Reading Level Analyzer
Analyze prose against four readability formulas. WCAG 3.1.5 (AAA) targets a lower-secondary reading level for general content.
Editorial guidance
How this content tool supports accessibility work
The reading level analyzer is designed to turn a common accessibility review task into a repeatable workflow. It focuses on flesch reading ease, flesch–kincaid grade, gunning fog, and smog for any body copy. The goal is not to replace expert judgment, but to make the first review faster, more consistent, and easier to explain to designers, developers, QA teams, and content owners.
Use the output as evidence for a remediation conversation. A failed check normally means the implementation needs a closer look against WCAG 3.1.5, while a passing check means the specific automated rule did not find a problem. Passing automated checks is helpful, but it is not the same as a full conformance claim.
For best results, test real production markup instead of simplified snippets. Templates, CSS state, JavaScript behavior, responsive layouts, and content changes can all affect the final accessibility experience. Re-run the tool after fixes so the before-and-after evidence is easy to compare.
Pair this tool with manual keyboard testing, zoom and reflow checks, screen-reader review, and content judgment. Those human checks catch issues that automated logic cannot reliably infer, such as whether labels are meaningful, instructions are clear, or a complete user task can be finished without a mouse.
How to use
- 1Paste the content you want to evaluate, such as a landing page section, help article, or product flow.
- 2Compare the readability scores to spot passages that may be too dense for general audiences.
- 3Shorten sentences, replace jargon, and break up long paragraphs before checking the copy again.
FAQs
Tips here are tailored for the reading level analyzer so people can move from checking to fixing faster.
What to verify manually
Keyboard: move through the related flow with Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, Escape, and arrow keys where the pattern expects them.
Assistive technology: check names, roles, states, reading order, announcements, and focus changes with at least one screen reader.
Content quality: confirm that instructions, labels, headings, errors, and alternatives make sense in the real user task.
This page is written as practical guidance, not a legal certification. For procurement, VPAT/ACR work, or regulated launches, combine tool output with expert review and documented manual test results.
Related learning
Learn the concepts behind this tool
- Accessibility CornerDisability Representation in Once Upon a Time: What Mr. Gold's Cane Gets Right About AccessibilityA close reading of Once Upon a Time and how the show handles Mr. Gold's cane, Rumplestiltskin's disability, and disabled representation without turning disability into a lesson or stereotype.
- StandardsWCAG 2.2 Checklist: Common Problems and Practical SolutionsA working developer's tour of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2 — perceivable, operable, understandable, robust — and what actually changed in 2023.
- DocumentsPDF Accessibility Checklist: How to Create Accessible PDFs That People Can Actually UseA practical PDF accessibility checklist covering tags, reading order, headings, links, tables, alt text, forms, metadata, export settings, and testing.