Plain language is a legal requirement for federal websites and the standard most state and local governments hold themselves to. This checker fetches a page, pulls out the main content, and scores it with the two formulas ScanGov uses across every government site it scans: Automated Readability Index and Flesch-Kincaid. A page passes at grade 8 or below; mature content teams aim for 6. Free, no signup, results on the page.
How your whole site scores
ScanGov has scanned most US government websites and publishes a public scorecard for each on scangov.org, with readability among the usability checks. Browse the usability rankings to find your site, and read more about government website readability.
About
Readability measures how easy text is to understand by looking at words and layout. Formulas like Flesch-Kincaid and the Automated Readability Index estimate a reading grade level. ARI uses the average number of characters per word and words per sentence to give a US school grade; 8 means eighth grade. Simple words, short sentences, clear design, and legible fonts make text easier to read.
Why it matters
Residents get what they need the first time, without calling or visiting. As of September 2026, about six in ten government homepages ScanGov has scanned meet the grade-8 standard and about one in three meet the grade-6 target.
Guidance
- Government website readability: how sites score, what grade to aim for, and what the law requires
- Readability standard
- Automated Readability Index
- Flesch-Kincaid
- Plain Writing Act of 2010
- 21st Century Integrated Digital Experience Act
- US federal website standards
Frequently asked questions
What reading grade level should government web content be?
ScanGov scores a page as passing when its Automated Readability Index rounds to grade 8 or below, which is the common plain-language target for a general audience. Mature government content teams, including state teams ScanGov works with, set their own goal at grade 6. Aim for 8 as the floor and 6 for essential services, forms and instructions.
What is the Automated Readability Index?
A formula that estimates the US school grade needed to understand a text from the average characters per word and words per sentence. Flesch-Kincaid does the same using syllables. Both reward short words and short sentences. See the ARI and Flesch-Kincaid standards for the formulas.
Is plain language required by law?
For federal agencies, yes. The Plain Writing Act of 2010 requires clear communication the public can understand, and the 21st Century IDEA, implemented by OMB memo M-23-22, requires federal websites to use plain language. State and local governments are not bound by those laws but most adopt the same standard, and readable content is part of the accessibility work the ADA Title II web rule requires.
How does this checker decide what text to score?
It fetches the page, extracts the main content, and drops navigation, scripts and boilerplate. Headings and other fragments without punctuation are appended with a period so the formulas count them fairly. The "content" section of the result shows exactly what was scored. Pages that block automated tools cannot be scanned.
Why does a homepage score differently from an article page?
Homepages are mostly links, labels and short fragments, which score low. Long-form pages with real sentences are the better test of your writing. Check the pages residents actually read: permits, payments, notices, and instructions.
Does ScanGov check readability across a whole site?
Yes. This tool checks one page. The ScanGov monitoring product scans every page of a site and its readability section under usability lists the pages written above the target grade, so a content team can work through them and measure an improvement project. The public scorecard for your site's homepage is already on scangov.org.