TxReadability from the Accessibility Institute
   a multi-language readability tool

Differences among the Forcast, Flesch-Kincaid, and Flesch Reading Ease Formulas

The Forcast Grade Level, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, and Flesch Reading Ease (Flesch RE) formulas are used to estimate the grade levels of English content. These formulas apply only if English content is submitted.

Forcast analyzes the average number of one-syllable words in every 150 words. (How is the Forcast score calculated?) Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch RE analyze two factors: the average number of syllables per word in chunks of 100 words and the average number of words per sentence. (How are the Flesch-Kincaid and Flesch Reading Ease scores calculated?)

For Forcast and Flesch-Kincaid, the scores obtained reflect the estimated reading grade level of the content, based on the American grade level system. For users who are familiar with other grade classifications, this tool provides mapping to the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) to aid in the interpretation of the scores.

The Flesch RE score maps to a reading ease index of 0 to 100. The closer the score is to 100, the easier the content; the closer the score to 0, the more difficult the content. In general, a score below 30 is considered very difficult, and a score of 70 is estimated to be written at the eighth or ninth grade level. Research has indicated that a score of 70 is likely appropriate for adult readers. A score of 100 represents that the content is understood by readers with at least a fourth grade education.

Flesch Reading Ease Table

Style	Flesch-Reading Ease Score	Average Sentence Length in Words	Average Syllables per 100 Words	Estimated School Grade Completed	Estimate Percent of U.S. Adults
Very Easy	90-100	8 or fewer	123 or fewer	4th Grade	93
Easy	80-90	11	131	5th Grade	91
Fairly Easy	70-80	14	139	6th Grade	88
Standard	60-70	17	147	7th or 8th Grades	83
Fairly Difficult	50-60	21	155	Some High School	54
Difficult	30-50	25	167	High School or Some College	33
Very Difficult	0-30	29 or more	192 or more	College	4.5

Adapted from Flesch, R. (1949). The art of readable writing. New York: Harper. p.149.

Funding in part provided through a subcontract with the Texas Technology Access Program/Texas Center for Disability Studies from funds authorized by the Assistive Technology Act of 1998 as amended, and administered by the Rehabilitative Services Administration.

The Accessibility Institute
The University of Texas at Austin
Flawn Academic Center, FAC 248C
1 University Station G9600
Austin, Texas 78712
Phone: (512) 495-4288, Fax: (512) 495-4524
utaccess@www.utexas.edu