Paste your draft to see what makes it harder to read. Long, complex sentences are shaded yellow or red, and adverbs, passive voice, filler words and wordy phrases are marked with simpler alternatives, alongside a US grade level and readability score.
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Highlighted text
Simpler alternatives
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How to use the Writing Style Analyzer
Paste or type your text in the box. The analysis updates as you write.
Check the grade level in the summary. Most web and business writing reads best at grade 9 or lower.
Fix red sentences first: split them in two or cut extra words. Then look at the yellow ones.
Work through the word marks: replace wordy phrases with the suggestion, cut needless adverbs and fillers, and rewrite passive sentences where the doer matters.
Toggle categories to focus on one issue at a time, and copy the report if you want to share it.
What each highlight means
Highlight
Rule used
How to fix it
Very hard sentence
More than 35 words, or 14+ words with a sentence grade of 14 or more
Split it into two or three sentences; move side details into their own sentence
Hard sentence
14+ words with a sentence grade of 10 to 13
Cut extra words, swap long words for short ones, or split it
Adverb
Words ending in -ly, except common non-adverbs (only, family, early, friendly…)
Use a stronger verb (“ran quickly” → “sprinted”) or delete it
Passive voice
A form of be or get + past participle (“was created”, “has been sent”)
Name the doer first: “HR created the handbook”
Complex word or phrase
One of 220+ wordy words and phrases with a plainer alternative
Use the suggested alternative: “utilize” → “use”, “in order to” → “to”
Filler or hedge
Words like very, really, just, quite, I think, kind of
Delete it and see whether the sentence loses meaning
Grade level and reading ease
The grade level is the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59. It estimates the US school grade needed to understand the text on first reading. The same formula applied to a single sentence decides whether that sentence is shaded. Flesch Reading Ease is 206.835 − 1.015 × (words ÷ sentences) − 84.6 × (syllables ÷ words); higher is easier, and 60–70 is plain English.
Grade
Label
Typical text
6 or below
Very easy
Children's books, simple instructions
7–9
Good
Popular websites, newspapers, most marketing and business email
10–12
Fairly hard
Quality magazines, reports, many textbooks
13–16
Hard
Academic papers, legal and technical documents
17+
Very hard
Dense specialist writing
Editing tips
Edit in passes. Fix the red and yellow sentences first, then wordy phrases, then adverbs and fillers.
One idea per sentence. If a sentence has “and” or “which” joining two thoughts, it can often become two sentences.
Keep the passive when it helps. “Your order has been shipped” is fine; the reader cares about the order, not the warehouse worker.
Vary sentence length. A short sentence after a long one gives the reader a break and adds emphasis.
Frequently asked questions
How does the analyzer decide a sentence is hard to read?
It computes the Flesch-Kincaid grade of each sentence from its word count and syllables per word. Sentences of 14 or more words that score grade 10 to 13 are marked hard (yellow); grade 14 or higher, or any sentence over 35 words, is marked very hard (red).
What grade level should I aim for?
For websites, emails and most business writing, grade 7 to 9 suits a broad audience. Academic and technical writing often scores 12 or higher, which is fine for experts but slows down general readers.
Are adverbs and the passive voice always wrong?
No. They are flagged because they are easy to overuse. An adverb is useful when it adds information the verb cannot, and the passive voice is right when the doer is unknown or unimportant (“The bridge was built in 1932”). Use the marks as prompts, not rules.
How is the grade level calculated?
It uses the Flesch-Kincaid formula: 0.39 × (words ÷ sentences) + 11.8 × (syllables ÷ words) − 15.59. Syllables are counted with a rule-based method, so a word or two may be off by one, which barely changes the score.
Why is a word flagged as complex?
Words like “utilize”, “approximately” or phrases like “in order to” and “due to the fact that” have shorter, plainer alternatives that say the same thing. Hover or look at the suggestion list to see the alternative.
Is my writing uploaded?
No. The analysis runs entirely in your browser. Your draft is saved only on your own device so it is still there if you reload the page.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.