Flesch Reading Ease
A readability score from sentence and word length, where higher means easier.
Flesch Reading Ease scores text from roughly 0 to 100 based on average sentence length and syllables per word, where a higher number is easier to read. It is not a ranking factor. It is a useful smoke alarm: a very low score usually means sentences have grown too long, which is a real problem independent of any algorithm.
Definition
The formula uses only two inputs: words per sentence and syllables per word. Around 60 to 70 is considered plain English; below 30 reads as academic or legal.
Because it counts syllables rather than meaning, it can be gamed and it can be wrong. Necessary technical vocabulary lowers the score without making the writing worse, and chopping every sentence in half raises it without making the writing clearer.
Why It Matters
Nobody ranks because of a readability score. But a score that has fallen sharply is a reliable sign that the prose has drifted toward long sentences, and that is worth fixing for readers.
Example
"Utilise the aforementioned methodology" and "use that method" say the same thing. The second scores far higher and is simply better writing.
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