The Flesch Grade Level readability formula is also commonly referred to as the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.

The Flesch Grade Level readability formula takes into consideration (1) the total number of words, and (2) the number syllables, as well as (3) the total number of sentences.

Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level is used in business, industry and government as well as education, to score materials from the upper elementary level through the secondary grades and beyond.

We've processed the following texts through our free Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Calculator to demonstrate how it works and how to interpret the results.

The specific mathematical formula is:

FKRA = (0.39 x ASL) + (11.8 x ASW) - 15.59

Where, FKRA = Flesch-Kincaid Reading Age
ASL = Average Sentence Length (i.e., the number of words divided by the number of sentences)
ASW = Average number of Syllable per Word (i.e., the number of syllables divided by the number of words)

Sample 1: Type: News article Source: CNN.com Title of article: Midnight deadline passes for Occupy Boston... Total # of words: 550 Total syllables in text: 905 Total # of sentences: 28 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 10.9 Grade level: Eleventh Grade Age of Reader: 16-17 year olds

Sample 2: Type: News / Finance article Source: USAToday.com Title of article: Wal-Mart reveals overseas operations investigation Total # of words: 247 Total syllables in text: 433 Total # of sentences: 18 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 10.3 Grade level: Tenth Grade Age of Reader: 14-15 year olds

Sample 3: Type: Literary Arts article Source: NYTimes.com Title of article: Emboldened Orchestras Are Embracing the New Total # of words: 1,701 Total syllables in text: 2,880 Total # of sentences: 108 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 10.6 Grade level: Eleventh Grade Age of Reader: 16-17 year olds

Sample 4: Type: Science / Technical article Source: Creation.com Title of article: Solar system formation by accretion has no observational evidence Total # of words: 1,307 Total syllables in text: 2,323 Total # of sentences: 59 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 14.2 Grade level: College, 2nd year Age of Reader: 18-19 year olds

Sample 5: Type: Fiction Novel (excerpt) Source: Stephen King Title of book: The Green Mile by Stephen King Total # of words: 1,404 Total syllables in text: 1,907 Total # of sentences: 65 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.4 Grade level: Eighth Grade Age of Reader: 12-13 year olds

Sample 6: Type: Fiction Novel (excerpt) Source: J.K. Rowling Title of book: Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, Chapter Two : The Vanishing Glass Total # of words: 2,041 Total syllables in text: 2,761 Total # of sentences: 153 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 5.5 Grade level: Fifth - Sixth Graders Age of Reader: 12-13 year olds