG 512 · PNG 1024
Typeface: Figtree, an open-source font on Google Fonts. Please use the files as supplied: don’t recolor, stretch or redraw the logo, and use the dark version on dark backgrounds.
Screenshots
Every screenshot scores the same text, the opening of Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address (public domain), so the numbers match across images and anyone can reproduce them by pasting the same passage: a consensus grade of 9.4 across 102 words and 5 sentences. Click an image to download it at full size.
How it works
Text is split into sentences and words, and syllables and letters are counted. The six formulas are plain arithmetic on those counts, so results update as you type. The syllable counter is tested against 211 words with dictionary syllable counts. Other tools, Microsoft Word included, can give slightly different scores because they count differently. Full sources are on the about page.
Story angles
Facts a writer can build on, each checked against a primary source and covered on the site:
- No US federal rule sets a reading grade level. Regulations ask for “plain” or “understandable” language. Only non-binding FDA guidance gives numbers. See readability and FDA rules.
- Accessibility rules don’t set one either. WCAG’s Reading Level criterion (3.1.5) is Level AAA; nothing at Level AA sets one. See readability and WCAG.
- Yoast stopped grading with Flesch. Since Yoast SEO 19.3, the Flesch Reading Ease score is no longer one of its readability checks. See how Yoast scores readability.
- Famous texts, scored. Speeches, novels and scripture run through the same six formulas, with the data downloadable as CSV. See the benchmarks.
Cite it
APA
MLA
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Embed it
The calculator can sit on any page as one iframe, free, with no account or API key. Details and a live demo are on the embed page.
Questions journalists ask
Is Readability Check free?
Yes. There is no signup, no account and no usage limit. The checker and all formula pages stay free. The site currently shows no ads.
Does the tool store the text people check?
No. Pasted text and opened files are scored in the browser and are not sent to the site. URL mode is the one exception: a Cloudflare function fetches the page you name and returns its text, without storing it.
How is it different from Hemingway Editor or Grammarly?
Hemingway is a style coach and Grammarly is a writing assistant with grammar checks. Readability Check is a grade-level calculator: it shows six formulas, a consensus grade and the sentences that raise it. It has no grammar or spelling checks.
Who runs Readability Check?
Clinton Munkres, a data governance practitioner based in the United States, built it and maintains it. It is part of Boringhaus, a small portfolio of single-purpose utility sites.
Can I use the logo and screenshots?
Yes, in coverage of Readability Check. Use the files as supplied: please don't recolor, stretch or redraw the logo. Credit screenshots to readabilitycheck.com.
Longer comparisons: Readability Check vs. Hemingway · vs. Grammarly · seven free checkers compared.
Press contact
Email [email protected] for interviews, data requests or anything not on this page. Product questions and bug reports go to [email protected].