Microsoft Word's readability score — how to find it, what it means

Microsoft Word has a built-in readability score. Many users never find it because it sits behind a checkbox in the proofing options. Here is how to switch it on, how to read the two scores it shows, and what Word leaves out.

Last updated 8 October 2026

Where Word hides readability statistics

These steps come from Microsoft's support page, read on 8 October 2026.

Microsoft 365 (Current Channel only): on the Home tab choose Editor, then Document stats.

Other versions: switch the option on first.

1. Windows: File → Options → Proofing. Under When correcting spelling and grammar in Word, tick Check grammar with spelling and Show readability statistics.
2. Mac: Word → Preferences → Spelling & Grammar. Under Grammar, tick the same two boxes.
3. Run the check: Review → Spelling & Grammar.
4. Correct or ignore each item. Word then opens the Readability Statistics window.

What the readability box actually shows

Word reports three groups of numbers in its readability dialog:

The two readability scores are the headline numbers. Flesch Reading Ease runs 0–100; higher is easier. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level returns a US school grade. Microsoft's page lists only these two tests. Word shows no Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau or ARI score, so it cannot give you a consensus across formulas. It also does not mark which sentences raise the score.

How to interpret Word's two scores

Microsoft's own guidance is a Flesch Reading Ease of 60–70 for most standard files and a Flesch-Kincaid Grade of around 7.0 to 8.0 for most documents. Plain-language laws such as the US Plain Writing Act and GDPR Article 12 set no grade level, so pick the grade your readers need.

Word's readability box also reports passive sentences as a percentage. It is a style count, not a formula score, and Microsoft gives no target for it.

What Word leaves out

Word's readability dialog is useful but limited. Four gaps:

• Only two formulas. Word shows Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid. This site adds Gunning Fog, SMOG, Coleman-Liau and ARI. Formulas can disagree: a 2013 review found they varied by up to five grade levels on the same text.
• No sentence-level highlighting. Word tells you the average sentence length but not which sentences are too long. You have to scan the document by eye.
• No complex-word flagging. Words with three or more syllables drive the Fog and SMOG scores. Word doesn't mark them.
• Not live. Word does not update the scores as you type. You run the check again, or in Microsoft 365 (Current Channel) open Home → Editor → Document stats.

Re-scoring after an edit

Outside Microsoft 365's Document stats, Word opens the Readability Statistics window only after you correct or ignore every item in a Spelling & Grammar check. To re-score after a rewrite, you run the check again.

For drafts where readability is the priority, such as patient information or plain-language policy work, that adds friction. A browser tool that scores as you type is quicker while you are still editing.

A faster workflow when Word's two scores aren't enough

Use Word's readability box for the final-polish reading on a finished document. Use a multi-formula browser tool while you are still rewriting.

1. Draft in Word as usual.
2. When a section needs work, copy it into our browser calculator — six formulas update as you type, sentences are coloured by length, and long words are underlined.
3. Edit until the consensus grade matches your audience target (the audience selector has presets for general public, middle school, children K–6, legal/compliance, technical and academic).
4. Paste the revised text back into Word.
5. Run Word's readability check as a final check.

Workflow for plain-language work

If you are writing plain-language material for patients, customers or the public, the two-formula readout in Word may not be enough.

For healthcare specifically, the most widely cited target for patient material is a 6th-grade level, attributed to the AMA. Researchers recommend measuring it with SMOG, a formula Word does not compute. For governance and business writing, the Gunning Fog Index reacts to long words as well as long sentences. A practical workflow scores against all six, looks at where they agree, then uses Word for the final check.

Does Word Online have readability?

Microsoft's instructions cover Word for Microsoft 365, Word for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Word 2024 for Mac, Word 2021, Word 2021 for Mac, Word 2019 and Word 2016. They do not mention Word for the web. If you cannot find the option there, score in a separate tool.

What about Google Docs?

Google's help page for the Docs word count lists words, characters and pages. It does not mention a readability score. The simplest workflow is to paste a section into a browser calculator while keeping your draft in Docs.

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