Syllable Counter
Count syllables in your text and analyze readability with the Flesch Reading Ease score. Improve your writing by measuring complexity and accessibility.
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Flesch Score
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Measure Text Readability with Flesch Reading Ease
Our free syllable counter instantly analyzes your text to count syllables, calculate average syllables per word, and measure readability using the industry-standard Flesch Reading Ease score. The Flesch Reading Ease formula (0-100 scale, where higher = easier) combines average sentence length with syllables per word to produce an objective readability score. Scores of 90-100 indicate 5th-grade reading level (ideal for mass-market content and social media), 60-70 suits general web content and business communication (8th-9th grade), 30-50 matches college-level writing (academic papers and technical docs), and below 30 indicates professional or specialized content. Most successful web content targets 60+ for maximum accessibility, as simpler writing reaches broader audiences without sacrificing meaning.
The syllable counter uses advanced English language rules to achieve ~95% accuracy by identifying vowel groups, handling silent 'e' endings, processing consonant clusters, and accounting for common exceptions. Writers use the tool to simplify complex sentences, replace multi-syllable words with shorter alternatives, and improve overall clarity—critical for content marketing where readability directly impacts engagement metrics. After checking readability, you might want to use our Readability Checker for comprehensive analysis including grade level and reading time, or the Word Counter to verify your content meets length requirements for SEO (1,500-2,500 words for blog posts).
Common Use Cases
📱 Content Marketing & Copywriting
Marketing teams paste landing page copy, email campaigns, and blog posts to ensure readability matches their target audience. Sales copy targeting consumers should score 60-70+ for broad accessibility, while B2B technical content can accept 50-60. The Flesch score directly correlates with engagement—harder-to-read copy increases bounce rates and decreases conversions. Content strategists use syllable counts to identify overly complex words that alienate readers, replacing jargon with simpler alternatives that maintain message clarity while improving accessibility.
After optimizing readability, use Character Counter to ensure meta descriptions stay under 160 characters, then Keyword Extractor to verify SEO optimization.
📚 Educational Material Development
Teachers and instructional designers paste textbook passages, worksheets, and assessment questions to verify content matches student grade levels. A 3rd-grade reading passage should score 80-90 (simple sentences, short words), while high school materials can range 50-60. The tool prevents the common problem of materials being too advanced for students, which causes frustration and disengagement. Educators adjust vocabulary and sentence structure based on syllable counts to hit precise readability targets, ensuring students comprehend material without assistance.
Verify grade-level appropriateness with Sentence Counter (shorter sentences for younger readers), then Word Counter to match assignment length requirements.
🔍 SEO Content Optimization
SEO specialists analyze blog posts and web pages because search engines favor readable content—Google's algorithms consider user engagement metrics like time on page and bounce rate, both affected by readability. Pages with 60-70 Flesch scores tend to perform better in search results because they serve broader audiences. Writers optimize for readability by breaking long sentences into shorter ones, replacing Latin-origin polysyllabic words with simpler Germanic alternatives (use "buy" instead of "purchase"), and reducing passive voice complexity.
Combine with Text Statistics for comprehensive analysis, then use Paragraph Counter to ensure proper structure (40-80 words per paragraph for web).
⚖️ Legal & Medical Document Simplification
Healthcare providers and legal professionals paste patient information sheets, consent forms, and client communications to ensure comprehension. Medical informed consent documents must be readable by patients with 8th-grade education (target 60+ Flesch score) to ensure true informed consent. Legal documents traditionally score below 30 (very difficult), but consumer-facing materials like terms of service benefit from simplification to 50-60. Plain language initiatives in both fields use syllable counters to identify unnecessarily complex terminology.
Simplify complex text with Case Converter to normalize capitalization, then Trim Lines to clean formatting for distribution.