How to improve your readability score

Eight practical edits for clearer writing, with worked before-and-after examples scored on this site's calculator. Most of them lower the six readability scores. Three of them (active voice, reading aloud and varied sentence length) help readers without reliably changing a score.

Last updated 8 October 2026

Step 1: Diagnose before you edit

Score your text against all six formulas first. Then look at the highlights: sentences over 25 words are marked red, and words of four or more syllables are underlined. Two rough clues:

• Many red sentences → start with tactic 1.
• Many underlined words, or high Gunning Fog and SMOG → start with tactics 2 and 3.
• Everything is high → all tactics, in order.

Tactic 1: Cut sentences over 25 words

Anything over 25 words can usually be split into two sentences.

The pattern that produces too-long sentences is almost always a chain of subordinate clauses. When you find one, look for the conjunction in the middle ("and," "but," "which," "because," "where") and split there.

Before: The implementation of the new policy, which was approved by the board last quarter after extensive consultation with stakeholders across the organisation, will be rolled out in three phases beginning next month and concluding by year-end.

After: The board approved the new policy last quarter after extensive consultation with stakeholders. Rollout will happen in three phases — starting next month, finishing by year-end.

Word count went from 36 to 25 across two sentences. On this calculator, Flesch-Kincaid drops from 19.4 to 10.5.

Tactic 2: Prefer one-syllable verbs

Shorter words lower every score here. Syllable-based formulas count fewer syllables, and character-based ones count fewer letters.

Build a list of habitual swaps:

• utilise → use
• implement → start, set up, do, use
• facilitate → help, run, lead
• demonstrate → show
• communicate → tell, say, write
• investigate → look at, check, study
• determine → decide, work out, find
• commence → start, begin
• terminate → end, stop, fire
• approximately → about, around, roughly
• subsequent to → after
• in the event that → if

Five swaps in a 200-word passage typically lower the Flesch-Kincaid grade by about half a point to one point. Splitting long sentences usually moves the score more.

Tactic 3: Replace nominalisations with verbs

A nominalisation is a verb that has been turned into a noun: decision from decide, implementation from implement, analysis from analyse. Nominalisations almost always require a weak verb to support them ("make a decision," "perform an analysis"), which adds words and syllables.

• made the decision to → decided to
• perform an analysis of → analyse
• provide assistance with → help with
• reach an agreement on → agree on
• take into consideration → consider
• have a discussion about → discuss

Each swap in this list saves 2 to 5 syllables and 1 to 3 words.

Tactic 4: Cut filler adverbs and intensifiers

Words like very, really, quite, rather, basically, essentially, fundamentally, clearly, obviously, simply often add little meaning. Delete them by default, and restore one only when the meaning changes without it.

Before: The data clearly demonstrates that this approach is essentially superior to existing methods.

After: The data shows this approach beats existing methods.

Word count: 13 → 8. Syllables saved: 14. On this calculator, Flesch-Kincaid drops from 14.0 to 6.7.

Tactic 5: Strong verbs over weak verb + adjective

Many sentences hide a strong verb behind a weak verb plus a modifier. "Walked quickly" → "hurried." "Said angrily" → "snapped." "Made better" → "improved." A single verb does the work of a phrase.

• was able to → could
• has the ability to → can
• is in agreement with → agrees with
• made an improvement to → improved
• walked quickly → hurried
• looked carefully at → examined / inspected

Tactic 6: Prefer active voice

Active voice is usually more direct than passive, and it names who did the action. It often saves a word or two.

Passive: The proposal was reviewed by the committee and was approved unanimously.

Active: The committee reviewed the proposal and approved it unanimously.

Word count: 11 → 9. The active version is more direct, but no readability formula scores voice. Here the Flesch-Kincaid grade goes up slightly, from 11.2 to 12.8, because the shorter sentence has more syllables per word.

Tactic 7: Read it aloud

This is the test no formula can replace. Read your text out loud — preferably to another person, or recorded back to yourself. Every place you stumble is a place a reader will stumble. Every sentence that runs out of breath is too long. Every word your mouth can't quite produce is too complex.

Reading aloud catches:

• Sentences that should be split (you ran out of breath)
• Words that don't work (you hesitated)
• Awkward repetitions (your ear noticed)
• Wrong rhythm (the sentences feel monotonous)

No formula can do this check for you.

Tactic 8: Vary sentence length deliberately

Average sentence length is what the formulas count, but rhythm is what readers notice. Mixing long and short sentences on purpose keeps prose from sounding flat. Long sentence to develop an idea. Short one to land it.

One way to do it: after every two long sentences (15+ words), write one short one (under 10 words).

A practical editing workflow

1. Score your draft. Note which formula is highest.
2. Use step 1 to decide where to start: long sentences or long words.
3. If sentence length: scan for sentences over 25 words, split each one (tactic 1).
4. If vocabulary: scan for 3+ syllable words, swap where possible (tactics 2 and 3).
5. Pass through cutting filler (tactic 4) and weak verbs (tactic 5).
6. Re-score and compare with your target.
7. Read aloud. Fix anything that makes you hesitate.
8. Re-score one more time. You're done when the score matches your audience target.

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